I love older British “kitchen sink” films which show class struggles and family tragedy.  Here you’ll see some DVDs you can borrow from  the public library, or download somewhere.

In this category are two by leftist Ken Loach that stand out

Kes is about a working class boy who trains falcons.  Brilliant.  It’s a Free World is about a shady job agency which hires immigrant Poles who live in London.

Just watched this excellent film with Albert Finney.  Tells you a lot about Nottingham in the ’60s, and the miles of factories, pubs and industry in the postwar WWII industrial boom.  .. I have a soft spot for the L-Shaped Room.  The novel is by Lynne Reid Banks.  As a child she was shipped  to Saskatoon Sk for a couple of years to escape the bombing of London during WWII. Also her  series of novels (The Indian in the Cupboard)  for young people gave me the name for my son, Omri.

I think I liked reading John Osborne’s  book, Look Back in Anger, slightly more than I liked the film but of course here are movie stars Richard Burton and Claire Bloom acting up a storm. Mary Ure is very good too.

 And while I’m still on the British jag, here’s a new book worth reading The author takes a number of working class jobs in England and Wales of today. The most interesting chapters are the first three about the Amazon warehouse in Staffordshire and how mind-numbing and depressing being a ‘picker’ really is.  Lots of facts and figures about employment, unemployment and  under employment — A good read.