SMC Pod #213: Ken Loach & his 1969 masterpiece KES

About this episode

The episode discusses Ken Loach's film KES and its themes related to childhood and class in Britain.

British filmmaker Ken Loach has been committed to socially minded cinema for over six decades. From early 1960's TV work to his most recent (and possibly last feature) in 2023, Ken Loach has been one of world cinema's most reliable productive practitioners. So why did it take Secret Movie Club programmer.founder Craig Hammill so long to finally see Loach's 1969 masterpiece Kes? An incredible film that follows working class British teen Billy who suddenly discovers his passion when he trains a baby hawk using a library book on falconry. It's a deeply felt honest look at childhood, the British class and school system, and the socio-economic tensions that can trap a boy like Billy as much as Billy traps Kes. SPECIAL NOTE: We'll return in 3 weeks on Fri, April 17, 2026 with our next podcast, SMC Pod #214: CASABLANCA, a movie case study.

People in this episode

Host: Craig Hammill

Topics covered

• Ken Loach
• socially minded cinema
• British film
• class system
• childhood
• falconry

Keywords

• Ken Loach
• KES
• British cinema
• social issues
• falconry
• class system
• childhood

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: KES, CASABLANCA

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