Kes (1970)

Ken Loach made his name directing television plays, but it was his second cinema feature Kes that demonstrated the extent of his cinematic imagination. Adapted from Barry Hiness novel A Kestrel for a Knave, it tells of fifteenyearold Billy Casper (David Bradley), who seems destined for a life in the coal mines of his home town, Barnsley. But Billys discovery of a kestrel, and his dedication in training it, give him optimism however temporary. Chris Mengess cinematography is as lyrical as John Camerons score, which seems to reflect Billys hidden potential while simultaneously sounding cautionary notes. Loachs relaxed direction of a cast that includes exwrestler Brian Glover and future Chariots of Fire writer Colin Welland is as impressive as the unsentimental tenderness with which he depicts Billys life.