'Kes' - a Classic British Film Quiz

Answer: Barry Hines

'A Kestrel for a Knave' was Barry Hines' first book to be published and his best known. Barry Hines was born near Barnsley, Yorkshire and the book was based around that area of England. The book was released in 1968.

Answer: Ken Loach

Ken Loach had been known for being the director of many television programs in the UK thoughout the 1960s including the hard-hitting 'Cathy Come Home' and 'Up The Junction' episodes of the BBC series 'Play For Today'. 'Kes' was his second attempt at film directing, two years after his debut with 'Poor Cow' (which was written by Neil Dunn).

Answer: Chariots Of Fire

Colin Welland was an art teacher in real life before taking up acting where one of his earliest TV roles was on the UK police drama series 'Z Cars'. 'Kes' was his first film appearance. 'Chariots Of Fire' won four of the seven Oscars for which it was nominated.

It's the story of two British athletes competing in the 1924 Olympic games in Paris - Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell. They have both had to overcome many difficulties to get there, mainly due to their religious beliefs, Abrahams being a Jew and having been subject to anti-semitism and Liddell being a devout Christian which meant he refused to race on the Sabbath. Both runners return from the games with a Gold medal making all the sacrifices worthwhile.

Answer: Sports

This was Brian Glover's screen debut and the author of the book suggested that he be given the part, even though he had not been trained in acting. Brian Glover's character - Mr. Sugden - provided one of the few comic moments in the film during a soccer match with the school boys when he shrugged off all tackles to score whilst giving commentary of his 'ball skills' and imagining he was playing for Manchester United.

A love of Manchester United might be the reason he chose the name 'The Red Devil' when he used to be a wrestler! Brian Glover also appeared in several other films including 'Aliens 3' and 'An American Werewolf In London'.

Answer: Billy Casper

Billy is 15 years old and living on a run-down council estate in a poor part of England with his mother and older brother. He has very little interest in his schoolwork, seemingly destined to be working in the local coal mine when he leaves school, just like his elder brother.

But when he finds a young kestrel and decides to bring it up, he develops a whole new outlook. With the help of a book (which he steals from the library) he teaches the bird how to fly and return to him, not fly away to freedom.

Answer: Jud

Jud Casper works in the coal mine, the main source of employment in the city. A lot of his wages are spent on betting on horse racing, drinking and smoking. It would seem that there is very little else in the way of entertainment for the working man at the end of his shift.

Answer: A coal mine

When Billy goes to see the careers adviser (reluctantly), it's clear that he has very few options because of his lack of education. At the time the film was set (late 1960s), it wasn't unusual for children to leave school at 15 without taking any examinations and therefore having no qualifications to offer a prospective employer.

The last thing Billy wants is to work down the pit but the career adviser sees no other options for him.

Answer: Lynne Perrie

Mrs Casper was separated from Billy's father. In the book we get the impression that Billy and Jud have different fathers which might give a clue as to the reason for the separation! Billy is bullied at school by one of the other pupils - MacDowall - who taunts him by saying that he 'has more uncles than any other kid in the city', referring to his mother's many men friends.

Lynne Perrie first appeared in 'Coronation Street' as a minor character in 1971 but so impressed the producers that they brought her back a few years later as Ivy Tilsley. She left the show in 1994, reportably due to the surgery she had on her lips which didn't go down well with the producers. The end result of the surgery was less than flattering and she became the butt of many jokes in the British press because of it. Lynne Perrie died in 2006 aged 74.

Answer: Delivering morning papers for the Newsagent

Billy is sometimes late getting to the newsagent's shop if his brother 'borrows' his bicycle to work, little caring what effect it has on Billy's own job.
While he's delivering the papers, he gets to see some of the better-off families and the lives they lead. He has fantasies about living like those families one day but as his mother and brother spend most of their wages on entertaining themselves, it seems unlikely that those fantasies will be coming true in the near future.

Answer: It is killed by the main character's brother.

The kestrel is killed by Jud out of spite after Billy fails to place a bet on a horse race for him, spending the money on chips instead. The horse wins the race so Jud loses the equivalent of a week's wages. As Kes is the only thing Billy loves, Jud chooses to punish him by killing the bird and throwing it into the dust bin.