Kes DVD [1969]

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The film (and the book upon which it was based, by Barry Hines) were semi-autobiographical, Hines having been a teacher in the school in which it was set, and wishing to critique the education system of the time. His younger brother Richard had found a new life after his student experiences at the local secondary modern school by training the original bird "Kes", the inspiration for the movie. Richard assisted the movie production by acting as the handler for the birds in the film. Both brothers grew up in the area shown in the film, and their father was a worker in the local coal mine, though he was a kind man in contrast to the absentee father in the film. [4] Both the film and the book provide a portrait of life in the mining areas of Yorkshire of the time; reportedly, the miners in the area were then the lowest-paid workers in a developed country. [5] Shortly before the film's release, the Yorkshire coalfield where the film was set was brought to a standstill for two weeks by an unofficial strike.

Kes DVD (DVD) | Used | 5050070009347 | Films at World of Books Kes DVD (DVD) | Used | 5050070009347 | Films at World of Books

For some of the cast, the film was a springboard into successful TV and film careers, soap stardom and more. Disney+ is here in the UK and if paid for an annual subscription can save viewers 15%, giving you access to Disney and Pixar films, and popular series such as The Mandalorian. New O2 customers, or existing customers who are upgrading their plan, can get up to 6 free months of Disney+. The film has been much praised, especially for the performance of the teenage David Bradley, who had never acted before, in the lead role, and for Loach's compassionate treatment of his working-class subject; it remains a biting indictment of the British education system of the time as well as of the limited career options then available to lower-class, unskilled workers in regional Britain. It was ranked seventh in the British Film Institute's Top Ten (British) Films. [3] This was Loach's second feature film for cinema release. Kieślowski's cup of tea (Sight & Sound Top ten poll) - Movie List". MUBI . Retrieved 9 August 2016.While his role in Kes was only the fish and chip shop man, Bill went on to perform in lots of soaps, dramas and even more films. He became a soap star, joining Brookside to play Harry Cross for seven years from 1983-1990, and reprised the role in 1999. Our servers are getting hit pretty hard right now. To continue shopping, enter the characters as they are shown

Kes : David Bradley, Freddie Fletcher, Lynne Perrie, Colin Kes : David Bradley, Freddie Fletcher, Lynne Perrie, Colin

British Films at Doc Films, 2011-2012". The Nicholson Center for British Studies. University of Chicago. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. One day, Billy takes a kestrel from a nest on a farm. His interest in learning falconry prompts him to steal a book on the subject from a secondhand book shop, as he is underage and needs – but lies about the reasons he cannot obtain – adult authorisation for a borrower's card from the public library. As the relationship between Billy and "Kes", the kestrel, improves during the training, so does Billy's outlook and horizons. For the first time in the film, Billy receives praise, from his English teacher after delivering an impromptu talk about training Kes. In Ken Loach: The Politics of Film and Television, John Hill noted how the film's producers were against the bleak depiction of educational prospects for children in the film, writing, "Garnett [the film's producer] recalls how, in raising finance for the film, they encountered pressures to make the film's ending more positive, such as having Billy - with the help of his teacher - obtain a job at a zoo. As Garnett observes, however, this would have been to betray the film's point of view, which was concerned to raise questions about 'the system' rather than individuals." [9] What's your favourite Yorkshire film or drama? Let us know in the comments below. Read More Related Articlesa b Walker, Alexander (1974). Hollywood UK: The British Film Industry in the Sixties (1sted.). Stein And Day. p.378. ISBN 978-0812815498. The Sheffield native went on to join the comedy classic Porridge playing the slightly slow Cyril Heslop. Garforth, Richard (18 October 2009). " Kes 40 years on". Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Interview with David Bradley. Kes / k ɛ s/ is a 1969 British film directed by Ken Loach (credited as Kenneth Loach) and produced by Tony Garnett, based on the 1968 novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by the Hoyland Nether–born author Barry Hines. Kes follows the story of Billy, who comes from a dysfunctional working-class family and is a no-hoper at school, but discovers his own private means of fulfilment when he adopts a fledgling kestrel and proceeds to train it in the art of falconry. Hines, Richard (2016). No Way But Gentlenesse: A Memoir of How Kes, My Kestrel, Changed My Life. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781408868034.

