KES

I rewatched KES recently, in fact I watched it a few times over a weekend, the Ken Loach film has a perfectly balanced documentary-kitchen sink drama-coming of age-story, Loach portrays so well.  The quality of the film is also in part thanks to being wholeheartedly sympathetic to the book by Barry Hines (whose brother was the Kestral bird trainer on the film). 

The back cover copy of the Kes penguin release book: 

'His only companion is his Kestral hawk, trained from the nest, and, like himself, trained but not tamed, with the will to destroy or be destroyed.  This is not just another book about growing up in the North. It's as real as a slap in the face to those who think that orange juice and comprehensive schools have taken the meanness out of life in the raw working towns.'

The lead role Billy Casper played by novice David Bradley also gives an inspired feel to the film, a coming of age film that has to some extent become a winning formula in British cinema i.e This Is England amongst others, the approach of a local lad that hadn't been 'trained' is all thanks to the genius of Ken Loach.

On the day of the recent world cup final was a Rough Trade organised live concert of the Kes soundtrack, as part of the Rough Trade 50th anniversary year celebration events. The Kes score was performed at the South Bank Centre in London, and conducted by the original composer John Cameron. The billing also featured a live Q&A with fellow Yorkshireman Jarvis Cocker and Geoff Travis (Rough Trade founder).  Travis explained how linked the Sheffield sound was to Rough Trade from their early days of Cabaret Voltaire and later Pulp. By default the film Kes was intrinsic to the music scene and pride of Yorkshire.  Other Yorkshire 'kitchen sink drama' films from the 1960's have made a lasting impression of course, Billy Liar or This Sporting Life, but the authenticity of Kes and the changing environment struck a chord with this crowd.

The colour grading of Kes and some of the extras wardrobe (by the best wardrobe designer name I've ever heard Daphne Dare), was an inspiration for Anglozine this season.  The palette is not all northern drab coal mining town, 1969 bright colours punch through, darker tones are solid and look strong, long lasting- which is the quality Anglozine wants to promote.  

The image we all know and love on the book cover having seen the film or not of Casper flying the Agincourt 'V' is brilliant, although I'm not sure the gesture is in the film itself? The baby boomers had Lord Kitchener Your Country Needs You and Generation X has Kes.

Filmed in 1968, promotional screenings in 1969 the film had general release in March 1970.  At first the film was a slow burn down in that London, the word of mouth and pick-up of the film up north was much better.  Thankfully Kes did eventually make a profit nationwide, hence the late publication date of the magazine article below. In the USA it was pulled after just two days, blaming the strong indecipherable Yorkshire accent as a reason for its demise across the pond. The film was distributed in the U.K by ABC cinemas, here is a short article from their May 1970 magazine.