Sterren stralen overal

Summary

Social drama about a family emigrating to Australia.

Taxi driver Piet Amstel is worried about the ‘declining morals’ of 1950s Amsterdam and decides to emigrate to Australia. The government drive to build atomic shelters and the incessant Dutch rain only strengthen his purpose, as Amstel figures sunny Australia would make a positive change for his family. But first he needs to bring his daughter and her criminal boyfriend back on the right path.

With Sterren stralen overal, director Gerard Rutten tapped into the post-war trend towards emigration. Tens of thousands of Dutch people moved to the United States and Australia to build a better life for themselves. Willy Walden and Piet Muyselaar, who formed the famous comic duo Snip & Snap, provided a humorous interlude in a film that producer Rudi Meyer feared might otherwise prove too sombre. He also thought their presence would be good for at least a couple of hundred thousand extra paying customers. He was right: the film attracted a combined audience of over a million people.