Kes DVD - Zavvi UK Kes DVD - Zavvi UK

Much of the film's content has been discussed as a critique of the British education system of the time, known as the Tripartite System, which sorted children into different types of schools depending on their academic ability. The view of the creators is that such a system was harmful both to the children involved and to wider society. In his 2006 book, Life After Kes, Simon Golding commented that "Billy Casper, unlike the author [Golding], was a victim of the 11-plus, a government directive that turned out, for those who passed the exam, prospective white-collar workers, fresh from grammar schools, into jobs that were safe and well paid. The failures, housed in secondary modern schools, could only look forward to unskilled manual labour or the dangers of the coal face. Kes protests at this educational void that does not take into account individual skills, and suggests this is a consequence of capitalist society, which demands a steady supply of unskilled labour." [8] Golding also quoted director Ken Loach who stated that, "It [the film] should be dedicated to all the lads who had failed their 11-plus. There's a colossal waste of people and talent, often through schools where full potential is not brought out." [8] A harrowing coming of age story, the 1969 film followed the struggles of Billy, a South Yorkshire lad who escaped the pressures of his home life by training a fledgeling kestrel. Based on the novel A Kestrel for a Knave, author Barry Hines helped adapt it for the big screen. Playing a wayward son in Queenie's Castle from 1970-72, he also appeared in Yorkshire's beloved Emmerdale. He later won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for 1981's Chariots of Fire and later wrote the screenplay for 1994's War of the Buttons.

David's role as Billy Casper was hit break-out one. At just 14, he was thrown into the spotlight but walked away with a BAFTA for his performance. Hill, John (2011). Ken Loach: The Politics of Film and Television. British Film Institute. ISBN 978-1844572038. Reflecting on changes in the film's locale and setting in the intervening 40-odd years, Graham Fuller wrote in 2011:

Kes (film) - Wikipedia

The BFI 100: 1-10". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 29 February 2000 . Retrieved 1 February 2023. The production company was set up with the name "Kestrel Films". Ken Loach and Tony Garnett used this for some of their later collaborations such as Family Life and The Save the Children Fund Film. Her final episode was March 1994 - although she did briefly as a ghost in 1996, with residents claiming to have seen her spirit around the street.Colin battled Alzheimer's disease for several years before passing away aged 81, in 2015. Read More Related Articles Kes is an extraordinary film, beautifully composed and searing in its realist humanity. It is often compared with François Truffaut's Les 400 coups (1959), another memorable depiction of adolescent rebellion in an unsympathetic adult world. Both films are what the French term a cri de coeur, a heartfelt appeal for adults not to write off the next generation and condemn them to a future without meaning, but rather to take the time and the effort to instil in youngsters a sense of self-worth and desire to make something of their lives. Forty years since it was first seen, Kes has lost none of its power to move an audience and remains one of the most inspired and inspirational films of the Twentieth Century. [19] The film was a word-of-mouth hit in Britain, eventually making a profit. However, it was a commercial flop in the US. [2] In his four-star review, Roger Ebert said that the film failed to open in Chicago, and attributed the problems to the Yorkshire accents. [14] Ebert saw the film at a 1972 showing organised by the Biological Honor Society at the Loyola University Chicago, which led him to ask, "were they interested in the movie, or the kestrel?" Nevertheless, he described the film as "one of the best, the warmest, the most moving films of recent years". [14] But his film career wasn't over: he appeared in All Quiet on the Western Front and 1978's Absolution. Funny, sad, and bitingly authentic, Kes resonates with Loach's anger at the way so many kids grow up into narrow, option-free lives. ... But Loach's underdogs are never sad passive victims. There's a defiant spirit about Billy, and a fierce joy in the scenes where he trains his kestrel. Kes, as Loach has commented, sets up a contrast between "the bird that flies free and the boy who is trapped", but at the same time there's an unmistakable identification between them. ... The film's ending is desolate, but we sense Billy will survive. [17]