VERSUS: THE LIFE AND FILMS Of KEN LOACH

UK, 2016, 93 minutes.

Tony Garnett, Ken Loach.

Directed by Louise Osmond.

Born in 1936, making films into his 80s, Ken Loach is a British national treasure, television and film director, recipient of many awards.

However, the opening credits indicate the contradictory comments about Loach and his career, praise and condemnation.

This documentary, made in 2016, the year that Loach turned 80, and was making his award-winning (Golden Palm at Cannes) social drama, I, Daniel Blake. This is this documentary in the present, many scenes of scouting locations, conversations with the cast, filming.

The host of the film, the main commentary comes from Loach’s longtime friend and associate, producer Tony Garnett. He offers a friendly interpretation of his friend, able to fill in their work and difficulties with the BBC in the 1960s, their breakthrough and success with Kes, 1969.

There are a great number of contributors in interviews, producers, associates, cast, including a very interesting commentary by Gabriel Byrne about Jim Allen’s controversial play, Perdition, at the Royal Court, 1987. Further omments are interesting and throw light on Loach as a person, as a director, the development of his political views. And there are also informative interviews with his wife and his children – and Loach himself reflecting on an accident and the death of one of his children and its effect ever after.

And there is Loach himself, rather quiet in his manner, but determined. There is explanation of his background, his family, his father’s work and promotion in a factory, moved to Liverpool, more upper crust side of Liverpool, his education at schools, study at Oxford, his interest in theatre and performance, meeting his wife.

His mid-to-late 20s he began to work at the BBC, with Tony Garnett, working on social documentaries, and by some of the BBC executives, by audiences and commentators – excerpts from many of the films especially Up the Junction (and the author of the novel, Nell Dunn), and a strong focus on the Cathy, Come Home and its star Carol White. Some very strong excerpts and social commentary.

Then the interest in the book, Kes, filming it, the comments from his boy star later, David Bradley, unexpected success. This was not followed by further success, Garnett making the comment that their succeeding film, family Life, did not take in enough money to pay the usher.

The 70s was a strange time for Loach, difficult to make documentaries, subject to further criticism, attacks for his left-leaning political philosophy. He was reduced, transmitted embarrassment in the film, to make commercials, even for McDonald’s. He had little activity during the 1980s making documentaries about the miners strikes but difficulties for screenings.

However, with a small budget film on the Irish troubles, Hidden Agenda, 1990, and its screening in Cannes despite its being denounced as pro-IRA, it won an award, notice for Loach, and the resumption of his career, 30 years of striking filmmaking, twice winning the Golden Palm at Cannes, many British awards (and, for the International Catholic film organisation and its ecumenical collaborations with the Protestant, Interfilm, a special award at Cannes 2004 – and the acknowledgement that he was the main director who had won their awards at festivals.)

There are conversations with Jim Allen, public left-wing author and collaborator with Loach. There are sequences from the films of his comeback in the 1990s, Riff-Raff, Ladybird, Ladybird, Raining Stones. And, films of conflict, Land of Freedom about the Spanish Civil War and The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Cannes, Golden Palm, 2004), with some commentary by its star, Cillian Murphy.

In 1996, Loach’s principal screenwriter was Scottish, Paul Laverty, and there is quite some commentary from him in the latter part of the film.

Loach had success in his early 30s, he was in his mid-50s that he began his most prolific filmmaking and success. His final film, in The Old Oak, released when he was 87.

Slight, quietly spoken, a gentleman, some of his friends also comment on his strong determination, and some steely ruthlessness.