Movies

Cult Movie: Ken Loach’s Kes one of the greatest British films ever made

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RARELY has the harsh reality of working-class life been captured with quite the same poetic beauty and heartfelt honesty as it is in Kes (1969).A naturalistic study of a young boy coming of age in the cold, hard surroundings of northern Britain in the late 60s, it remains one of director Ken Loach’s greatest achievements. It also stands proud as one of his most beloved films. Watching the new Blu-ray special edition from Eureka Entertainment, it’s easy to see why.Fifteen-year-old Billy Casper (David Bradley) is a loner growing up on the unforgiving streets of Barnsley in a family where his mother (Lynne Perrie) ignores him and his older brother (Freddie Fletcher) beats him up at every available opportunity. At school he is picked on by his classmates and ridiculed by his teachers. His life, in other words, is miserable and hopeless.A ray of light arrives for Billy when he finds a small kestrel falcon on the moors. He devotes all his spare time to training it and the two become friends before the oppressive world that surrounds them comes knocking to burst their brief little bubble of happiness. […]

Read the Full Story: Cult Movie: Ken Loach’s Kes one of the greatest British films ever made – The Irish News

Noël Coward moves to film with the best kind of propaganda

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The only motion picture that can fully be called “a Noel Coward film.”

Playwright/songwriter/performer Noël Coward was born in 1899, and spent much of the 20th century documenting modern life in Great Britain. He wrote and sang about the rich and poor, finding commonalities of character across the social classes. He believed in the inherent virtue of his people—even when he found English folk funny or sad—and he converted his affection into activism during two world wars, offering his gifts to the military to use however they liked.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: Noël Coward moves to film with the best kind of propaganda · Watch This · The A.V. Club

Interview: Natalie Holt

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Even if you’re not yet familiar with the composer Natalie Holt, you’ve definitely heard her music.

Over the last five years, she’s soundtracked some of British television’s most important primetime dramas and worked on films including Paddington and Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel.

Bolstered by her fruitful creative partnership with composer Martin Phipps, Natalie has built an impressive soundtrack CV which takes in Scandi noir Wallander and the Ivor Novello Award-winning music to BBC One’s 2014 flagship series The Honourable Woman.

We recently spent some time with the violin ace, multi-instrumentalist and composer to learn more about her musical beginnings, recent experiences and tips for emerging screen composers…

Read the enire story at: Interview: Natalie Holt – M Magazine

Hitchcock experts rush to defend director over Tippi Hedren’s claims of sexual harassment

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Actress says she repelled advances on The Birds set but film crew dispute story.

Cinema historians, former cast and crew and Alfred Hitchcock’s official biographer have rushed to the defence of the director after claims that he sexually harassed and bullied actress Tippi Hedren during the filming of The Birds in the 1960s

 

Source: Hitchcock experts rush to defend director over Tippi Hedren’s claims of sexual harassment | Film | The Guardian