General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

Great film and the acting was not only incredible from many of the young people, it was realistic. The young lad (and the main character of the film) who played Casper was excellent. Judd was played so well that we were quickly introduced to his aggressive and bullying nature without even considering that he might have another side - and, naturally, we quickly disliked him.
What we must understand is, most of the people in the film were not recognized actors and many were totally unknown.
This film introduced us into a world which was real at the time and possibly still is in parts of Britain: a world which gives and takes away, where those few hopes are demolished and aggression rules. A society which dismisses the unfortunates and supports the strong.
After watching the film "Kes", I was motivated to go and buy the book and to sit down and read it. I discovered that the original title "A Kestrel for a Knave" had been changed to "Kes" and on the cover of the book I bought was a photograph of a very poor looking boy displaying his frustration and anger, which possibly was aimed at the society he had to try and survive in. There he was, "Casper" sticking up two fingers to the World, which I thought, at the time, was a perfect image.
At a later date, I'm not sure when, Casper with his rebellious salute to society was removed from the cover; possibly, it became unacceptable to certain members of our society. For me, the book and film is about Casper; his struggles, position in the family and society in which he finds himself in, the hopes and that chance of change, the frustration and his response in dealing with certain things. Therefore, Casper should be the character we first see no matter whether it's a poster or book cover.