Ciske the Rat

What a horrible life eleven year old Ciske has had! This story is for all people who had horrible childhoods. It shows how difficult every day can be for some children, and how callous many adults are to the needs of these love-starved children. This film will break your heart, but it also speaks volumes about the resilience of the human spirit. Beautifully made. To me the only weakness was the music: The film takes place in 1934 yet there is modern music at the beginning and end. This seems out of place. It does not ruin an otherwise marvelous film, however.

There is just something about European movies that makes me watch more of them. My sympathies lies with the main character from the onset of the movie, even though he had a rough start. As the movie unveils you learn to know his character more and more and you realise that there is a whole different side to this poor boy's life, different from the image you get of him in the first few moments of the story. Most of the acting was good, bearing in mind that there are lots of children in this movie. Most of the acting was moderately convincing too. And a few moments surprised me, as I read the book too long ago that this story is based on and I'm not sure everything happened as it did in the book. It is a relatively long movie and as soon as a movie succeeds in keeping your attention for so long I think it deserves a thumbs up. People who like dramatic stories with children as main characters should love this. The combination of protagonist and quite a number of antagonist roles makes the story-line interesting and if the first few minutes do not bore you (well, not all people are into dramas and older movies), I am sure you will love the movie as much as I did.

A lonely outcast boy, mistreated by his slutty mother and her boyfriends and missing his adored but often absent seaman father, gets into a series of scrapes with the law including a short prison term. Curiously for a film of this sort, one of Ciske's most sympathetic observers is the local police commissioner (he's one of those who calls Ciske "Rat") who knows him well and is aware of his home life--after all, he's escorted him there often enough. Another supporter is a teacher at school who sees Ciske befriending weaker boys and decides to become his guardian. Ciske is a tough nut, but he has an appealing personality and Danny de Munk makes him seem real. Despite his troubles Ciske remains upbeat and is a charming scamp. Danny was a well-known boy singer at the time, and is heard singing over the opening credits as well as during a scene in class. Nevertheless, he was willing to film a scene in the nude. He was 13 when the film was made, and grew up to become a singing star, appearing in many stage musicals. The film is based on a Dutch classic book and is a remake of a 1955 black-and-white version.

A troubling little film about an eleven year old boy in Amsterdam called Ciske (Franciskus) Vrijmoeth, who has no friends and is only called "the rat". The setting is in Amsterdam in the 1930s. Ciske has to change school, because he poured ink over his teacher's head. After school, he helps out in a pub, where his mother Marie also works. His beloved father Cor is a fisherman and therefore not at home. The story is told by his new teacher Bruis, who gives him a chance, and he who lives a troubled life, until a Crippled boy turns up at his school Ciske is the only one to befriend the poor boy, after that everyone in his school including his once friends gang up on him for bullying the crippled boy and then if you thought that was bad, Ciske gets into tragic trouble and gets locked up!

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.