Billy Liar
By July 09, 2001
When I first encountered Billy Liar in the early 1970s, I’d never heard of it. I’d somehow . . . Read more »
Film Info
- United Kingdom
- 1963
- 93 minutes
- Black and White
- 2.35:1
- English
- Spine #121
Tom Courtenay gives a flawlessly nuanced performance as Billy Fisher, the underachieving undertaker’s assistant whose constant daydreams and truth-deficient stories earn him the nickname “Billy Liar.” Julie Christie is the handbag-swinging charmer whose free spirit just might inspire Billy to finally move out of his parents’ house. Deftly veering from gritty realism to flamboyant fantasy, Billy Liar is a dazzling and uproarious classic.
Cast
| Billy Fisher | Tom Courtenay |
| Liz | Julie Christie |
| Geoffrey Fisher | Wilfred Pickles |
| Alice Fisher | Mona Washbourne |
| Florence | Ethel Griffies |
| Councilor Duxbury | Finlay Currie |
| Shadrack | Leonard Rossiter |
| Barbara | Helen Fraser |
| Rita | Gwendolyn Watts |
Credits
| Director | John Schlesinger |
| Producer | Joseph Janni |
| Screenplay | Keith Waterhouse |
| Cinematography | Willis Hall and Denys Coop |
| Based on the novel by | Keith Waterhouse |
| And on the play by | Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall |
| Music | Richard Rodney Bennett |
| Conducted by | John Hollingeworth |
| Art director | Ray Simm |
| Editing | Roger Cherrill |
Disc Features
- New widescreen digital transfer, enhanced for 16×9 televisions
- Audio commentary featuring director John Schlesinger and actors Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie
- Excerpts from “Northern Lights,” an episode of the BBC series Hollywood U.K.: British Cinema in the Sixties, hosted by Richard Lester
- Original theatrical trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
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British cinema in the early 1960’s pulsed with the ambitious energy, on the screen and off, of . . . Read more »
Film Essays
Billy Liar
By July 09, 2001
When I first encountered Billy Liar in the early 1970s, I’d never heard of it. I’d somehow . . . Read more »
Film Essays
Billy Liar: A Spinner of Fantasies Beset by Deep Indecision
By July 09, 2001
British cinema in the early 1960’s pulsed with the ambitious energy, on the screen and off, of . . . Read more »
Film Essays
Billy Liar
By July 09, 2001
When I first encountered Billy Liar in the early 1970s, I’d never heard of it. I’d somehow . . . Read more »
Film Essays
Billy Liar: A Spinner of Fantasies Beset by Deep Indecision
By July 09, 2001
British cinema in the early 1960’s pulsed with the ambitious energy, on the screen and off, of . . . Read more »
