Ken loach is best known for his film ‘Kes’ nominated the seventh-greatest British film of the 20th Century, and two other films, ‘the wind that shakes the barley’ and ‘I, Daniel Blake’ both of which received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival, he is one of only nine directors who have won the award twice. Ken loach’s films are so popular for their beautiful representation of British social issues, such as the cost-of-living crisis, poverty and the right to abort. His films are praised for being relatable to most modern day people and touches them on an individual and national level. Loach stated in an interview with Sky news: ‘Films can be, should be as broad as the library you know, it should have everything, every kind of story and situation we can imagine; i think reflecting the world we know it can make beautiful cinema because it can celebrate who we are’
His films are the stark opposite of American cinema. Loaches early influence was European cinema, specifically Italian. His stories contain inexperienced, regular-looking actors telling basic, realistic and authentic stories. Hollywood's cinema sensationalizes everything it touches, and ken loach wants to depart from this sort of cinema because nobody tells the worlds stories. Ken loaches films are also famous for not only their portrayals of social issues, but also their unique editing style, which gives the audience a unique movie
experience. Jonathan Morris is a frequent collaborator with Loach, having done over 30 films together. He states that the way loach makes films ‘can be quite restrictive in the way you edit. You cannot be flash; it must look real’. Ken loach sticks to his value of realism within his direction of the films. He lights the whole scene, rather than just highlighting one specific character, and he never gives his actors marks. This is to promote authenticity and give more freedom and personality to his actors as they shoot scenes. Loach gives the audience a feel of almost intrusion as we watch his movies, it feels like trespassing into someone's personal everyday life.
Loach portrays his social opinions through his films, often lighting the government negatively. It is often stated that in one of his most influential films, ‘I, Daniel Blake’, The protagonist is not Daniel Blake, but the system. Loach deals with causes that are very close to him, and representative of issues faced consistently in past, present and future Britan.
One of his first famous pieces, the TV play ‘Cathy come home’ (1966) Deals with themes of homelessness and poverty, as Cathy and her family try and survive together. The last scene from this film is probably the most memorable to viewers, as Cathy, standing on Liverpool Street station in London with two of her three children is approached by social workers, who drag both away, to be taken into care. It's shocking and raw take on a common situation sparked the world into a serious debate. It invoked so much outrage and criticism against it, As well as fueling emotion and empathy in its viewers, so much so that two homeless charities, Shelter and Crisis, were launched in the days after its release, as well as a new national housebuilding program, and abandonment of husband/child separation policies when families become homeless
Loach is, obviously, famous because of his unique and touching films, however he is most commonly in the news for his political standpoints and opinions in various interviews. He is a proud socialist, who has been apart and involved in the Labour party for decades, however, he has been expelled twice. Once he left in the 1990’s in disgust of tony Blair, and them again was expelled from the party in 2021. He has also been seen to have involvement with Respect and Left Unity, party's with aligning political views with. He is constantly a controversial figure in the news with his most recent statements being about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict developments. He has always been incredibly vocal about his issues with the British government, in particular his distaste for Sir Keir Starmer. He is a political speaker whose opinion is well valued due to his influence through film.
Ken loach is both loved and detested for his portrayal of social issues within his films. He is consistently name dropped in debates on social realism and political media, as well as namedropped for being one of nine to win the Palme d'Or twice, and for being possibly one of the most talented directors of our time. His most recent film, The old oak, Tackles views on immigration in the Uk, and is a loud, clear, almost slap in the face to the parliament that have been prioritizing this exact issue. He has been sparked with a new fury in the last few years, sure to draw the attention of fans and haters alike.