Kes (1969)
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The story
Fifteen-year-old Billy Casper lives in a poor South Yorkshire community dominated by the coal mining industry. He faces verbal and physical abuse from his older half-brother, Jud, and struggles with difficulties at school where he is often provoked into fights. Feeling like a "hopeless case" to his mother, Billy is due to leave school soon without any qualifications. His life changes when he takes a kestrel from a nest on a farm. As he begins to learn the art of falconry, his outlook on life begins to improve, and he starts to receive rare praise from his teachers.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Fifteen-year-old Billy Casper lives in a poor South Yorkshire mining community with little hope for his future. He is bullied by his schoolmates and his older half-brother, Jud, who works at the local mine. Billy's mother views him as a "hopeless case," and he is set to leave school without any qualifications. Billy's life takes a turn when he captures a kestrel from a farm nest. He steals a book on falconry to teach the bird, and as their bond strengthens, Billy's confidence grows, even earning praise from his English teacher. However, tragedy strikes when Jud, angry over a lost horse bet, releases the kestrel and kills it. Grief-stricken, Billy retrieves the bird's body and buries it on a hillside overlooking the field where they flew together.
- First release year
- 1969
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Writers
- Barry Hines · screenplay; Ken Loach · screenplay; Tony Garnett · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- David Bradley · Billy; Freddie Fletcher; Lynne Perrie; Colin Welland · Jud; Brian Glover; Bob Bowes
- Genres
- coming-of-age drama
- Themes
- critique of the British education system; familial bonds; poverty; social realism
- Tone and mood
- compassionate; biting; moving
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; mining community; falconry; educational critique
- Source material / true-story basis
- A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines
- Content notes
- mild language
- Reception
- The film was a word-of-mouth hit in Britain and a commercial flop in the US. It was highly praised for David Bradley's performance and Loach's compassionate direction.
- Reported review scores
- Roger Ebert · score: four-star
- Awards and nominations
- Crystal Globe · Karlovy Vary International Film Festival · 1970 · win; Best British Screenplay · Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award · 1971 · win; Best Actor in a Supporting Role · British Academy Film Awards · 1971 · win; Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles · British Academy Film Awards · 1971 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was semi-autobiographical for Barry Hines.; The extras were all hired from in and around Barnsley.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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