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Kes ()


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

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Awards:
  • Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations.
  • See more »
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Cast verified as complete

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...
Billy
Freddie Fletcher ...
Jud
Lynne Perrie ...
Mrs. Casper
...
Mr. Farthing
...
Mr. Sugden
Bob Bowes ...
Mr. Gryce
Bernard Atha ...
Youth Employment Officer
Laurence Bould
Joey Kaye ...
Comedian at Pub
Robert Naylor ...
MacDowell
Agnes Drumgoon
George Speed ...
Billy's Friend
Desmond Guthrie
Zoe Sunderland ...
Librarian (as Zoe Sutherland)
The 4D Jones
Eric Bolderson ...
Farmer
Joe Miller ...
Reg, Mother's Friend
Beryl Carroll
Julie Shakespeare
...
Fish and Chip Shop Man (as Billy Dean)
Geoffrey Banks ...
Mathematics Teacher
John Grayson
Duggie Brown ...
Milkman
Trevor Hesketh ...
Mr Crossley
Stephen Crossland ...
Billy's Friend
Harry Markham ...
Newsagent
David Glover ...
Tibbutt
Frank Norton ...
Billy's Friend
Martin Harley ...
Billy's Friend
Leslie Stringer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julie Goodyear ...
Woman in betting shop (uncredited)

Directed by

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Ken Loach ... (as Kenneth Loach)

Written by

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Barry Hines ... (novel "A Kestrel for a Knave")
 
Barry Hines ... (adaptation) and
Ken Loach ... (adaptation) (as Kenneth Loach) and
Tony Garnett ... (adaptation)

Produced by

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Tony Garnett ... producer

Music by

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John Cameron

Cinematography by

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Chris Menges ... (photography)

Editing by

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Roy Watts

Art Direction by

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William McCrow

Production Management

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David Griffith ... production supervisor (as David Griffiths)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Keith Evans ... assistant director
Sean Hudson ... second assistant director

Art Department

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Peter Allchorne ... props

Sound Department

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Gerry Humphreys ... sound recordist (as Gerry Humphries)
Anthony Jackson ... sound recordist (as Tony Jackson)
Mike McDuffie ... sound recordist
Peter Pierce ... dubbing editor
Robin O'Donoghue ... assistant sound recordist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Arthur Evans ... still photographer
Terry Lewis ... gaffer
John Matthews ... best boy
Ray Orton ... camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Daphne Dare ... wardrobe

Music Department

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John Cameron ... conductor

Script and Continuity Department

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Penny Eyles ... continuity

Additional Crew

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Peter Allchorne ... filmmaker
Michael Barnett ... filmmaker
Harry Bell ... filmmaker
Dave Clarke ... filmmaker (as David Clarke)
Harry Daly ... filmmaker
Jim Duffy ... filmmaker
Michael English ... filmmaker
Arthur Evans ... filmmaker
Jane Harris ... filmmaker
Richard Hines ... filmmaker
Paddy Holman ... filmmaker
Sean Hudson ... filmmaker
Terry Lewis ... filmmaker
John Matthews ... filmmaker
Robert Matthews ... filmmaker
Mike McDuffie ... filmmaker
Mick Messenger ... filmmaker
Edward O'Reilly ... filmmaker (as Edward Riley)
Ray Orton ... filmmaker
Bert Payne ... filmmaker
Eddie Price ... filmmaker
Anne Robinson ... filmmaker
Franco Rosso ... filmmaker
Fred Ruff ... filmmaker
Nicola Webber ... filmmaker
Eric Wicks ... filmmaker
John Williams ... filmmaker
Tony Woodcock ... filmmaker
François Vila ... press agent (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

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. Written by alfiehitchie

Plot Keywords
Taglines They beat him. They deprived him. They ridiculed him. They broke his heart. But they couldn't break his spirit. See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • A Kestrel for a Knave (United Kingdom)
  • 小孩与鹰 (China, Mandarin title)
  • 凯斯 (China, Mandarin title)
  • Kes - poika ja haukka (Finland)
  • 'Kes' - Falken (Sweden)
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Runtime
  • 111 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia According to a BBC Radio 4 interview, the child actors were actually caned on the hand by school headmaster (who was the real school headmaster). They were paid an additional 10 shillings or 50p (about £8.28 in 2020) for their troubles. See more »
Goofs When Mr Sugden is dancing down the pitch in the early part of the match, he shouts various instructions and admonitions to Speed. Speed was on Tibbutt's team and was his first choice. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Rosemary Brown/The Modern Composer/J.B. Priestley on Breugel/Ed Ruscha/Kes/William Wordsworth (1970). See more »
Soundtracks Honey See more »
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. See more »
Quotes Mr. Gryce: Mere fodder for the mass media.
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