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Kes Details

1969

70
from 11,939 members

Starring	Colin Welland, David Bradley, Brian Glover
Director	Ken Loach
Genres	Drama

Kes

Rebellious Billy Casper (David Bradley) finds that training a kestrel takes his mind off his troubled home life and the bullies at school. Set in the Northern English town of Barnsley, the film is a gritty slice of working-class life in the '60s. Based on the Barry Hines novel A KESTREL FOR A KNAVE, KES was brought to the big screen by Palm d'Or-winning director Ken Loach, who is best known for his early kitchen sink dramas. Fittingly, Brian Glover--who plays a games teacher--was born in Barnsley, bringing a touch of authenticity to proceedings. Upon its release, KES attracted criticism from wildlife conservationists who saw it as encouraging youngsters to take falcons from the wild with the intention of taming them, despite the film's underlying message of respecting the birds.

Starring	Colin Welland, David Bradley, Brian Glover
Director	Ken Loach
Studio	MGM ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 46 mins
Certificate
Genres	Drama
Language	DVD: English
Dubbed	German
Hearing-impaired	English, German
Subtitles	DVD: Turkish
Released	Production year: 1969 To Rent: DVD: 20 Jan 2003

Critic's review of Kes
View all (1)
- Barry Hines' novel, about a young schoolboy in Barnsley who attempts to escape the tedium and meaninglessness of his... read more on Time Out
- 45349
- - Time Out
  - 04 Nov 2008 at 00:15
Most helpful member's review of Kes
View all members' reviews (87)
- - 16
  - 2
  um
  
  i was expecting an utter classic. i knew it would be slow, grey and 'naturalistic' in the ken loach sense - i loved 'the wind that shakes the barley... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 441963
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - James
  - England
  - 21 May 2007 at 01:07
Most recent members' reviews of Kes
View all members' reviews (87)
- - 0
  - 0
  Left no trace
  
  I watched it a few weeks ago, but unfortunately I have no memory of it. I remember a boy and a bird, and the bird is with the boy and the boy is with the bird. ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1091073
- - Misstiti
  - 13 reviews
  - 11 Feb 2012 at 02:27
- - 1
  - 0
  Great film
  
  THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS | Show review anywayHide
  
  Great film - watched my two sons aged 11 and 7 and they both really enjoyed it (until the end). It gives a great flavour of the time and it was interesting for ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1070262
- - Dibidoboo
  - 1 review
  - 04 Dec 2011 at 21:55
- - 0
  - 2
  Not bad
  
  This film really makes me feel glad that I wasn't born till the late 80s, I did enjoy watching his film but I found it hard to appreciate due to it being ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1048045
- - Danny251986
  - 34 reviews
  - Oxford
  - 05 Oct 2011 at 15:55
View all members' reviews (87)
News and features
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Loach honoured by film critics
- 30 Dec 2004
Veteran film-maker Ken Loach has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to cinema by the London Film Critics' Circle. The director's 40-year career took off with the hard-hitting 1966 television drama Cathy Come Home, followed up with the award-winning Kes and My Name Is Joe. The London Film Critics' Circle awards will take place on February 9th and Mike Leigh's abortion drama Vera Drake is currently leading the pack with seven nominations, including best British film and best actress... Read more
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Rating breakdown

11,939 Member ratings

100	1,654
90	1,248
80	2,574
70	2,330
60	1,788
50	974
40	541
30	375
20	280
10	175

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by: Jane from Somerset

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- Kes
  
  Rebellious Billy Casper (David Bradley) finds that training a kestrel takes his mind off his troubled home life and the bullies at school. Set in the Northern English town of Barnsley, the film is a gritty slice of working-class life in the '60s. Based on the Barry Hines novel A KESTREL FOR A KNAVE,...