Kes DVD [1969]

Product Information

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. Towards the end of the Woodfall era a new figure, Ken Loach emerged on the scene with early works such as "Kes", that were to carry forward the spirit of the British New Wave from the late '60's to the present day, a body of work without parallel in its consistency in our native cinema. There's a colossal waste of people and talent, often through schools where full potential is not brought out. The cast of the mostly non-professional actors wasn't told what to expect in many of the scenes, hence the real shock and pain on the boys' faces when they were caned by the bullying headmaster. It [the film] has gradually achieved classic status and remains the most clear-sighted film ever made about the compromised expectations of the British working class.

Kes (1969) - IMDb Kes (1969) - IMDb

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 9. 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?He became a soap star, joining Brookside to play Harry Cross for seven years from 1983-1990, and reprised the role in 1999. The film was praised for capturing the spirit of a community, with a backdrop of familiar locations. The film has also been noted for its themes around familial bonds during childhood and the effect their absence can have on children.

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

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.

In 2015, he popped back up on our TV screens in Holby City, playing an elderly man who thought he was a bad luck charm.

Kes now? With Oscar winner, soap Where are the cast of Kes now? With Oscar winner, soap

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. 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. 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. And her time as Coronation Street's Ivy Tilsley earned her the nickname 'Poison Ivy' thanks to her character's sharp tongue and quick wit.It was originally classified by the then British Board of Film Censors as U for Universal (suitable for children), at a time when the only other certificates were A (more suitable for adult audiences) and X (for showing when no person under 16 years was present. It's a place peopled by largely unsympathetic teachers who keep the kids down by barrages of verbal abuse and the odd swish of the cane. As the relationship between Billy and "Kes", the kestrel, improves during the training, so does Billy's outlook and horizons.

Kes (film) - Wikipedia

For the first time in the film, Billy receives praise, from his English teacher after delivering an impromptu talk about training Kes. 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. 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. Not the only Liverpudlian in the cast, Colin played Mr Farthing and for his role, earned himself a BAFTA. Ken Loach and Tony Garnett used this for some of their later collaborations such as Family Life and The Save the Children Fund Film. Nevertheless, he described the film as "one of the best, the warmest, the most moving films of recent years".