10 LEGENDARY
“We elect the officers and everything. explains the idealism of the It’s socialism in action" David POUM militia in Land and Freedom
K DIRECTORS
en Loach is not a name that rings familiar with many, but nevertheless, if you like British films, it is one which you should know. Loach is one of Britain’s best directors, yet his films are rarely part of anybody’s video collection, and neither do they receive great amounts of attention on release. Born in the Midlands in 1936, Loach enjoyed a good education and a truly middleclass life. It was his meeting with Jim Allen, fellow director and writer for Coronation Street, that began his interest with the politics of the workingclasses. His subject matter is challenging, eye-opening social realism and it is his dedication to the socialist cause that makes his work unpalatable to many. Ironically, it has become Loach’s style to use as little style as possible. His films tend to be dark, grey, using natural lighting and uncomplicated camera angles. You might even
Ken Loach
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GRiP mistake them for a documentary. The use of non-professional actors gives his work a realist edge that others are too afraid to search for. It is this focus on the use of light and observing, unobtrusive film-making that makes Loach stand out, and helps prevent confusion with the fluffy version of social realism to be found in The Full Monty (1997) or Billy Elliot (2000). Loach’s films are largely blunt and uncompromising. Imagine nobody turned up to the strip show, or Billy lost his legs in a car crash: that would be Loach’s touch. He can strip the fallacy from a film, presenting life as close to reality as possible: admitting that people with few options and little money do face a continual struggle. In this gloom, however, he discovers a romantic human spirit and essentially a humour that defines the attitude of the world he is attempting to
explore. His style has been compared to Mike Leigh, director of the popular Secrets and Lies (1996) and more recently All or Nothing (2002) with whom Loach shares the same form of storytelling and focus on working-class life in Great Britain. One significant difference to note is how Leigh’s films laugh at the characters, while Loach’s are more likely to laugh with them. Many will complain that Ken Loach makes depressing, boring and unexciting films, but don’t be fooled. You don’t have to be a devout socialist, communist or hippy to admire Loach’s work, it simply gives you a refreshing change to mass produced Hollywood material. It’s too easy these days to interest an audience with car chases and explosions yet Loach extracts a passion from his actors which gives his films a depth that is rarely matched by other directors.
Six of the Best
Raining Stones (1993) Ricky Tomlinson plays a father from the North, struggling to find the money for his daughter’s first communion dress.
Riff Raff (1991)
Bread and Roses (2000) Examining a janitor's strike in Los Angeles through the eyes of a union organiser, Bread and Roses takes on big-business, the Government, unions and bureaucracy, continuing Loach’s finest tradition.
This hard-edged comedy stars two of Britain’s hardest-edged actors; Robert Carlyle and Ricky Tomlinson. Ill-disguised anti-Thatcherite themes run throughout as the story of builders in the drab London suburbs is played out in the most honest style.
Kes (1969) Now acknowledged as a pivotal film in late 60's British cinema, Kes concerns the story of a boy who, facing little or no prospects, finds a release from his life through rearing a baby kestrel. At the centre of Loach's film is a remarkable performance from an untrained David Bradley, who was at the time of filming a schoolboy with no acting experience. If you see any Loach film, make it this one.
My Name is Joe (1998) Arguably Loach’s most successful, accessible film and set in Glasgow, centring on the struggles of a recovering alcoholic and his attempts to manage an amateur football team.
Land and Freedom (1995) A film about the Spanish Civil War, Land and Freedom shows the crushing of a young British communist’s idealistic views as he attempts to do his bit for the fight against fascism.
Future Plans and Projects
By Richard George
Regularly punching out films in the same genre has suited Ken Loach well. Whether it will be possible to find the money to fund future projects (small as the budgets are), will be the deciding factor in his future success.
Social realism and the darker side of life has never made the best Saturday night viewing at the movies. And even though Loach’s most loyal audience, predictably, is one which doesn’t care about special effects and glamour, studios, on
the other hand, tend to. With the demise of one of his closest new allies, the Film Four production house, and the ever growing demand for escapist movies, Loach may find the future as bleak as his material.