Rent Kes (1969)

Realistic Slice of Life - Kes review by CP Customer

Acclaimed as Ken Loach's best film 'Kes' is a dark, depressing story of one boy who is given hope by training a rescued kestrel.

We really feel for Billy Casper as he seems destined for failure; both at school and with his family - particularly his brother who shows only hate to his younger sibling.

Loach creates a very plausible and realistic world that is hard to bear but almost impossible to pull away from.

A British Masterpiece - Kes review by GI

Kes is a wonderful film adapted from a wonderful novel. It's a sad, heart warming and earnest story of a young boy, Billy, who lives on a Barnsley housing estate in the late 1960s. He has little future and no-one who actually cares either. His divorced mother shows no love and Billy has only his nasty, bullying brother as a role model. It's in his love of nature and the passion he finds in training a young kestrel that Billy has any hope of redemption. This is a sharp condemnation of British society and its education system based on harsh discipline and which ignores children like Billy. Anyone who was in school at this time will recognise the school scenes especially the comic yet tragic 'games' lesson with the fantastic Brian Glover as the PE Teacher who uses the lesson to live his own fantasy rather than give the children any sense of participation. The caning scene will also shock especially when you realise the actor playing the Headmaster was in fact an actual Headmaster! Indeed director Ken Loach used many non actors in the film giving it a realistic documentary-drama feel. Loach is famous for his socialist outlook but regardless of whether you agree with his politics he shines a very bright light on issues that cannot be ignored. The film touches on the mining community where the only hope for kids like Billy was a job in the coal mines. Billy rejects that future steadfastly throughout the film but the viewer is left with the knowledge that this is where he'll end up and of course in a few short years that industry will have died so watching the film today we know Billy has little to look forward to. This is a superb film and one everyone should make sure they see.

Classic cinema - Kes review by giantrolo

We enjoyed watching Kes, which felt like a really important piece of historical film making - including working down the pits, getting caned at school and showcasing the Barnsley accent! Not a cheery film by any stretch, and quite harrowing in parts, but really good nevertheless! Recommended!