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Billy Liar (1963)
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Overview
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Director:
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Release Date:
16 December 1963 (USA)
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Plot:
A lazy, irresponsible young clerk in provincial Northern England lives in his own fantasy world and makes emotionally immature decisions as he alienates friends and family. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 6 BAFTA Film Awards.
Another 1 nomination
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NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Film review: Ulysses
(From The Guardian - Film News. 19 November 2009, 3:30 PM, PST)
Cinema Retro #15 Now Shipping Worldwide!
(From CinemaRetro. 16 September 2009, 3:15 AM, PDT)
(From The Guardian - Film News. 19 November 2009, 3:30 PM, PST)
Cinema Retro #15 Now Shipping Worldwide!
(From CinemaRetro. 16 September 2009, 3:15 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Heads the pack in Kitchen Sink terms...
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US TV Schedule:
Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Tom Courtenay | ... | William Terrence 'Billy' Fisher |
| Wilfred Pickles | ... | Geoffrey Fisher |
| Mona Washbourne | ... | Alice Fisher |
| Ethel Griffies | ... | Florence, Billy's grandmother |
| Finlay Currie | ... | Duxbury |
| Gwendolyn Watts | ... | Rita |
| Helen Fraser | ... | Barbara |
 | Julie Christie | ... | Liz |
| Leonard Rossiter | ... | Emanuel Shadrack |
| Rodney Bewes | ... | Arthur Crabtree |
| George Innes | ... | Stamp |
| Leslie Randall | ... | Danny Boon |
| Patrick Barr | ... | Insp. MacDonald |
| Ernest Clark | ... | Prison governor |
| Godfrey Winn | ... | Disc jockey |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
98 min
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Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
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Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Keith Waterhouse wrote the novel "Billy Liar" inspired by the cartoon story "Walter Mitty" by James Thurber.
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Quotes:
Rita:
[after Billy reopens the door] You rotten. lying, crossed-eyed git. You're nothing else.
William Terrence 'Billy' Fisher: [clearly not wanting her to come inside] Hello, Rita. Sorry, I can't ask you in. We're havin' our chimney swept.
Rita: They'll be havin' you swept before I finish.
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William Terrence 'Billy' Fisher: [clearly not wanting her to come inside] Hello, Rita. Sorry, I can't ask you in. We're havin' our chimney swept.
Rita: They'll be havin' you swept before I finish.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "EastEnders: (2006-05-30)" (2006)
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Soundtrack:
Twisterella
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"Billy Liar!" impressed me more than many other admirable British pictures of this era, like "Room at the Top", "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" and "This Sporting Life". It managed to generate a more tangible blend of poignancy and amusement. It's not often humour of the "laugh-out-loud" nature, more of the subtle, grim kind. The reality of Britain at that time is I suspect, very well conveyed here, with the old working-class, represented by Councillor Duxbury (astutely played by the fine Finlay Currie) and Billy's family, very much at odds with what they see as an ungrateful, decadent youth. All the performances hit the intended mark, with Leonard Rossiter typically Rossiter, almost as a younger Rigsby, without so much noticeable seediness. Julie Christie is as good as the role allows, an odd role, very much the "dream girl" of Billy and I dare say a good few others. The film expertly avoids sentimentalizing matters by its cunning, apposite last section. The Danny Boon character is, one suspects, all too typical of the TV light entertainer mould in reality. His reliance on cheap non-gags, smug guffaws and "audience banter" is well conveyed in just a few short scenes. It's interesting that Billy seems to aspire so much to write for him in particular... Helen Fraser's character Barbara is wonderfully quaint; a type long gone it seems. One can understand Billy's frustrations with his respectively prudish and plain (Barbara) and ignorant (Rita) girlfriends, and his anger at his family, although some sympathy is correctly reserved for them. The direction is very good by Schlesinger, emphasizing all the right things. The fine context-setting opening montage expertly draws in the viewer, and never at any stage henceforth is anyone's attention likely to wane. The film is most of all Tom Courtenay's; he gives a truly resonant performance, bringing to vivid life a character far removed from the norms of film making at the time. The fantasy sequences are finely done, and all add more deep impression of this character. His digressive tendencies, self-destructive habits, economy with the truth are well balanced by a sense of yearning and imagination. One cannot help but like and relate to the character, a creation that resoundingly rings true. His ambivalence to the class system comes across concisely, in particular. A fine film indeed, with so many of the smaller touches that many films miss. Witty, sad and a seminal film of the era, very much a crossroads in British history. Rating:- **** 1/2/*****