Imagine THE 400 BLOWS reconfigured around a working class English boy living in a grimy industrial town and you get some idea of the emotional power of this bleakly realistic film adapted from a novel by Barry Hines.
Billy Casper (Bradley) is the product of a broken home and the victim of school bullies. He takes refuge in his comic books and shoplifting. One day he finds a baby kestrel (a small falcon) and becomes determined to raise the bird. He names it "Kes" and promptly steals a book on falconry. He
becomes quite adept at his newfound skills and catches the eye of his teacher, Mr. Farthing (Welland). However his relationship with the beautiful bird cannot a...
Released:
1969
Rated:
GP
Length:
112 mins