There should be an interesting discussion on Newsnight tonight when their culture correspondent Stephen Smith interviews Ken Loach, the Palm D’Or winner for the Wind that Shakes the Barley. He hits back at the “headbangers” who’ve accused him of hating his country and tells Newsnight he is proud to be British.
4 thoughts on “Loach on Newsnight tonight”
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Very good piece on newsnight, I think Ken got his very clear ideas across without any bother.
I’ve been very lucky to have spent two long and interesting evenings in a pub in Euston (London) with ken. One was just prior to the release of The Navigators
The other being about three months after its release when we just bumped into each other.
I have to say his knowledge of Ireland and it’s history and of many world struggles made me feel small. The man has immense talent as a Director but is hugely informed, yet he remains just one of the lads. I look forward to meeting up with him again soon.
Bit of a one-dimensional portrayal of the time, and don’t expect the British to be fleshed out AT ALL, but still worth a watch. I still think Sweet Sixteen is the best thing Loach has ever done.
Yeah one dimensional alright NOT ! Did anyone expect him to portray the black and tans as genteel lads ?
They were a bunch of occupying, murdering scumbag Bastards. Nothing more and nothing less and no amount of revisionism will ever change that in the minds of intelligent people.
All i mean was that the brits involved had no personalities to speak of, and IMHO the film suffers as a result. I just think he missed a trick in not providing any inkling of the motivations of the occupiers, and that it allows those sympathetic to the British to crticise what is otherwise a decent film.