Ciske de Rat (1984)

Ciske (Danny de Mun) has been expelled from school after he pours some ink over the teachers head. We see the entrance of the school, the location is Blankenstraat 376 Amsterdam, Czaar Peter Neighboorhood, in Amsterdam East.

In the film this school is called 1e Leeghwaterschool but this must have been some plate that has been placed over this original one. Openbare Lagere School den 1ste Klasse nr. 112. Nowadays there is no school in this building but it all has been transformed into an apartment complex.

Ciske de Rat runs away from his school, east towards the train yards. Shot from the same camera position as capture 1.

Here we see the Blankenstraat from almost the same position as in Capture one but this time into the east direction. Some new building did pop up recently.

Again the Blankenstraat and Ciske is still running away from the troubles.

The original shot gives a good impression how it actually was in the mid 80s in this neighbourhood. In the year 2003 this neighbourhood had a serious boost because crime, drugs etc. etc were significantly reducing. This photo shows the result; it is a 'yuppie type' of neighbourhood these days.

Ciske enters the train yard to find some peace and quiet. This is on the intersection of Czaar Peterstraat and Frans de Wollantstraat. The house on the corner is the pub where Ciske’s mother is working and can also be seen in the famous Dutch 90s tv series 'Flodder', as a pub, nowadays, it’s simply a house.

On the left can be seen the results of the 2003 financial injection that was given to the Czaar Peter neighbourhood. In the screen capture of the mid 80s it was a wasteland.

Ciske walks under the Czaar Peterbrug at the end of the Czaar Peterstraat. He walks under the train tracks.

The original graffiti says ‘down with the reduction of the unemployment payment’. Nowadays it’s simply scribla scrabla graffiti.

Ciske comes home to his mother’s house, location: Conradstraat 150, Amsterdam East. The location is in the film indicated when Ciske got a postcard from his father from Egypt that has this actual address on it.

Almost nothing has changed on the house of Ciske.

Ciske leaves his mother’s house and walks from the Conradstraat into the Frans de Wollantstraat.

The nameplate of the street did rise up by the years and, as usual, there is some construction work in Amsterdam.

After a fight with a man who insults his mother Ciske has been sent to a boarding school to correct this young juvenile. He arrives there at night. Location: Zwartendijk 1, Egmond aan Zee

This huge monument next to the sea is called: Kolloniehuis (Colony house). This neo-renaissance building was constructed in 1910 and served as a recovery place for the sick children from the city and is an apartment complex nowadays.

View from the back of the boarding school when the young lads are playing some football.

Nature took over.

After a while Ciske can return home and here he stops under the Czaar Peterbrug at the end of the Czaar Peterstraat, close to Ciske’s home.

The only things that were added are the lightbulbs.

Back at the Conradstraat. Back home.

Under construction, tell me something new.

Ciske has to go to another school and here Ciske is walking in the Eerste Leeghwaterstraat to his school at the end of the street.

Almost unrecognizable, all the buildings in the beginning were demolished in the late 1990’s early 2000’s. The Czaar Peter neighbourhood was known for it’s small and narrow streets and here you can see that they have changed that and they brought way more green in this district.

Close to school, Location of the school: Kraijenhoffstraat 32, Amsterdam

Under construction. Again and again. This looks still pretty much the same as it was 35 years ago.

To Ciske’s full surprise his father Cor ( Peter Faber) has surprisingly returned home after a long time. This is outside in front of the school. Good times are there for all of them.

Again an example of the upgrading of this neighbourhood. Back then it was all concrete and stones and now it is open and accessible as a playground for playing children.

Because this is happening all during the depression, at night, a riot breaks out in the street organized by the socialists. Location unknown

After a night at the police station because Ciske got arrested he finally comes home at the Conradstraat.

Same houses, nothing changed… Except in the old days children were only playing on the street and now the children play mostly on their laptop.

Ciske has a new friend an invalid young boy (Dorus) in a wheelchair who is protected by Ciske. He and a girl bring this boy home. We are looking at the intersection of Blankenstraat and Eerste Leeghwaterstraat.

