Kes (1969)

A young, English working-class boy spends his free time caring for and training his pet kestrel.

Director:

Ken Loach (as Kenneth Loach)

Writers:

Barry Hines (novel), Barry Hines (adaptation)

Stars:

David Bradley, Brian Glover, Freddie Fletcher

Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Bradley	...	Billy
Freddie Fletcher	...	Jud
Lynne Perrie	...	Mrs. Casper
Colin Welland	...	Mr. Farthing
Brian Glover	...	Mr. Sugden
Bob Bowes	...	Mr. Gryce
Bernard Atha	...	Youth Employment Officer
Laurence Bould
Joey Kaye	...	Comedian at Pub
Ted Carroll
Robert Naylor	...	MacDowell
Agnes Drumgoon
George Speed	...	Billy's Friend
Desmond Guthrie
Zoe Sunderland	...	Librarian (as Zoe Sutherland)

Storyline

Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper (David Bradley), a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher Mr. Farthing (Colin Welland) and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence, until tragedy strikes.

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Plot Keywords:

british new wave | falcon | school | teacher | child abuse | 

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Taglines:

They beat him. They deprived him. They ridiculed him. They broke his heart. But they couldn't break his spirit.

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, nudity and some teen smoking

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ken Loach said in a 2013 interview that a group of American executives shown the film on its release responded that they could understand Hungarian better than the dialect in the film.

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Goofs

In the football match, Jim is selected to play for Sugden's team but ends up protesting about the allowed goal his captain, Mr Sugden, scores.

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Quotes

Mr. Gryce: Mere fodder for the mass media.

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Crazy Credits

The majority of the crew were listed simply under the heading "This film was made by..." without each person's specific job title (director of photography, sound recordist, editor etc) being given.

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Alternate Versions

Some scenes, including the opening scene and the scene when Jud bullies Billy for having a book, were re-dubbed for the American market to be in a more understandable form of English for Americans. This soundtrack was then used in the UK market for VHS and DVD releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but the 2011 DVD and Blu-Ray releases use the original soundtrack in Yorkshire dialect.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cold War (2009)

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Soundtracks

Honey
Written by Bobby Russell
Performed at the club

User Reviews

Kes or when childhood is stolen.

From the start,the hero's future is at a complete standstill.His familiar background -an indifferent mother and a brute of a brother-leaves him no hope .His school seems an alien world,of which he cannot take advantage,where the adults are hostile.The gymnastics teacher is a failed football player,and now,with his students,he's still dreaming he's coaching his football team for glory.And because he 's getting old and embittered,he uses a scapegoat when things go wrong:and of course,he always chooses our unfortunate hero.The shower scene enhances ,so to speak,the psychological and pedagogical "aptitudes" of this dumb-and a bit sadistic-man.

So,the young boy needs someone to love,and because he cannot find one,he tames an hawk.This hawk epitomizes freedom,escape from this petty microcosm.In direct contrast to the gym teacher,appears the English teacher.He wants the young boy to give a presentation on his hawk.And,in front of a spellbound class,the dog has his day.Thanks to this clever man,the boy acquires self-confidence and maybe his studies will take a new turn.

But Kenneth Loach's characters rarely escape from their fate.Because of his brother's cruelty,all hopes will be blighted,and the boy's future will probably that of the two lads in "looks and smiles". Kenneth Loach or the wrong side of England.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 April 1970 (UK)

Also Known As:

Kes

Filming Locations:

Miles Antiquarian Bookshop, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,517

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kestrel Films, Woodfall Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1