Movies We Like
Kes
Dir: Ken Loach, 1969. Starring: David Bradley, Freddie Fletcher, Lynne Perrie. Drama.
For a long time the belief held between parents and educators alike was fairly simple: “spare the rod, spoil the child.” In our modern world, at least in the West, those who work with and/or rear children seem to be desperately trying to find some common ground when it comes to disciplinary matters. And when each generation reaches adulthood, or more appropriately middle age, the majority looks at the youth around them as a mass of spoiled delinquents. They refuse to understand the new pastimes, music and general attitudes toward life and responsibilities. It makes you wonder if there is ever any truth to this popular argument. Do the youth of every nation grow more reckless across generations, or are they simply misunderstood?
Ken Loach tries to shed some light on this concept with his adaptation of Barry Hines's novel, A Kestrel for a Knave. In the film we follow Billy Caspar (David Bradley), an adolescent marked as the village idiot who turns out to be anything but. He enjoys taking it easy; exemplifying what behaviorists might consider to be a relaxed personality. He's the local paperboy in his village, but instead of building a good work ethic he reads the cartoon section of the paper over a pint of stolen milk when he should be doing his rounds. His impulse to steal seems somewhat merited by his impoverished existence within a harsh class system, and the fact that he mainly steals food and literature. He doesn't shower, nor does he wear underpants. He lives with his single mother (Lynne Perrie) and has to share a small bed with his crass older brother Jud (Freddie Fletcher) who works in the mines and bullies his family. At school he spends most his time daydreaming and falling asleep from exhaustion. He's an easy target to be made an example of by his teachers who refuse to tolerate his devil-may-care attitude. When not being hit with a ruler or mocked by his teachers in class for his presumably insolent behavior, he's bullied by a group of boys who he used to hang with.
While roaming in the woods he notices a kestrel falcon swooping down onto its prey in a field. He stands at a distance and watches it shred a mouse and carry the meat back to its nest of chicks at the top of a dilapidated structure. He decides to make the extremely dangerous climb up the building and steal one of the chicks so that he can train it. After reading a (stolen) book on how to do so he takes a female from the nest and names her Kes. Exercising patience and great respect, he goes through the various steps needed to tame the young eyas until he has gained her trust and can fly her without a lead.
Soon everyone in town is aware of his new hobby. One of his teachers finally warms up to him and, for once in his life, he seems to have reached a point where there is something to look forward to in each day. Around the same time there comes a great deal of pressure to leave school and join the workforce. Although he's no good at school, he doesn't want to have to do manual labor or spend his future in the mines like his wretched brother. And instead of noticing his strengths and encouraging him to find a path that will fulfill him, others subdue his ambition to the point that adulthood looks more than bleak. Billy tries hard to find his place in the world, but once he discovers that just about everyone wants to show him his place as a faceless laborer, he starts getting into trouble. You watch closely, rooting for his character, because the film gives you a hope so pure that the thought of Billy never reaching his calling is almost too much to handle.
The movie is melodramatic, but it’s the cast that makes it seem as though it’s a documentary. Loach assembled non-actors and new talent in order to bring to life a novel that was of personal interest to himself and Hines, who helped do the adaptation. (Both are from, or related to, people in mining communities.) The friendship between Billy and Kes warms your heart and puts you in a vulnerable position. That vulnerability is important because you need to be in a sensitive state in order to let the film affect you. Billy not only adores Kes but worships her because she can have moments of freedom in the air even after being kept inside a pen. He expresses that his ability to watch her is more of an honor than an activity.
While watching the film, I got the sense that one's experience with it could be heightened by personally identifying with the outsider, or, regardless of gender, the torments of being told to be the “proper” man or woman. For those who wish to understand what oftentimes goes terribly wrong in our education system, and sometimes in the home, Billy is the perfect example. Not everyone can or should follow paths and careers that are orthodox and/or expected. In forcing young people to do so I think that the world loses creative contributions that are of great value. Kes is one of the most relevant coming-of-age films I've seen to date because it has a message that can be influential in practically every society. It's also wonderfully shot by Chris Menges (Poor Cow, If....), with an especially endearing score. Highly recommended.
Ken Loach tries to shed some light on this concept with his adaptation of Barry Hines's novel, A Kestrel for a Knave. In the film we follow Billy Caspar (David Bradley), an adolescent marked as the village idiot who turns out to be anything but. He enjoys taking it easy; exemplifying what behaviorists might consider to be a relaxed personality. He's the local paperboy in his village, but instead of building a good work ethic he reads the cartoon section of the paper over a pint of stolen milk when he should be doing his rounds. His impulse to steal seems somewhat merited by his impoverished existence within a harsh class system, and the fact that he mainly steals food and literature. He doesn't shower, nor does he wear underpants. He lives with his single mother (Lynne Perrie) and has to share a small bed with his crass older brother Jud (Freddie Fletcher) who works in the mines and bullies his family. At school he spends most his time daydreaming and falling asleep from exhaustion. He's an easy target to be made an example of by his teachers who refuse to tolerate his devil-may-care attitude. When not being hit with a ruler or mocked by his teachers in class for his presumably insolent behavior, he's bullied by a group of boys who he used to hang with.
While roaming in the woods he notices a kestrel falcon swooping down onto its prey in a field. He stands at a distance and watches it shred a mouse and carry the meat back to its nest of chicks at the top of a dilapidated structure. He decides to make the extremely dangerous climb up the building and steal one of the chicks so that he can train it. After reading a (stolen) book on how to do so he takes a female from the nest and names her Kes. Exercising patience and great respect, he goes through the various steps needed to tame the young eyas until he has gained her trust and can fly her without a lead.
Soon everyone in town is aware of his new hobby. One of his teachers finally warms up to him and, for once in his life, he seems to have reached a point where there is something to look forward to in each day. Around the same time there comes a great deal of pressure to leave school and join the workforce. Although he's no good at school, he doesn't want to have to do manual labor or spend his future in the mines like his wretched brother. And instead of noticing his strengths and encouraging him to find a path that will fulfill him, others subdue his ambition to the point that adulthood looks more than bleak. Billy tries hard to find his place in the world, but once he discovers that just about everyone wants to show him his place as a faceless laborer, he starts getting into trouble. You watch closely, rooting for his character, because the film gives you a hope so pure that the thought of Billy never reaching his calling is almost too much to handle.
The movie is melodramatic, but it’s the cast that makes it seem as though it’s a documentary. Loach assembled non-actors and new talent in order to bring to life a novel that was of personal interest to himself and Hines, who helped do the adaptation. (Both are from, or related to, people in mining communities.) The friendship between Billy and Kes warms your heart and puts you in a vulnerable position. That vulnerability is important because you need to be in a sensitive state in order to let the film affect you. Billy not only adores Kes but worships her because she can have moments of freedom in the air even after being kept inside a pen. He expresses that his ability to watch her is more of an honor than an activity.
While watching the film, I got the sense that one's experience with it could be heightened by personally identifying with the outsider, or, regardless of gender, the torments of being told to be the “proper” man or woman. For those who wish to understand what oftentimes goes terribly wrong in our education system, and sometimes in the home, Billy is the perfect example. Not everyone can or should follow paths and careers that are orthodox and/or expected. In forcing young people to do so I think that the world loses creative contributions that are of great value. Kes is one of the most relevant coming-of-age films I've seen to date because it has a message that can be influential in practically every society. It's also wonderfully shot by Chris Menges (Poor Cow, If....), with an especially endearing score. Highly recommended.
Posted by:
Edythe Smith
Sep 9, 2011 5:35pm
