Kes

"They beat him. They deprived him. They ridiculed him. They broke his heart. But they couldn’t break his spirit."

1970 1h 51m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 465

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence.

“They beat him. They deprived him. They ridiculed him. They broke his heart. But they couldn’t break his spirit.”

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Cast

David Bradley
Billy
Freddie Fletcher
Jud
Lynne Perrie
Mrs. Casper
Colin Welland
Mr. Farthing
Brian Glover
Mr. Sugden
Bob Bowes
Mr. Gryce
Bernard Atha
Youth Employment Officer
Laurence Bould

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ken Loach
Writers: Ken Loach, Tony Garnett
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ken Loach, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Cameron. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Roy Watts shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

David Bradley and Freddie Fletcher and Lynne Perrie carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They beat him. They deprived him. They ridiculed him. They broke his heart. But they couldn’t break his spirit.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0064541 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ken Loach directs. Chris Menges behind the camera. John Cameron scores. Roy Watts cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

156 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Ken Loach, shot by Chris Menges. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by John Cameron. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Roy Watts shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5David Bradley and Freddie Fletcher and Lynne Perrie carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They beat him. They deprived him. They ridiculed him. They broke his heart. But they couldn’t break his spirit.".
7IMDB entry: tt0064541 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 26 themes, including "small town", "great britain", "northern england", "sibling relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: Chris Menges
Original score: John Cameron
Editing: Roy Watts
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Kes (1970)

Awards

Crystal Globe
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Ken Loach

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-06-09
★ 7/10
When I think back to my childhood, this is one of the few films that I ever saw that induced some sort of emotional reaction. It was it's last five minutes that achieved that, but building up to this denouement we watch the antics of the amiable working class lad "Billy" (David Bradley). He lives with his mum (Lynne Perrie) and his older, bullying, brother "Jud" (Freddie Fletcher) on a bit of a shoestring and is largely a loner at school. Then one afternoon he espies a young kestrel nesting in a farmer's tree. He convinces the man to allow him to try and rear the bird and so with the help of a second hand book, some meat scraps and some enthusiasm from his supportive teacher "Mr. Farthing" (Colin Welland) we watch the boy finally discover a purpose for his life. Indeed, it might also be the first time he has ever experienced love in his life. He doesn't have a pet, though. Each time he takes his bird for a flight, he fully expects it to take off into the skies and never return - but it doesn't. It returns to his arm when called and this only serves to further cement a relationship that is rapidly becoming all-consuming for "Billy". Bradley is excellent here, no other word for it. His characterisation is mischievous, cheeky and vulnerable and as his association with his kestrel grows we are delivered of an engagingly convincing performance that stands out strongly. There is also a strong sense of community imbued here by Ken Loach and by writer Barry Hines of life in a northern English town where the mines are still the main employer; the boozer the main source of recreation; where family lives were anything but conformist and where education was as much to do with a cane as it was a book. In many ways this pitches concepts of nature and nurture successfully and it isn't afraid to create humour from the scenarios it portrays via some intimate photography and some honest dialogue. This is one of my favourite British films and is well worth a watch.

Production companies