Kes (1969) is a British film by director Ken Loach. Set in the Monk Bretton area of Barnsley, the film contains broad Yorkshire dialect, on a level that is now dying out across even the mining parts of the county.
The film focuses on Billy Casper, who has little hope in life beyond becoming a coal miner and is bullied both at home and at school. He is mischievous himself - often being in trouble at school for smoking and misbehaving. He finds an outlet in life through training a hawk that he discovered on a farm to fly and perform tricks.
The novel on which the film is based, 'A Kestrel for a Knave' was written by Barry Hines in the 60s. Both the film and the book are very slow-moving and provide an authentic portrait of life in the mining areas of Yorkshire around the time.
External links
Last updated: 05-25-2005 19:20:38