BILLY LIAR – Julie Christie – Richard Rodney Bennett (HQ)

Billy Liar (1963), is a comedy drama directed by John Schlesinger from a Keith Waterhouse-Willis Hall stage play. Billy Fisher (Tom Courtenay) lives with his parents and works for humourless undertaker boss Shadrack (Leonard Rossiter). He often escapes from his mundane existence into the neverland of Ambrosia. Also, to alleviate the spirit-crushing tedium of his rigidly confined life he constructs an elaborate web of lies. His runaway mouth has also got him engaged to three different women: homely Barbara, (Helen Fraser) shrewish Rita (Gwendolyn Watts) and the free spirited Liz, (Julie Christie – in one of her first film roles). Furthermore, he also dreams of escaping life in his northern town (filmed in Bradford, Baildon and Leeds) in the hope that he might sell a script to pitiful comedian Danny Boon (Leslie Randall) and move to London. Following this film adaptation, Billy Liar was transformed into a stage musical, and later resurfaced as a British TV series. Trivia: The director has an uncredited part as an officer in one of Billy’s dreams. The line “Borstal, here we come” was appropriated by The Smiths for their album ‘Strangeways Here We Come’. The line “A man can lose himself in London” was sampled by St Etienne on their album ‘So Tough’. Ride named the track ‘Twisterella’ after the dance hall number composed by Billy Fisher, and Yo La Tengo titled their track ‘Tom Courtenay’ in honour of the film’s star. “Twisterella” is sung in the film by Muriel Day.
Video Rating: 5 / 5