Kes (1969)

The tough, touching story of a northern schoolboy and the kestrel that brings hope to his hardscrabble life remains the most widely admired of Ken Loach’s films.

Loach made his name directing television plays, but it was his second cinema feature Kes that demonstrated the extent of his cinematic imagination. Adapted from Barry Hines’s novel A Kestrel for a Knave, it tells of fifteen-year-old Billy Casper (David Bradley), who seems destined for a life in the coal mines of his home town, Barnsley. But Billy’s discovery of a kestrel, and his dedication in training it, give him optimism – however temporary.

Chris Menges’s cinematography is as lyrical as John Cameron’s score, which seems to reflect Billy’s hidden potential while simultaneously sounding cautionary notes. Loach’s relaxed direction of a cast that includes ex-wrestler Brian Glover and future Chariots of Fire writer Colin Welland is as impressive as the unsentimental tenderness with which he depicts Billy’s life.

1969 United Kingdom
Directed by
Ken Loach
Produced by
Tony Garnett
Featuring
Dai Bradley, Freddie Fletcher, Lynne Perrie
Running time
112 minutes

Ranked in The Greatest Films of All Time poll

Sight and Sound

Who voted for Kes

Critics

Jason Barker
UK
Graham Fuller
UK/USA
Charles Gant
UK
Briony Hanson
UK
Mark Reid
UK

Directors

Steve Barron
United Kingdom
Anthony Chen
Singapore
Lucy Cohen
UK
Saul Dibb
UK
Molly Dineen
UK
Srdan Golubović
Serbia
Paul Kelly
UK
Alexandre Koberidze
Georgia
Alasdair McLellan
UK
Ann Turner
Australia

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