Ken Loach: The Godfather of Social Realism

Ken Loach has directed many films, however some of his best known works are Kes (1969), The Wind That Shakes The Barely (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016).

According to a critic review, Kes is a 'one of the most powerful coming-of-age stories ever told'. The main theme is how children were forced into a world of work by an industrial capitalist society. This drew the public's attention because it deals with difficult themes that hadn't really been spoken about in films, and this occurs in many of his other works too- his focus is usually on the British working class and the issues that they have to face.

In regards to his style of filming, Loach states that, "the camera's job was to record in a sympathetic way and to be unobtrusive, not to be slick." His style of cinematography is of a documentary style, through letting the camera stand back and observe the action. He tries to make his films appear as realistic as possible, aiming to get the most natural performances and honest reactions from the actors. He does this by often withholding information about the story from the actors- "I think that ability to discover the truth of the scene as you play it is very important. It means the actor's instinct can work, and as a director, that's the most valuable thing you've got - the instinct of the actor." Loach does not edit his films digitally, his editor- Jonathan Morris syncs the film and sound together on separate reels in the traditional way, physically cutting the film together. This is an approach that is not often seen nowadays, as almost everything is done on digital editing software.

Loach's films reflect his view of the world, however his politics do not determine the stories that are told. One of his films, Sweet Sixteen, was given an 18 rating due to over 300 instances of 'aggressive swearing'. This was felt to be a wrong decision by those who worked on the film and a letter was written to the BBFC, stating that there are many sixteen and seventeen year olds that could relate to the main characters. They believed that they deserve to be able to see the film where they are represented as protagonists, which isn't often the case in most films. Below is a clip of the film.

In the interview shown below, Ken Loach speaks about the issues that are addressed in I, Daniel Blake to do with food banks and poverty in London. He speaks about although how the film is a creative piece, the stories that are told are very much real for thousands of people across the country.