Ciske the Rat (1984)
"Ciske de Rat" (original title)

11 year old Amsterdam schoolboy Ciske, a scamp with a heart of gold, causes havoc in the classroom pouring ink over his teacher. Yet when a polio-crippled boy joins the class Ciske is one ... See full summary »

Director:

Guido Pieters

Writers:

Piet Bakker (novel), Karin Loomans

Stars:

Danny de Munk, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Herman van Veen

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny de Munk	...	Ciske Vrijmoeth / Ciske de Rat
Willeke van Ammelrooy	...	Moeder Marie
Herman van Veen	...	Meester Bruis
Willem Nijholt	...	Oom Henri
Peter Faber	...	Vader Cor
Rijk de Gooyer	...	Rechercheur Muyskens
Linda van Dyck	...	Tante Jans
Carolien van den Berg	...	Tante Chris
Adriaan Olree	...	De Goey
Ingeborg Uyt den Boogaard	...	Schooljuffrouw
Danny Merk	...	Theo
Mara Peelen	...	Corrie
Rudi Falkenhagen	...	Cafebaas (as Rudy Falkenhagen)
Hans Holtkamp	...	Vriend van Henri
Henk Rigters	...	Van Loon

Storyline

11 year old Amsterdam schoolboy Ciske, a scamp with a heart of gold, causes havoc in the classroom pouring ink over his teacher. Yet when a polio-crippled boy joins the class Ciske is one of the only children to befriend him and is bullied as a result. His mother works in a bar and Ciske helps out often late into the night - his father is at sea and his mother supplements her income with prostitution. Ciske also smolders with rage at life's injustices.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | teacher | prostitution | scamp | abuse | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Netherlands

Language:

Dutch

Release Date:

29 March 1984 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Ciske the Rat

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sigma Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 110 min (theatrical) 180 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of Ciske - Ein Kind braucht Liebe (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Ik voel mij zo verdomd alleen"
Lyrics by Karin Loomans
Music by Herman van Veen
Performed by Danny de Munk

User Reviews

Powerful drama about a lonely boy

Much more than another coming of age movie – Ciske the rat is a fine example of the Dutch cinema. If you are found of the treble music you will definitely notice the song at the beginning performed by the Danny De Munk (famous singer from Netherlands) who plays the role of the troubled young lad – Ciske.

The childhood of Ciske in not easy – his father is sailing away and his mother does not really care about him. With rebellious spirit the young Ciske spends most of his time on the streets of Amsterdam. No one pays attention to the lonely boy. Trying to cope with the harsh live and attract some love and sympathy he has troubles with the law and even spends some time in prison. I really admired the way he protected himself there – if only all people were as strong as he turned out to be. Ciske has generous heart and when his teacher notices that he tries to help the young lad to take the right path.

Ciske the Rat is powerful and graphically brutal drama which is sure to leave a long lasting impression to anyone who had a chance to see it. I truly enjoyed watching it and highly recommend it.