British cinema is a peculiar and unhealthy species of film that is considered by many to be lacking its own identity when it is not either an adaptation of 18th century literature or starring Hugh Grant as, well, himself. Ken Loach however goes against all of this: his films depict a vision that is not based on any romanticized notion of Britishness (Loach is one of the truly honoured few to have shunned the offer of an OBE out of distaste) but a realistic and working class vision that trailblazed the gritty kitchen sink drama. His most influential work is undoubtedly his made-for-TV film Cathy Come Home in 1966.
The film tells the harrowing story of Cathy, a mother in the 1960s who through the inflexibility of the embryonic British welfare system finds her family homeless after her husband’s redundancy. The complete dismantling of her family in the final scenes cuts through viewers like very few films can, leaving only the steeliest of Thatcherites dry-eyed.
Watched by one quarter of the British population at the time, the film highlighted the plight of the homeless in a way that had never been done before and led to the widespread establishment of the charity Shelter.
Formerly a law undergrad from St. Peters, Loach moved on to direct his first feature film, the critically acclaimed Kes (1969), which provides an equally bleak but insightful outlook on British working class life from the perspective of a young boy, challenging the audience not to look away.
Throughout his career, Loach has continued to depict the struggles of those who often do not have a voice, directing such recent hits as Sweet Sixteen (2002) and A Fond Kiss (2004). Loach himself has attracted controversy through his vocally anti-Israeli stance, his advocation of the Chechen Republic and his support of Julian Assange (founder of WikiLeaks) throughout his incarceration.
His new film Route Irish is being shown in the Ultimate Picture Palace in Cowley this month and looks at the lies told with regard to the Iraq War and the impact on the soldiers who fought there. Although not deviating from his formula of challenging unvoiced criticisms of the government and society through fictional accounts, the high octane action involved in this recent release has been criticised by many as a reflection of an unwanted big budget influence on his films.
Loach’s film has, however, proved to be a hit with critics and audiences alike, with the strength of his movies not being based in their budget (be it large or small) but in the way that Loach unflinchingly tackles controversial political topics. With Loach secured as one of Britain’s greatest directors of all time, the focus now turns to his son Jim, who makes his directorial film debut this year. His film Oranges and Sunshine deals with the covered up issue of British children in care that were sent permanently to Australia. Between 1947 and 1967 over 10,000 children were sent to live a life overseas of hard labour and abuse, with many of their parents being told that the children had been adopted into new families in the United Kingdom and the children being told that they were orphans. The influence of his father is strikingly clear – Oranges and Sunshine would comfortably fit as another addition to Ken’s long filmography.
Jim denies he is just following his father into a career laid out for him; in his defence, Jim has worked his way up, even directing episodes of Coronation Street. There is a pattern however: Ken’s other child, Emma, makes frank and unflinching documentaries. With Jim’s new film receiving excellent reviews thus far and in late 2009 (once Oranges and Sunshine was already in production) both the British and Australian government apologised to the child migrants for the first time – the film is creating ripples for all the right reasons and firmly in its own right. Although I’m sure all of the Loaches would be repulsed at the idea of their name buying them a career – can the British film fan really complain?
Now in his seventies, who knows how many more films Ken is actually interested in directing. If his children have inherited his talent for film making (which all accounts suggest they have) then it is a fantastic opportunity that the legacy of this terrific filmmaker will continue to challenge our views and change our politics long into the future.
