Kes

Ken Loach's Kes, from 1969, is a heartrending film about a working class English lad who finds solace amidst much wretchedness by training a kestrel, a small falcon. Those familiar with Mr. Loach's work can glean that things will not end well, but, even with that knowledge, this viewer found Kes' tragic denouement to be more affecting than those of either Old Yeller or The Yearling. Part of this is due to the rigor of Mr. Loach's portrayal of Barnsley, the coal town in South Yorkshire where the protagonist, Billy Casper, lives. A committed socialist, whose latest film is a documentary on current UK Labour party head Jeremy Corbyn, Loach has always sought to chronicle the plight of the working class. His portrait of Barnsley is a vision of squalor amidst the anonymity of postwar council houses. It is a picture of English life that does not suffer from sentimentality.

However, Mr. Loach's films often do suffer from the drabness and monotony of social realism and Kes is no exception. A soccer game where Billy is bullied by a tyrannical teacher is belabored, as is the portrayal of his school's principal. A kindly teacher is presented, but the grimness of Billy's existence is unrelenting. This seems to me the main flaw of Loach as an artist. His adherence to the tenets of social realism renders his films in tones that are overly hectoring and dogmatic.

This is ameliorated in Kes, somewhat, by the charm of the falconry sequences. Chris Menges' photography gives a warm, verdant feel to Billy's out of door excursions. Finally, David Bradley's portrayal of Billy is superb. He captures his character's plight without cloying mannerisms or condescension. His Billy feels lived in and alive.