Raining Stones, in its quietly observant, almost documentary-like style, is typical of director Ken Loach’s understated approach to his left-leaning politics. Bob, a man in an impoverished town in the north of England, struggles to survive on the dole while hustling for any odd jobs he can find, or otherwise pushing the envelope with edgy, foolhardy gigs, such as stealing sheep with his friend Tommy with the hope of reselling them—and when that plan fails, repackaging them as mutton for door-to-door sales. While he’s looking the other way, his van is stolen, an event typical of Bob’s chronic bad luck. When his wife Anne reminds him of the forthcoming first communion of their daughter, Bob insists that she will have a new dress, although the parish priest, Father Barry advises him that a secondhand dress would be a wiser choice. Bob’s quest to raise the money for the dress has surprising repercussions.
Unlike virtually all his contemporaries, Ken Loach has never succumbed to the siren call of Hollywood, and it’s virtually impossible to imagine his particular brand of British socialist realism translating well to that context. After studying law at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, he branched out into the theater, performing with a touring repertory company. This led to television, where in alliance with producer ‘Tony Garnett’ he produced a series of docudramas, most notably the devastating “Cathy Come Home” episode of “The Wednesday Play” (1964), whose impact was so massive that it led directly to a change in the homeless laws. He made his feature debut Poor Cow (1967) the following year, and with “Kes”, he produced what is now acclaimed as one of the finest films ever made in Britain. However, the following two decades saw his career in the doldrums with his films poorly distributed (despite the obvious quality of work such as The Gamekeeper (1968) (TV) and Looks and Smiles (1981… read more
Another great one from the Master.Riveting,ringing as true as a documentary,Ken Loach highlights the frustrations of a decent working class man,who gains our admiration. Without being sentimental,relying on the intelligence of the audience,and using a good dose of humour,this film stays with you.
Even as he turns 75 today, Ken Loach carries on working. The BBC spotted him just the other day shooting in a Scottish distillery; his next
"Ken Loach will arrive fashionably late at this week's Cannes film festival — his latest drama has just been confirmed as a last-minute
