In Yer Face:
The True Grit of Ken Loach

 

 

Yorkshire's had its fair share of movie types, but one man has consistantly captured the heart and soul of our people. The great Ken Loach. Sid gets out his clapperboard.

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He is one of Britain's most important film makers and without whom AYUP would have to look elsewhere for another site logo. As an honorary Yorkshireman (he was born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire), Ken Loach has documented the harsh lives he has seen with an eye for comic tragedy. He could best be described as a Master of 'Social Realism'. And he has inspired many directors: director Stephen Frears once stated that "Without Ken Loach, I wouldn't be here".

So what comes to mind when you hear the name Ken Loach? I guess that it all depends on your age. If you're one of our younger readers then you maybe familiar with his most recent International successes; those of Land and Freedom (1995), Carla's Song (1996) Bread and Roses (2000). Or more recently the TV film of The Navigators (2001). And for the older generation it all about one wonderful movie, (one central to Loach's fascination for 'all-things-Yorkshire') the film Kes (1969). It's a landscape that he's made so familiar by detailing issues of hope, destiny and struggle within working communities, filled with natural characters that breath life into the celluloid.

Even before Kes was filmed, Ken Loach had made his mark at the BBC. After a directorial debut with three episodes of Z Cars, his first major notice came with Cathy Come Home (1966), which addressed the issues of homelessness and led to 'questions being asked in parliament' on the topic. Later he became involved with several BBC 'Wednesday Play' features. Amongst these were two raw industrial dramas written by Jim Allen, an ex-coalminer, The Big Flame (1971) and Rank and File (1971).

The big screened beckoned, and in 1968 he began Kestrel films with producer Tony Garnet. Their first offering was Kes. This film has become recognised as one of the greatest British films ever, even though it had to be dubbed for the American market. Also, it was a seminal film for Yorkshire and for the people of Barnsley. Even today the film has a resonance, though the working men's clubs have since disappeared, the people and the hardships are still there.

Loach developed his Realist approach by using non-professional actors wherever possible and believes that people, in general, have a great potential. Therefore for each project, he spends his time searching for the right talent in order to produce the necessary level of naturalism, for example, who could forget ex-wrestler Brian Glover in Kes as the sadistic sports teacher, who believed he was Bobby Charlton's natural successor. Indeed it was pure comedy sharpened on the knife of tragedy.

More TV films of grit followed with Rank and File (1976) and The Price of Coal (1976) , both highlighted the harsh life of the mining communities. The Gamekeeper (1979) concerned a steelworker turned gamekeeper for the duke's estate. Then came Looks and Smiles see photo, right -(1981), which could almost be seen as the follow-up to Kes, as it dealt with unemployment and dissatisfied youth, whose only way out was to join the Army and see the world. It should be noted that these projects (excepting Rank and File) were all written by Barry Hines. It seems to me that the kitchen soap dramas of the 60's had given way to a 70's full of Yorkshire grit.

In true Orwellian style, in 1984 his voice was squeezed off the TV screens, when two main projects were cancelled; those of Questions of Leadership, originally produced for the South Bank Show (1984), and Which Side Are You On (1984), which dealt with the Miner's strike as it was unfolding. Having spent two years on the programmes, the final films were banned and even today, cannot be legally shown outside of a film club. Isn't it time that these were now aired?

Furthermore, a change of government did not quieten his discontent. Recently he left the Labour Party declaring, "You felt that you didn't have to turn up at the meetings, just give them your visa number". And let's not forget what happened when they requested a CV from him for a CD release about Cool Britannia. He sent one in which stated, "I'm a film maker and my aim is to expose the sham of social democracy as best exemplified by the Blair project." It was duly returned with the comment, ""We can't include you in the project." He does not suffer fools lightly.

With limited access in the UK, he turned towards the international big picture scene and continued to champion the workers' struggles. Firstly against the destructive power of Stalin in Land and Freedom. For which he came under fire from the International Brigade for the portrayal of POUM and the anarchists, and for showing divisions within the Left. Secondly, the People's army of the Sandinistas against the CIA backed regime in Carla's Song and most recently, the fight of the cleaners' unions against LA's top lawyers and agents in Bread and Roses.

His American experiences whilst making the latter film left him with the need to cleanse himself forever of their grasp: "Hollywood has to be the most difficult place in the world to make films." He turned his back on the Hollywood dollar. He endeared himself further to that insulated community in Cannes last year (during a special screening of Kes), when he asked British film-makers to stop allowing themselves to be colonised so ruthlessly by US ideas and its market potential.

Coming up to date, Ken Loach finds himself back in the heart of Yorkshire, the soil of Sheffield with his latest project, The Navigators. A story of the privatisation of British Rail through the eyes of a Permanent Way track gang, whose easy going camaraderie begins to falls apart through the mutual betrayal under the strain of new work practises. It was written by Rob Dawber, a former British Rail signalmen, and promised to be interesting at the very least. On show were many local talents such as Barnsley's famous comedian Charlie Brown, as the foul mouthed depot janitor. Expect to see a dubbed copy in your local Blockbusters soon!

It's time for me to come clean. Having worked for British Rail in Sheffield for a few years I found The Navigator very eerie in its accuracy. And all my ghosts came back to see how I had been getting on lately.

And should you think The Navigators portrays an insignificant localised story without world appeal, then it's worth noting that the film was a centrepiece feature in London recently, as part of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival.

So has he come full circle? Will there be more Yorkshire stories in the offing?

Well, he does seem to have a certain affinity with our writers, so I expect so. In the meantime, whatever he turns his attention to next, be it local or of an international flavour, one thing you can be certain of is that it won't be 'Hollywood friendly'. For me, it's good to know that his grip on Social Realism hasn't softened and that there is still a voice that doesn't shy away from the phrase 'working class'. Whether you're shovelling coal or tapping away at a keyboard - it is still working class. However, my only regret would be that the life portrayed through out this period hasn't changed much for the better

I doff my cap to thee.