JOSE VAN DAM par Gérard Corbiau
DVD  Rtbf
www.boutique.rtbf.be

Van Dam Van Dam

In 1981 Gérard Corbiau filmed a portrait of  José van Dam. Their complicity led, a few years later, to a movie with ‘cult’ status :” Le Maitre de Musique’’ which was nominated for the Oscar for the best foreign film. The 1981 documentary of 59 minutes  is updated 25 years later with a sequel (52 minutes) in which the director of “Farinelli “and “Le Roi danse” followed him from Brussels to Milan and from Matsumoto to Paris. As a filler on the DVD one gets a 38 minutes portrait in which Van Dam talks about his youth, his teachers, his debuts and his art. Rare footage is included ranging from a 12-year old “Jef van Damme” singing Ave Maria to the mature singer in rare videoclips. Subtitles in Dutch, French and English are available. The DVD can be ordered through the above mentioned website.
The 1988 published biography can still be found on various internet sources.