Director Ken Loach

In the summer of 1920, the British Empire, the superpower of its day, came down hard on tiny Ireland and the Irish separatist movement. And Irish guerilla fighters — the Irish Republican Army — hit back hard in return.

A powerful new film by British director Ken Loach, "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," tells the story of that fight with deep sympathy for the Irish, and a political message for the American superpower today. It won top prize at Cannes. It's won the fury of British right-wingers.

This Hour On Point: director Ken Loach on power, resistance, and his film, "The Wind that Shakes the Barley."

Quotes from the Show:

"[The tile of the film] is a ballad written in the early part of the 19th century which refers back to the United Irishmen of the 1790s. I guess the wind is a metaphor for the people who can make the earth move." Ken Loach

"If you challenge the idea that the British empire was anything other than a charitable institution, then [the conservative British press] go for you because the notion that the empire is sunny benevolent is very dear to the right-wing hearts." Ken Loach

"It's really important that the British people acknowledge what their ruling class did over the centuries." Ken Loach

"I don't think anyone can understand [the Irish conflict] unless their family has been through it, and I think with Iraq, the Iraqis are the only ones who understand what's going on over there." Listener from Boston

"The moment we remove ourselves from international law, I think we're in trouble." Ken Loach

Guests:

Ken Loach, director of the new film "The Wind That Shakes the Barley."