Ken Loach doesn’t really need an introduction. One of Britain’s foremost political filmmakers, Loach has been making his own style of “social realist” films for five decades now, and this month we celebrate a variety of his work in our Rialto Directors’ Showcase.
Ken Loach doesn’t really need an introduction. One of Britain’s foremost political filmmakers, Loach has been making his own style of “social realist” films for five decades now, and this month we celebrate a variety of his work in our Rialto Directors' Showcase.
We’re launching with one of Loach’s most respected and admired films, the 1969 BAFTA award winning Kes (Sunday 1st April, 8.30pm). Loach’s second feature film, Kes was based on the novel, A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, and tells the story of a young, alienated working class boy who gets a new perspective on life after he trains and cares for a pet kestrel falcon.
The film showcases Loach’s naturalistic shooting style, love of the underdog and enthusiasm for using non-professional actors. Loach likes his performers to truly reflect the age, class and region of his settings, and he’s often found them in the local pubs and clubs.
In Kes the only professional actor was Colin Welland as the English teacher. Dai Bradley, who gives a remarkable performance as young protagonist Billy, and the other kids in the film were students at the Barnsley school where the film was shot - even the school’s headmaster plays the headmaster in the film.
Throughout the 70s and 80s Loach directed a couple of films, including Family Life and the children’s adventure Black Jack, but mostly spent his time in television directing gritty contemporary dramas such as The Big Flame, The Rank and File and period dramas like Days of Hope.
Come the 90s though and Loach found his feet with a series of films including Riff-Raff (1991), written by Bill Jesse, and Ladybird, Ladybird (1994), written by Rona Munro. Both are playing in April’s Directors’ Showcase.
The tragic-comedy Riff-Raff (Sunday 8th April, 9.50pm) had a tight budget and was shot in 5 weeks, and stars Robert Carlyle in his first big leading role as a ex-con and homeless construction worker struggling with life, love and work. Carlyle as we know went on to become a household name and star in Priest, Cracker and Trainspotting.
Ladybird Ladybird (Sunday 15th April, 8.30pm) is a heartbreaking drama about a woman’s struggle with social services to keep her children. Interestingly, given the subject matter, Loach cast a stand up comedian who had never acted before in the lead role of Maggie. This must have seemed a crazy idea; but Crissy Rock’s powerful, honest and moving performance of a likeable but flawed character won her Best Actress at the 1994 Berlin Film Festival.
Two of Loach’s more recent films wrap up the series. The multi award winning British romantic drama Ae Fond Kiss (Sunday 22nd April, 8.30pm) is an unusually tender film from Loach about love across a cultural divide, while the Palme D’Or winning The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Sunday 29th April, 8.30pm) tells the story of two freedom fighting brothers torn apart by their desire to see Ireland freed from the British in the early 20th century.
Loach at 75 years of age shows little sign of slowing down. His latest film is bittersweet comedy The Angels’ Share and is rumoured to be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Written by Paul Laverty (who also wrote The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and another Loach film Looking for Eric) it tells the story of a young father determined to turn his life around by starting a whiskey distillery, with help from mates he’s meet while doing community service.
Can’t wait.