Yes Nurse, No Nurse!

THE DIRECTOR

PIETER KRAMER was born in Utrecht in 1952, and studied directing at the Amsterdam Theatre Academy. From the early 1980s he has directed many stage plays.Since the end of the eighties he has also worked for television; among his major successes have been the programmes Theo And Thea and 30 Minutes. His work has been honoured with the Nipkow Award, two Golden Calf Awards and the Albert Dalsum Award.

In 1999 Kramer directed the theatrical production of Yes Nurse! No Nurse! based on the TV series by Annie M.G. Schmidt and Harry Bannink. The enormous success of the stage version led to this screen adaptation, which is the director’s first full-length feature film.

THE ORIGINAL CREATORS OF NURSE KLIVIA

ANNIE M.G. SCHMIDT (1911-1995) was one of the most celebrated Dutch writers of the 20th century: at least four generations of children have grown up with her poems, songs, short stories (like Jip & Janneke) and novels - Abeltje, Otje, Ibbeltje, Pluk van de Petteflet, Minoes.

Besides her literary work ‘Annie M.G.’ also managed to captivate adult audiences with taboo-breaking stage musicals (Foxtrot, It Pays to Be Honest and Madam), radio plays like The Average Family, and the transcendent television series Yes Nurse! No Nurse! and The Noisy Pension.

In 1987 she received the Constantijn Huygens Prize for her literary oeuvre, and the following year the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, the most prestigious international award for children’s and youth literature.

HARRY BANNINK (1919-1999) was born in Enschede in the Netherlands. Unable to finish school because of the war, he ended up in a small dance band playing for the Canadian liberation forces. He also spent a number of years as part of a vocal group, whilst studying for his state diploma in piano and going on to become a music teacher.

In the 1950s he worked for one of the national Dutch radio broadcasters, proving his gifts not only as an excellent accompanist, but also for his ability to compose appealing melodies at great speed. His first contact with the theatre was as rehearsal pianist for the Dutch production of My Fair Lady, and he later worked as the regular accompanist to a popular Dutch solo entertainer. His first hit songs date from this period.

The first music he composed for a text by ANNIE M.G. SCHMIDT showed his facility at adapting classical and popular themes for lyrics that did not fit easily to music. Indeed the most awkward texts seemed to give him most pleasure: he said, "If the stress is not entirely right, I've become rather handy in leaving out a note so that the words fit. I've always enjoyed these sort of puzzles." His great musical years began in 1965 with the first of the Annie M.G. Schmidt-Harry Bannink musicals, which eventually numbered seven and yielded an amazing number of now-classic songs. Six months after the first night, the royalties already allowed him to give up working as an accompanist, although he later spent many happy years as pianist with the small orchestra that accompanied a popular children television programme. He also composed deceptively simple melodies for youth television and the songs for Yes Nurse! No Nurse! which have become popular classics.

Bannink's greatest quality probably lay in the complete naturalness of his work. It is impossible to imagine any other music that would fit these words. But what is often forgotten is that he was also a brilliant arranger of his own melodies. His saddest songs become more melancholy because of the counter- melody, and his use of muted trumpet (wah-wah) adds a distinctive and rich accent to an upbeat song. When the Dutch sing the unforgettable songs from Yes Nurse! No Nurse! they usually include all the extra notes from the arrangement. Bannink tapped a large number of musical sources in these songs, from folk music (Greek, South American) to Beatles' chords.

