HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Kes

Kes (Blu-ray)
Directed by  Ken Loach

Studio: Criterion
Year: 1969
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1   1080p   AVC codec  
Running Time: 111 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: PCM 1.0, Dolby Digital 1.0 English
Subtitles:  SDH

Region:  A
MSRP:  $ 39.95

Release Date: April 19, 2011

Review Date:  April 16, 2011

The Film

4/5

Ken Loach’s tender, bittersweet slice of life drama of a child struggling in a northern English mining village makes for memorable viewing in Kes. With a cast of mostly amateur performers and a story that crisscrosses between home and school and the village pub, Kes tells its story rather simply and well disregarding some side trips to less interesting situations that add color to the world the director is portraying but contribute less than they should to the central story.

Young teenager Billy Casper (David Bradley) really has a rather unhappy life. He’s miserable in school which doesn’t engage him intellectually or athletically. His home life with his bullying much older brother Jud (Freddie Fletcher) and a frequently absent mother (Lynne Perrie) isn’t much of a refuge, but when he discovers a nest of recently hatched falcons on a neighboring farm, he filches a book on falconry from a local second hand book shop, steals one of the chicks in the night, and begins training his bird which he names “Kes.” Over the course of weeks, Billy spends all his available free time with his bird finally getting her to the point where she remains in his care without being restrained. But Billy’s growing up, and knowing he has no interest in continuing in school, he must make some hard decisions about his future.

Adapting his own book A Kestrel for a Knave along with director Ken Loach, author Barry Hines stresses the local color of the village’s memorable inhabitants. There’s the unforgettable physical education teacher Mr. Sugden (Brian Glover) who insists Billy participate in soccer practice and punishes him rather unmercifully when he’s no good at it. The overbearing principal Mr. Gryce (Bob Bowes) who canes first and asks questions later gets a couple of key scenes to show his idiotic notions of school discipline. Even Mrs. Casper and her miner son Jud have frequent rows which seem unnecessarily harsh but are probably as close to a loving bond as these two are capable of showing. But the film’s two masterstrokes both involve Billy. In the first, he’s encouraged by the school’s one amenable teacher Mr. Farthing (Colin Welland) to share his experiences in class about training his hawk, a lengthy sequence where we see Billy for the first show a bubbling enthusiasm for something in his life, the words almost too much for his mouth to handle so unaccustomed is he with talking to anyone. Later comes the second highlight of the movie, a breathlessly beautiful, mostly silent (except for John Cameron’s lithe score) sequence where Mr. Farthing comes to see Billy “man” his bird as it swoops and soars all around him. With ugliness and hostility all about him, these few minutes when he is one with his bird and nature are sublime.

It’s amazing that director Ken Loach was able to elicit rich and real performances such as these from his mostly untrained cast of actors. David Bradley couldn’t be truer or more haunting as Billy, his restless mixture of indifference and hyperactivity the very definition of a young teen. Freddie Fletcher is equally believable as the rough and tumble Jud, cruel and mocking to both his mother and his brother feeling justified as he’s basically supporting them with his efforts in the mines. The cast’s one professional actor is Colin Welland, and he’s able to convey his character’s love of teaching and children through a generous and open technique that makes him among the film’s most likeable characters. As the haranguing child-man Mr. Sugden, Brian Glover imprints an unforgettably bombastic coach for the ages full of competitive bluster and uniquely bad sportsmanship.

Video Quality

3.5/5

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1 is presented in 1080p using the AVC codec. While the quality is surprisingly good overall, it’s clear that massive clean-up was necessary, and some of the lingering aftereffects show. There are some scenes where contrast gets a bit hot and colors become unnatural. Otherwise, the transfer handles the many greens with aplomb, and flesh tones are usually nicely rendered. Sharpness is usually good, but it comes and goes, often poorer in close-ups. Because of the very thick Northern England accents, you may find the need (as I did) to use the subtitles, and they are white and very readable. The film has been divided into 22 chapters.

Audio Quality

3/5

There are two English soundtracks available. The original soundtrack is delivered in a PCM 1.0 (1.1 Mbps) audio mix which has some medium level hiss but delivers the dialogue, music, and sound effects about as well as a low budget film of the period would be expected to achieve. An international post-synched English soundtrack which loops some of the thicker accents with more understandable ones is provided in a low bit rate Dolby Digital 1.0 mix. I preferred hearing the on-screen actors speaking in their own voices, so I only checked to see that this second track was present, but I didn’t spend a great deal of time listening to it.

Special Features

4/5

“The Making of Kes” was recorded in 2010 and features interviews with director Ken Loach, producer Tony Garnett, cinematographer Chris Menges, and lead actor David Bradley. They each talk about what they brought to the project and mention other films they’ve worked on. This runs 45 minutes in 1080p.

A 1993 episode of The South Bank Show features director Ken Loach, producer Tony Garnett, and director/fans of Loach’s such as Alan Parker and Stephen Frears discussing his TV and film work over his career to that time. It runs 49 minutes in 1080i.

Cathy Come Home is a haunting 1966 made-for-TV drama which shocked England at the time of its broadcast focusing on a young middle class couple who through an unfortunate series of rather minor accidents and setbacks come to be homeless and alienated, a kitchen sink docudrama which focused on the horrific stage of the British welfare system at the time. It runs 77 ¼ minutes in 1080i. There is also an 11 ½-minute afterword by critic Graham Fuller which discusses the impact of the television show then and now. It’s in 1080p.

The film’s theatrical trailer runs 3 minutes in 1080p.

The enclosed 22-page booklet contains the cast and crew lists, an interesting selection of color stills, and a comprehensive essay on the movie by critic Graham Fuller.

The Criterion Blu-rays include a maneuvering tool called “Timeline” which can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc, and the title of the chapter you’re now in. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.

In Conclusion

4/5 (not an average)

Haunting and altogether unusual in its approach to portraying the life of a young teen in working class Britain of the 1960s, Kes makes a memorable viewing experience. A rich selection of extras on this Blu-ray release will allow you to get to know the aesthetic of director Ken Loach quite well and comes definitely recommended.

Matt Hough

Charlotte, NC