 CISKE THE RAT (Holland, 1984) Director: Guido Peters. Cast: Danny De Munk, Willeke Van Amelrooy, Herman Van Veen, and Linda Van Dyck. Color. Running time: 107 Minutes. In Dutch with English subtitles. Unrated. CISKE THE RAT, starring Dutch singing sensation Danny De Munk, is without a doubt one of the most touching childhood sagas ever brought to film. Living in Amsterdam in 1934, eleven-year-old Ciske (nickname for Franciskus) is a troubled kid caught in the winds of the war between his separated parents. His father, a mostly absent merchant seaman, is just not up to the task of raising this good-hearted, but rambunctious kid. Constantly in trouble both at school and in the streets, Ciske is most certainly on a collision course with disaster, unless the few adults who do care about him can prevail against overwhelming obstacles. Based on the bestselling book trilogy by Piet Bakker, CISKE THE RAT will make you laugh, cry, and marvel at how one young boy can so skillfully capture your heart, and have you wishing him miracles.