Since the death of Annie M.G.Schmidt, more attention has been concentrated on the contribution of Bannink as composer. In the spring of 1999 friends persuaded him to record a CD on which he revealed a distinguished, somewhat rustic timbre that not only fits perfectly with his songs but also with the gentleman he was. In the last few years Bannink limited himself to writing songs for one or two children's television programmes. "I've had my time," he said shortly before this death. "I play a lot of piano and snuffle about in old music manuscripts." But he was still much in demand and received several awards, among them the Golden Nutcracker from the Dutch music industry, the Golden Harp for his services to Dutch song and the Louis Davids prize for the best theatre song.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Frank Houtappels / Screenplay

Born in Weert in 1968, Frank Houtappels studied acting at the Amsterdam Theatre Academy, graduating in 1992. Since then he has acted in theatre and for television, and has written a number of stage plays, including Blind Date, The Comedian Harmonists and De Potvis (The Killer Whale), as well as the original stage version of Yes Nurse! No Nurse! of which he subsequently scripted the screen adaptation. Television series which he has written or co-written include Muizen (Mice), All Stars, Hertenkamp (Deer Camp), and TV 7. Several of Houtappels's productions have won awards. Since 1997 he has been one of the regular writers for Het Klokhuis (The Apple Core), a long-running daily television show for children.

Piotr Kukla / Cinematography

Piotr Kukla was born in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Following high school, he studied at the Polish Film Academy in Lodz, during which time he photographed some 30 short student films and worked as camera operator for feature films with the directors of photography Piotr Sobocinski and Czeslaw Swirta.

In the mid-eighties he moved to France and later to Holland, where he now lives. He has worked for some years for VPRO Dutch TV, acting as a director of photography on documentaries by Ireen van Ditshuyzen, Pieter Kramer, Cherry Duyns, Hans Keller and Bram van Splunteren. He has also shot several TV series - The Daltons, Hertenkamp (Deer Camp), Eine Kleine Nachtmerrie (A Little Nightmare) and 30 Minutes - and the feature films De Tweeling (Twins), Magonia, The Boy Who Stopped Talking, Rosa-Rosa and Yes Nurse! No Nurse!

Vincent de Pater / Production Design

Born in Rotterdam in 1964, Vincent de Pater studied visual communications at the Rotterdam Art Academy. He entered cinema as art director and production designer on feature films in 1988. In his first years as art director he also made glass and matte paintings for a number of productions. With a special interest in traditional as well as CGI visual effects, he assisted Ben van Os and Jan Roelfs as visual FX supervisor on Rene Daalder's Ecotopia (1991).

Among contribution to some 25 other television and feature films he was production designer on Felice... Felice... (1997), The Crossing (1999), Minoes (2001) and Yes Nurse! No Nurse! (2002); all films with domestic, international and television distribution. De Pater was recently nominated for a Golden Calf Award for production design in the Netherlands.

Suzy Blok / Choreographer

Born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1963, Suzy Blok moved to Holland and graduated from the Scapino Dans Akademie in Amsterdam. From 1982 she performed in a number of modern dance productions, and in 1985 began to work as a choreographer.

In partnership with Christopher Steel, as Blok and Steel, she has worked on many choreographic projects. The duo has also directed many workshops and classes in technique in various countries. Suzy Blok’s awards include the prize of the 1992/93 Concours Pépinières Européennes pour jeunes artistes and the first prize of the IMZ Dance Screen Awards for best camera rework.

ABOUT THE CAST

Loes Luca / as Nurse Klivia

Born in Rotterdam in 1953, Loes Luca studied drama at the Art Academy in Utrecht, and in the 80s began work with the Amsterdam theatre group ’Orkater’ for whom she directed several productions. In the 90s she began to work for television, having major successes with Rok en Rol (Rock’n’ Roll), Dr. Loes, and Klokhuis (The Apple Core). In 2002 she presented the Royal Wedding party for the Dutch public in the Amsterdam Arena.

In 1993 Loes Luca established her own entertainment band ‘Nenettes et les Zezettes’ and has worked with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Metropool Orchestra and the Residentie Orchestra. She sang Kurt Weill’s Marie Gallante with the ‘Willem Breuker Collectief’, the Quartuor Rosamonde of Paris and the Philharmonic Radio-Orchestra in Switzerland.

