User Reviews

Each country or nation has its own books for and about boys. The Americans have Tom Sawyer, the Dutch have Merijntje Gijsen and Kees de Jongen, and the Flamish have De Witte. In previous reviews on IMDb I already described these film releases. They are nice portrayals of the daily lives of our (grand)parents, and a part of the cultural heritage. So you will not be surprised that I also watched Ciske de Rat (the version of 1955). The film is based on a trilogy by Piet Bakker. Ciske is the child of a sailor, and he lives with his mother in Amsterdam. Unlike Merijntje Gijsen and Kees (de Jongen) his youth is unhappy. It is what Americans call a redneck family. His mother can not bear the loneliness, when her husband is at sea. As a result she goes into hysterics. She smashes windows, but it is his father's fault, because he ducks (joke). She has affairs with other men (no joke). She treats Ciske badly, and often locks him into the coal-hole. As a result Ciske derails and engages in vandalism. He has a gun rack on his bicycle (joke). Fortunately, a benevolent school teacher takes pity on the boy, and even becomes his guardian. In fact Ciske turns out to be an intelligent pupil. His teacher says: "If you mess up one more time, you are history" and so Ciske has high expectations. But fates takes an evil turn, when Ciske throws a knife at his mother, and thereby kills her. He is locked up into a youth institution. Fortunately, his father remarries, this time with a decent woman, and so Ciske finds a better home. But evidently he can not shake off his past. The memories of his crime come to haunt him, and his good reputation is for ever destroyed. The obvious tragedy is that life never gave Ciske an honest chance. This makes the film a complaint against human shortcomings, but probably also against the inability of the civil society to intervene effectively. Social care was arbitrary, because it depended on the good will of individuals. This film is one of the most successful Dutch films ever. Can there be a better recommendation? Surprisingly, subtitles are lacking. Don't hesitate to leave a comment. I love it.