Trees do grow by the years!! And the amount of cars as well. Note the old street lantern on the screen capture, that is the original lantern as Frank does remember it from his childhood.

After a fight with several other children Ciske brings his friend home. Probably the Blankenstraat.

This has been identified as location Blankenstraat 21 and 23. These building are not there any more and they reconstructed some apartments over there. This is number 21 and 23 nowadays.

Back to school at the Kraijenhoffstraat. His teacher, master Bruis (Herman van Veen) is walking to him.

From a grey schoolyard to a green park in a couple of decades.

Ciske’s mother Marie (Willeke van Ammelrooij) is going to the house of Ciske’s father's girlfriend and she is mad. She is walking to Czaar Peterstraat 120 and here we see the opposite view of the street.

Nowadays there is a sandwich store, a cheese store and a unique design store in these houses. … Very unique way of mixing things up.

Ciske is returning to his friend’s house after he was beaten up by his mother’s boyfriend. He finds out that he has died. Unknown location, probably Blankenstraat.

Back to Blankenstraat 21 and 23 as we can also see in Capture 18.

Ciske’s mother is dumped by her boyfriend and she walks into a demonstration of the socialist party. Unknown location. Probably Conradstraat.

This is for sure the Conradstraat. On the left can be seen some new constructions that were build after the original shipyard from the NSM (Nederlandse Scheepbouw Maatschappij) Dutch Shipbuilding Company. In the mid 1980’s screen capture can be seen that shipyard. A funny detail is that exactly there was a bloody riot in 1917 called ‘Aardappeloproer’. Potato riot, because the workers at the yard were hungry and demanded more food. Frank thinks that that is the reason why the workers in the screen capture protest so historically, this movie was not far beside the truth.

When Ciske comes home there is a huge fight between him and his mother and unfortunately Ciske stabs his mother to death. Here he runs away from home in the Czaar Peterstraat.

Ciske has got to go to prison. Nils believes this to be the Oranje Nassaukazerne at Sarphatistraat. The brickwork providing the supporting evidence. The building was renovated and turned into apartments in the late 1980's. (RL)

A long, long time ago this must have been the door Frank stepped through when he had to report for military service inspection.

Ciske’s teacher Bruis comes to visit Ciske at the prison. Nils van Beek has found the location for us. Garnizoen Kledingsmagazijn at the Conradstraat, Amsterdam. The military left this location in 1983, a good opportunity to be used as a film location, and subsequently became a well known squat. It was demolished in 1988 to be replaced by social housing. (RL)

Indeed there is nothing to recognise anymore.

After six months Ciske is released from prison and returns back home. His teacher picks him up and Ciske’s father will take care of him. This is on the intersection of Czaar Peterstraat and Frans de Wollantstraat.

Not much changed here.

Ciske is looking at Czaar Peterstraat 120, the little shop of aunt Jans, his dad’s girlfriend.

From white paint to black paint. And on the left something that for sure was not there in the early 20th century; A coffeeshop that does not sell coffee.

After picking up a lost dog he brings the dog to his house. Conradstraat.

The owner of the house directly on the right assured Frank that this was the right angle for the photo. His house was renovated and he recognized the way his old house used to be.

So many troubles for Ciske. Here he sits quietly at Veemkade looking at Javaeiland. Some kids are bulling Ciske and at great height there is a fight. One of the boys falls in the water and Ciske saves him.

Because of his great heroism Ciske gets decorated by some officials. Another identification from Nils who believes this to be the former Binnengasthuis (Vendelstraat). In 1983 the AMC (now Amsterdam UMC) was opened in the Bijlmermeer, leaving the Wilhelminagasthuis and Binnengasthuis in the city center behind. Amsterdam University (UVA) bought and renovated these building to their needs and after some recent changes, they are still the owners and users. Nils, however, has reservations with regard to the identity of this location so he and we would welcome any comments or observations. (RL)

A lot more green since the eighties and a little reconstruction here and there.