For the second time this week, I'm in room 2.13 at the Clephan Building, De Montfort University, for another event in DMU's annual Cultural eXchanges festival. This evening it's the turn of film director Ken Loach to be "In Conversation", in front of about 150 people. That's Ken Loach pictured above with legend of football and philosophy Eric Cantona, during filming of his most recent movie, "Looking for Eric".
Although he'd probably reject or deny such a definition, I'd say that Loach's films illustrate some genuine spiritual principles and practices that affect ordinary people in their everyday lives - individually or collectively. He has a lot to say about love, friendship, belief in causes and sacrifice of personal benefit to advance those causes, people who do their utmost to hold to their principles; he has a lot to say about hopes and dreams - and the dashing of them. He doesn't accord to the movie conventions, especially the happy ending, but we see his characters learn and grow through their experiences, even if the systems that surround, control, disable or stifle them do not. His films give a voice to the voiceless and urge compassion on those who are otherwise forgotten, whether that's the grubby lost kid sitting at the back of the classroom, oppressed manual workers standing up for what's due them. He doesn't patronise or sanctfy ordinary people, but he does lionise them.
Through his work on television and in the cinema, Loach has made genuine contributions to the changing of social attitudes in this country, concerning working young women, with "Up the Junction" (1965); homelessness, with "Cathy Come Home" (1966); mental illness, with "In Two Minds" (1967). "Kes" (1969) is one of the most iconic British films ever made - and one of the first I ever saw in the cinema. His tale of a recovering alcoholic in Glasgow, "My Name is Joe" (1998) is one I found particularly affecting, as it seemed to be filled with people I felt I knew, in situations that I could recognise from my own social background.
Loach has been a thorn in the side of the system for almost half a century. His work has made people sit up and take notice, and engendered genuine and effective debate about some of the most important social, politcal and economic issues that dictate how we live.
This evening at DMU, he spoke at length this evening about how the camera can look right inside the person it is turned on. That all sounded very spiritual to me.
To me, there seems to be a very strong knship between Loach and Alexei Sayle (whom I saw in this same lecture room just three nights before) in terms of their political engagement, their outsider perspective, their attempts to speak up for those who are normally silenced - and their ability to do all that and make it entertaining too.
Find out more about Ken Loach's life and career:
Find out more about the Cinema and Television History (CATH) Research Centre at De Montfort University:
