Ken Loach and Poetic Realism

 Throughout my essay I briefly mentioned the term 'poetic realism' to describe the works of Hardy and the kitchen sink dramas. Applying this to this project I think is important, as it not only recognises the reality of Loach's work but also the artistic form it takes, which I don't feel many people have done successfully and is a branch of all literature, film and art I am most interested in. 

Poetic realism was first defined by the French films of the 1930's and later applied to the documentaries in England. The term is coined due to the characters typically being on the edges of society and are often working-class or criminals and the 'poetic' is used to describe the aestheticism of the films.

Some of the films that helped coin this term are La Petite Lise (1930) by Jean Gremillon and Le Grand Jeu (1934) by Jacques Feyder 

I feel it is key to recognise that along with Loach making conditions better for the working-class people due to his films, we mustn't forget the importance of the poetry of them. 

La Petite Lise

Le Grand Jeu