Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1012 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-01-20
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Turkish
• Dubbed in: German
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This was only Ken Loach's second cinema feature but it still ranks as one of his finest and most moving films. Billy, a disaffected young lad living on a soulless Barnsley estate, finds a fledgling kestrel and, for the first time in his life, feels his imagination gripped. With infinite patience--and a book on falconry nicked from a local bookstore--he starts to train the bird.

There's no boy-and-his-pet sentimentality here: the relationship between Kes the bird and the puny, taciturn Billy is the kinship, full of wary respect, between two wild creatures, and when Kes for the first time flies free and returns to Billy's wrist, the sense of exhilaration is overwhelming.

Although Loach never rams his message home, it's clear that Billy stands for a whole generation of youngsters whose potential, barring some such chance event, will never be even fractionally realised. Chris Menges' photography brings out all the austere beauty of the Yorkshire locations, and Loach draws believable performances from his largely non-professional cast--especially the 14-year-old David Bradley, stunningly convincing as Billy. And anyone who has ever suffered under a bullying, self-satisfied sports teacher will squirm with recognition at the brilliant cameo from the late Brian Glover. --Philip Kemp

Special Features
Original theatrical trailer
Interactive menu screens and chapter selections

Synopsis
Rebellious Billy Casper (David Bradley) finds that training a kestrel takes his mind off his troubled home life and the bullies at school. Set in the Northern English town of Barnsley, the film is a gritty slice of working-class life in the ‘60s. Based on the Barry Hines novel A KESTREL FOR A KNAVE, KES was brought to the big screen by Palm d’Or-winning director Ken Loach, who is best known for his early kitchen sink dramas. Fittingly, Brian Glover--who plays a games teacher--was born in Barnsley, bringing a touch of authenticity to proceedings. Upon its release, KES attracted criticism from wildlife conservationists who saw it as encouraging youngsters to take falcons from the wild with the intention of taming them, despite the film’s underlying message of respecting the birds.

Customer Reviews

Best of British
This is my favourite film of all time. It's gritty and earthy, ultimately a very sad film, for sure, and there are some shocking moments, but its social drama is heightened because it is juxta-posed against some of the funniest scenes ever made in British cinema. The games lesson with Brian Glover, doing his best to humiliate his class, is enshrined in folklore - and anyone who's ever experienced a PE lesson in a British school will relate to it. But all the school and home scenes are equally as realistic at least in part due to the improvised nature of much of the dialogue and the fantastic casting. Forget her drunken performance on Shooting Stars, Lynne Perrie is on top form here.

An american blockbuster Kes certainly aint and fans of such a genre might like to like to carry on lining the pockets of Arnie. But anybody with half a brain will surely not fail to be moved by this exceptional film.

Kes is one of Ken Loach's finest films
Kes tells the remarkable story of Billy Casper and his relationship with a falcon that he finds, nurtures and trains to fly. But before you dimiss this as a kid's flick- the relationship between Billy and Kes acts as a metaphor. Billy gets more respect from the falcon than he does from his school teacher, his peers or his family. Billy is an outcast, a poor lad who is intelligent beyond his years but no-body is willing to give him a chance.

The scenes featuring Billy and the falcon are quite remarkable. Other standout scenes feature the late Brian Glover as a Sport teacher from hell whose bullying tactics send all the lads at the school reeling.

If you have ever wanted to see a film that recaptures your childhood, the humourous moments, the sad moments and the moments when adults treat you as if you are 5 years old when in reality you are 14/15, see Kes.

A British film to be proud of and definitely one to cherish.

Fantastic, touching British film.
This is possible my favourite film of all time. The characters and story are so real, it is almost like a fly on the wall documentary. The child actors are fantastic. For a long time I was confused as to wether they were actors or children in an actualy school. The boy that takes the part of Billy Casper is brilliant and I often wonder if he was actually acting or if he was playing himself, and I often wonder what happened to him. The adults are equaly well suited to each role, with Brian Glovers PE teacher being the most memorable.
The story is a sad one that I'm sure has happened thousands of times throughout the land. The story of a young boy from a broken home, that the education system has failed and passed by. The interaction with big brother 'Judd,'and the cruel school children is brilliantly played out. Every aspect of the film is just perfect.
When you consider the budget and hype put into such modern film as The Lord of The Rings etc there is just no comparison. Give me Kes any day.