Billy Liar (film)

• Tom Courtenay: 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

Billy Liar is a British feature film from the year 1963. He is one of the films of the British New Wave. The screenplay by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, based on their play which in turn an adaptation of Waterhouse's novel Billy Liar ( Original title: Billy Liar ) showed.

Action

Billy Fisher lives in Yorkshire with his parents and his grandmother. He works as a clerk of a funeral home and bored. In his boredom he dreams himself in his imaginary country Ambrosia, where he is a political leader and war hero. He also invents stories about his family that he would thereby make it more interesting. This brings him the nickname Billy Liar ( Billy Liar ). When the famous comedian Danny Boon comes to town, Billy dreams of hanging his job on the nail and to be gag writer. His friendships with girls are influenced by lies. He is friends at the same time with Barbara and Rita. With flimsy stories he persuades the one him the ring he gave her to return, so he can give him the other and vice versa. With a friend, he spied behind the former girlfriend Liz, who is more like his dreams, since she travels a lot and free lives.

Life with lies is more complicated, however, when Barbara learns at a jeweler that Billy the ring not know how he told her, did it for change. The famous comedian has no interest in Billy. A simultaneous appointment with Barbara and Rita in a nightclub, he can fly, to meet up with Liz, who advises him to go to London. To change his life was easier than I thought. After meeting with Liz, he meets Barbara and Rita, the quarrel about the ring. He leaves the club with Liz. She seems to be the only person who understands him. You can even tell by Ambrosia. They try to make love to, but are disturbed by his friends who make fun of him. Liz agrees to meet Billy for the night train to London.

Billy goes home to pack his things. There he learns that his grandmother is seriously ill and was taken to hospital. In the hospital, he and his mother learn that the grandmother has died. In great haste he reached the station in time, where Liz is waiting for him. Billy is facing the biggest change in his life very excited and wants to buy milk before departure. Thus he missed the train. Liz travels alone and has left his suitcase on the platform. Billy goes back home and daydreaming on the way home about his life as an Army Commander of Ambrosia.

Reviews

" Satirical comedy from the early days of British director Schlesinger with Julie Christie in her first leading role. The caricature of the state of consciousness of their young heroes encourages us to reflect on the reality of its own management. "

Awards

The film was nominated for six 1964 British Film Academy Awards, including nominations for Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie for Best British film. In 1963 the film in the competition of the International Venice Film Festival.