Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1384. Kes (1969)

    1384. Kes (1969)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on June 16, 2016 110-119 mins, 1969, 6 - 7.9, Drama, Jun 16, Movies Of 2016, Review, United Kingdom
    6.8 Frustrating
    • Acting 7.0
    • Directing 7.1
    • Story 6.4
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: David Bradley, Freddie Fletcher, Lynne Perrie

    Director: Ken Loach

    Running Time: 112 mins


    Kes is a British film about a young schoolboy living in a working class area of Yorkshire who spends his free time training and caring for a hawk.

    As acclaimed as Kes is, I simply couldn’t warm to it. Whilst it does have a very bleak and depressing atmosphere at the forefront, the main focus of this film is to some degree positive, and it was clearly going for a heartfelt portrayal of a young boy finding happiness away from all of the worst parts of his difficult life, but I was never so emotionally engrossed by that.

    That’s not to say that I hated Kes, because there was a lot that impressed me. For one, when the film is really going for bleakness and gloominess, you can feel it very strongly. Whilst I may not have been so engrossed by the majority of the film, there were undoubtedly a few moments where the film goes for all-out depression and sadness that really grabbed me, by far the most impressive directing from Ken Loach in the film.

    Saying that may make it sound like I don’t want any happiness in a story, but although I admire the efforts to weave the happier, more heartfelt story into the centre of a very bleak world, I just didn’t think it worked well enough.

    The biggest reason for that was unfortunately the structure of the film. The gloomier notes on which the film starts and ends on were undoubtedly engaging, but the problem was that the dark side of the story and the positive side felt far too detached for me to be properly engrossed by either of them.

    The novel may have worked that way in creating a separate, happier environment where the young boy and his bird bond, but in the film, switching back and forth between the good and the bad felt so episodic, and really didn’t make for a smooth and consistently engrossing watch. Yes, it may have had its moments, but for the most part, Kes was a frustrating film due to its clunky structure that didn’t allow me to feel the huge emotional impact that the story really needed to give, and that’s why I’m giving Kes a 6.8.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.5
    Review
    December 13, 20210

    3578. Spider-Man (2002)

    8.4
    Review
    May 12, 20180

    2145. In Search Of Fellini (2017)

    8.4
    Review
    January 6, 20160

    1207. Spotlight (2015)

    8.7
    Review
    December 31, 20160

    1600. Once Upon A Time In America (1984)

    9.0
    Review
    November 20, 20150

    1157. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.