Billy Liar - Criterion Collection
by John Schlesinger
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ethel Griffies, Julie Christie, Mona Washbourne, Tom Courtenay, Wilfred PicklesDirector: John Schlesinger
Brand: COURTENAY,TOM
Cinematographer: Denys N. Coop
Editor: Roger Cherrill
Producer: Jack Rix
Producer: Joseph Janni
Writer: Keith Waterhouse
Writer: Willis Hall
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-07-10
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of Billy Liar - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: For Julie Christie fans
Summary: 3 Stars
Tom Courtenay stars as Billy, an unhappy clerk who still lives at home with his impatient family. To escape the drudgery of his life, Billy passes the time telling outrageous lies and fantasizing about his very own country where he is the beloved ruler and war hero.
I must admit I didn't know this movie was considered a comedy until I read some reviews. While the fantasy sequences are certainly amusing, Billy's day-to-day existence is lonely, unfulfilling, and depressing. I found Tom Courtenay to be adequate but dull and unsympathetic. On the other hand, Julie Christie is remarkably confident, mature, and charismatic and the screen really lights up during her few scenes. The black and white movie was one of the first in the sixties to feature the working class in all it's gritty glory. (I wish the DVD had had subtitles to help me with the thick north-of-England accents.)
The movie is similar to Danny Kaye's The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, but the humor is much more subtle. I thought the dramatic scenes lacked heart-felt pathos and I never liked or felt sorry for Billy. Watch it for its place in British film history and for the screen debut of the lovely Miss Christie.
Summary of Billy Liar - Criterion Collection
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.Art House & International DVD Video
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