United Kingdom / Nov 18, 1969 / London Film Festival
They beat him. They deprived him. They ridiculed him. They broke his heart. But they couldn’t break his spirit.
1h 51min
Overall average
5.0/10
Trailer
Videos
Plot
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.
Main cast
Full cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Laurence Bould | |
| Joey Kaye | Pub Comic |
| Ted Carroll | |
| Robert Naylor | MacDowell |
| Agnes Drumgoon | |
| George Speed | Billy's Friend |
| Desmond Guthrie | |
| Zoe Sunderland | Librarian |
| Eric Bolderson | Farmer |
| Joe Miller | Reg |
| Beryl Carroll | |
| Julie Shakespeare | |
| Bill Dean | Fish and Chip Shop Man |
| Geoffrey Banks | Maths Teacher |
| John Grayson | |
| Duggie Brown | Milkman |
| Trevor Hesketh | Mr. Crossley |
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| Stephen Crossland | Billy's Friend |
| Harry Markham | Newsagent |
| David Glover | Tibbutt |
| Frank Norton | Billy's Friend |
| Martin Harley | Billy's Friend |
| Leslie Stringer |
Genres
Drama
Technical details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Original title | Kes |
| Original language | English (EN) |
| Spoken languages | English |
| Production countries | United Kingdom |
| Status | Released |
| Production companies | Woodfall Film Productions, Kestrel Films |
| Release date | 3 aprile 1970 |
| Production | Tony Garnett |
| Writer | Barry Hines, Ken Loach, Tony Garnett |
| Editing | Roy Watts, Franco Rosso |
| Cinematography | Chris Menges, Arthur Evans |
| Assistant directors | Keith Evans, Sean Hudson, Ken Loach |
| Camera operators | Chris Menges, Arthur Evans |
| Additional photography | Chris Menges, Arthur Evans |
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| Production design | William McCrow |
| Art direction | William McCrow |
| Set decoration | William McCrow |
| Music | John Cameron |
| Sound | John Cameron |
Release dates
Premiere
Limited release
Belgium / Apr 03, 1970 / 14
Australia / Jun 18, 1971 / PG / Melbourne International Film Festival
Theatrical release
United Kingdom / Apr 03, 1970 / U
France / Jun 19, 1970 / U
Ireland / Aug 07, 1970 / 12
United States / Sep 21, 1970 / PG-13
Show more (3)Show less
Hungary / Oct 21, 1971 / 16
Poland / Oct 15, 1973 / 16
Netherlands / Nov 24, 2011 / 12 / Re-release
Physical media
Netherlands / Nov 23, 2011 / 16 / DVD
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