#121: SCHLESINGER, John: Billy Liar (1963)

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SCHLESINGER, John (United Kingdom)
Billy Liar [1963]
Spine #121
DVD
OOP


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.

98 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
2:35:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2001
Director/Writers


Based on the novel by Keith Waterhouse and on the play by Waterhouse and Willis Hall.
Screenplay by Waterhouse and Hall.
John Schlesinger was 37 when he directed Billy Liar.

Other Schlesinger films in the Collection:

#925: Midnight Cowboy (1969)
#629: Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Eight-page wraparound featuring an essay by Bruce Goldstein.

Commentary

Featuring director Schlesinger and actors Courtney and 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

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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