Kes (DVD)

Kes is a film based on the novel "Kestrel For a Knave" by Barry Hines. The result is a hardy northern drama which is familar to many as many schools have used the book as a study book for many years. The film version certainly doesn't disappoint. I find that the film represents the lost generation of children who were let down by school and whose hopes and dreams coud never be fully recognised. Billy Casper (played by David Bradley) is the youngest who the film is based around, and he is achieving little at school until he finds an interest outside school looking after a kestrel which he has found. The cruelty of the environment which ...  Read the complete review

Interesting to think that this gritty and very moving film faced difficulties of distribution when it first appeared because of the(entirely authentic) Northern accents of the actors. It was thought that Southerners would find it impenetrable. It's an outstanding film from an excellent book, Barry Hines's 'A Kestrel for a Knave' (in fact, the book is possibly even better than the film, which cannot reproduce in filmic terms its slow, sad, nostalgic conclusion, with Billy's visit to the old cinema). Billy Casper has almost nothing going for him - Mum is more interested in her pathetic 'boyfriend', big brother knocks him about, school is irrelevant and is as little ...  Read the complete review

I know I've stolen a quote from Eastenders but it is the best way of describing the wonderful film, Kes. If you're over 30 you may remember the film as you could have even studied it at school. I was introduced to the film by my dad. He took me to see it when I was a kid and I have never forgotten it. It has overtaken all the Disney films, Star Wars, Grease and even Silent Running as my all time favourite film. Kes tells the remarkable story of a Yorkshire lad called Billy Casper and his relationship with a falcon. The young boy finds the bird, nurtures it and eventually trains it to fly. But before you dimiss this as a kid's ...  Read the complete review

I was first introduced to the film "Kes" when I was at school. This film got a lot of kids in my school interested in English that were never interested before seeing it. Our school was not the best school in the area and was in Yorkshire I think some kids simply could connect with the film. Kes was produced in 1969 and was based on the book A Kestrel for a Knave. This book was written by Barnsley Author Barry Hines in 1968. The film was about a boy named Billy Casper who had all sorts of problems with being bullied and had very little hopes of a great future. He gets bullied at school by teachers and other students. Also he has problems ...  Read the complete review

I have mixed feelings about Kes, which in some ways is one of the most wonderful British films ever, but in others is just so amateur it's ridiculous. This film, based on the book of the same name, tells the tale of a young working class school boy who rears a pet falcon. It's a story of inner city struggle, and one kid's way out of it. So like I say, this film has many strengths. To begin with, the story is a wonderful mix of both humour and sadness. To be laughing one minute and crying the next is no mean feat, but this film does achieve that. The dialogue is authentic and rich, and there is a real sense of relatability to the story for those of ...  Read the complete review