She has appeared in the films Het meisje met het rode haar (The Girl with Red Hair), Abel, De Noorderlingen (The Northerners) and Yes Nurse! No Nurse! In 2002 she won the Rembrandt Award and was voted best actress of the year by the Dutch public.

Paul R. Kooij / as Neighbour Boordevol

Paul R.Kooij was born in Utrecht in 1956 and studied at the Theatre school in Arnhem. After finishing his studies in 1987, he appeared with a number of Dutch theatre companies as well as working in television and film. His major television successes have included De Ko de Boswachtershow (Ko, The Forester-Show). He also played in the Oscar winning movie Antonia. Since 2001 he has performed with Ro Theater in Rotterdam, and in the stage version of Yes Nurse! No Nurse! played the role which he reprises, two years later, in the film version.

Paul de Leeuw / as Hairdresser Wouter

Born in Rotterdam in 1962, in 1985 Paul de Leeuw presented the first of his own theatre shows, Stel moeder niet teleur (Don't Disappoint Mother). Subsequently he created several other theatre programmes, and appeared in such plays as Torch Song Trilogy, Foxtrot and Art.

De Leeuw’s own television shows De Schreeuw van De Leeuw (Scream of the Lion) and Laat de Leeuw (Let the Lion) were hailed as renewal for Dutch television, and presented national and international guests of the celebrity of Cher and Lionel Richie. For these television shows De Leeuw received many recognitions, including the Dutch Academy Award and a Bronze Rose in Montreux.

In 1995 De Leeuw directed his own first movie, Filmpje (Little Film); and in 2002 played the part of hairdresser Wouter in the film Yes Nurse! No Nurse!

Waldemar Torenstra / as Gerrit

Waldermar Torenstra was born in Amsterdam in 1974, and successively studied economics and dance before deciding to study acting at the Amsterdam Theatre Academy. Since then his stage appearances have included roles in Hamlet, Tiny Alice, Kazimir and Karoline and Arturo Ui, with various theater groups in Holland.

He has appeared as presenter of a children television show, and as guest in various TV series. Gerrit in Yes Nurse! No Nurse! is his first major film role.

Tjitske Reidinga / as Jet

Tjitske Reidinga was born in Leeuwarden in 1972, and studied acting in Amsterdam. Since finishing acting school in 1997 her stage roles have included parts in Trainspotting, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Yes Nurse! No Nurse! and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, for which she won the Columbia prize for best supporting actress. She is now working on the title role in Hedda Gabler.

Yes Nurse! No Nurse! is her first feature film although she has already done much television work, including Klokhuis (The Apple Core), an award winning children programme; Fit, which she created herself in collaboration with Niek Barends; and 30 Minutes, in which she was directed by Pieter Kramer.

PRODUCTION COMPANY

Bos Bros. Productions

Bos Bros. Film- TV Productions is an independent film and TV production company that has distinguished itself as a producer of children and youth programmes that are characterised by their professional and creative quality. They aim to have their own eloquence and distinct identity; and are timeless in form and content. In television they can be compared with classics of children literature.

Bos Bros. has built up a solid international reputation in youth and children television. In order to be able to maintain these high standards, Bos Bros. regularly seeks international partners. Several award-winning co‑productions have been realized, for example, with Scandinavia, Germany and Belgium.

Since 1997 Bos Bros. has entered the arena of feature films aimed at the family audience. Their first films, Abeltje (1998) and Minoes (2001/02), distributed in the Benelux by Warner Bros., were both blockbusters at the Dutch box office.

Programmes are made with great consideration and affection by an enthusiastic team, in which young talent finds a place alongside experienced professionals.

Bos Bros. Film - TV Productions was founded in September 1989 by Burny Bos, after many years of making children TV and radio for the Dutch VPRO and AVRO broadcasting companies. Burny Bos is also known as a writer of children books.

In its first few years, Bos Bros. concentrated on making films and TV for young people. Since then, the company has developed numerous formats for a variety of age groups.