Top Ten Movies of the 1960s

#8
Kes

1969
Directed by: Ken Loach
Based on a Novel by: Barry Nines
Starring: David Bradley

Kes, being a Ken Loach film, is a movie about class. It's about a boy from coal-mining town in Yorkshire, England. Raised by his single mom and sharing a room with his brutish half brother, Billy Casper (David Bradley) does not live a very comfortable life. Forced to wake up at 5am every morning to do a paper route to help pay the bills, he cannot succeed in school. Billy is a social outcast and this leads to destructive behaviour in the school and in the playground. It is because of this that teachers write him off as just another lost kid of a tainted generation. He is destined, like many youth in the town, to work in the coal mines when he grows up.

A very powerful scene in the movie is when a career counsellor visits the school to help students with their future plans. The absurdity of his role is shown as the counsellor is powerless to do anything but break the news to Billy that the coal mine is his only option. However, the coal mine isn't (and shouldn't) be seen as the problem itself. It is a job like any other. The problem is lifestyle faced by those working the mines. The cycle of poverty that faces many working class families. What chance does someone in Billy's position have so break the cycle? The movie pushes it's belief that the odds are one in a million. It may be enough for some people to hear about famous movie or sports stars coming from modest backgrounds, but is this isn't realistic for most. It certainly isn't for Billy a great (and actually quite funny) scene from the shows. The gym coach is spot-on:

The tag line for Kes is:

"They beat him. They deprived him. They ridiculed him. They broke his heart. But they couldn't break his spirit."

I think the movie offers a much bleakly picture though. There is no resolving of Billy's dilemma. The movie has its uplifting moments. Billy finds a temporary escape in his problems by raising and training a falcon which he names Kes. The scenes of Billy and Kes are very beautiful and inspirational. These scenes are there as a contrast to the harsh reality that is shown at the end of the movie.

Kes is typical of Ken Loach's film's. An expose of working class life in an industry where movies are all too often concerned with men of great wealth and stature. He makes you cheer and believe in the underdog before capitalist forces beyond their control crush the protagonist. It shows a Britain of intense stratification. The movie leaves you with the feeling that Billy's spirit is broken and that there is no hope for his future. He will have to come to terms with his fears of the underground coal mines because there is no other choice.

For epitomizing class struggle through a boy and his falcon, Kes is in my opinion the 8th best movie of the 1960s.