Ken Loach

"Once the stormy petrel of the British cinema, Loach is now its national institution. Still wearing his leftist social and political consciences firmly on his sleeve, Loach has now settled into a groove of filmmaking that has both given us a reassuring number of films and earned a wider acceptance from the discerning filmgoing public." - David Quinlan (Quinlan's Film Directors, 1999)
Ken Loach
Director / Screenwriter / Producer
(1936- ) Born June 17, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, UK
Top 250 Directors

Key Production Countries: UK, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium
Key Genres: Drama, Social Problem Film, Family Drama, Urban Drama, Comedy Drama, Documentary, Political Drama, Coming-of-Age, Psychological Drama, Romantic Drama
Key Collaborators: Jonathan Morris (Editor), Martin Johnson (Production Designer), Rebecca O'Brien (Producer), George Fenton (Composer), Barry Ackroyd (Cinematographer), Paul Laverty (Screenwriter), Tony Garnett (Producer), Fergus Clegg (Production Designer), Jim Allen (Screenwriter), Chris Menges (Cinematographer), Roy Watts (Editor), Carol White (Leading Actress)

"Ken Loach is not only Britain’s most political filmmaker, he is also its most censored—and the two are not entirely unconnected. Loach’s career illustrates all too clearly the immense difficulties facing the radical filmmaker in Britain today: the broadcasting organisations’ position within the state makes them extraordinarily sensitive sites from which to tackle certain fundamental political questions (about labour relations, ‘‘national security,’’ or Northern Ireland, for example), while the film industry, though less subject to political interference and self- censorship, simply finds Loach’s projects too ‘‘uncommercial,’’ thanks to its habitually poverty-stricken state... As Ken Loach ages, his films remain consistently provocative and politically savvy, with a deep respect for and understanding of his struggling, working class characters." - Julian Petley (International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, 2000)
"Loach has remained steadfastly attentive to working-class experience - to such an extent that some of his films have had (or needed) "English" subtitles when released in America... For me, it is easier to respect Loach than enjoy him: he seldom has the bite of Alan Clarke, for instance. But in his dedication and seriousness, he is an exemplary figure. Even in the insane prosperity of the nineties, Loach pursued his destiny, and he grew gentler, subtler, and funnier. It was one of the most impressive developments in a filmmaker." - David Thomson (The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, 2002)
Kes
Kes (1969)
"Ken Loach is considered one of the elder statesmen of the British film industry. This has not, however, blunted his ongoing commitment to bringing social and political issues to the screen. A socialist, Loach has built a reputation for making films that offer a sympathetic, and yet unpatronizing, view of the lives of Britain's working class." - Andy Willis (501 Movie Directors, 2007)
"When discussing Ken Loach's aesthetic, critics can't avoid using words like gritty and realistic. Loach exhibits a personal modesty which is translated into his directorial style, a self-effacing cinéma vérité approach. However, there are some distinctive characteristics in his work, such as his concerns with the family unit and his ability to capture the flavour and timbre of previously undocumented lives and communities." - Lloyd Hughes (The Rough Guide to Film, 2007)
"On television and in the cinema, Loach has contributed realistic dramas which speak passionately of social issues, yet do not demean the humanity of their characters." - William R. Meyer (The Film Buff's Catalog, 1978)
"The emotional force of his films is ensured by superbly naturalistic performances, an unadorned camera style. a gritty, almost documentary approach to dialogue, milieu, and the mundane fabric of daily existence, rendered dramatic by Loach's clear political commitment." - Geoff Andrew (The Director's Vision, 1999)
"Ken Loach has sustained a commitment to representing the disenfranchised and exploring controversial social, historical and political issues for nearly forty years… Theatrical and television training impressed upon Loach the importance of good writers… Famous for location shooting and working with unknown, semi- or non-professional actors, Loach uses various techniques too generate remarkably 'authentic' performances." - Martin Stollery (Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide, 2001)
"A movie isn't a political movement, a party or even an article. It's just a film. At best it can add its voice to public outrage." - Ken Loach
"I turned down the OBE because it's not a club you want to join when you look at the villains who've got it. It's all the things I think are despicable: patronage, deferring to the monarchy and the name of the British Empire, which is a monument of exploitation and conquest." - Ken Loach
Selected Filmography
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GF Greatest Films ranking ( Top 1000 ● Top 2500)
21C 21st Century ranking ( Top 1000)
T TSPDT R Jonathan Rosenbaum S Martin Scorsese
Ken Loach / Favourite Films
Ashes and Diamonds (1958) Andrzej Wajda, The Battle of Algiers (1965) Gillo Pontecorvo, The Battle of Chile: Parts 1-3 (1975-79) Patricio Guzmán, Bicycle Thieves (1948) Vittorio De Sica, Closely Watched Trains (1966) Jirí Menzel, The Firemen's Ball (1967) Milos Forman, Loves of a Blonde (1965 Milos Forman, Take My Eyes (2003) Icíar Bollaín, Twenty Years Later (1984) Eduardo Coutinho.
Source: La Cinetek (2024)
Ken Loach / Fan Club
Daniel Lindvall, Gurinder Chadha, Hirokazu Koreeda, Joachim Lafosse, Michel Gondry, Kenneth Turan, Sandra Hebron, Graham Fuller, Michael Apted, Paul Greengrass, Briony Hanson, Peter Kosminsky.
Sweet Sixteen