Lovingly restored by Studiocanal and now available in a stunning 4K print, John Schlesinger’s Billy Liar isn’t just a fantastical, memorable, funny and playful addition to the British New Wave; it’s a unique and striking portrait of adolescence in all its absurdity, longing and doubt.
John Schlesinger’s film adaptation of Keith Waterhouse’s comic novel and West End play, initially starring Albert Finney before Courtenay stepped in, has long been celebrated as one of the more playful entries in early British New Wave filmmaking. Its playfulness is clear compared to Room at the Top (1959) or another fabulous Tom Courtenay outing, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962). Billy Liar carries all the hallmarks of the British New Wave, with its discussions of class, North-South divide, and social transformation, yet it also carries something more. In the masterful hands of Schlesinger and Courtenay, it continues to speak to the experiences of young people today in a way many other ‘60s movies struggle to do.
Billy (Tom Courtenay) lives with his parents and his grandma in a classic 1930s semi in the fictional northern town of Stradhoughton. Like all boys in their late teens, Billy is unsettled as he ponders his future and attempts to define who he is and what he wants. However, unlike some teenagers, Billy’s way of dealing with this uncertainty is to create an alternate world in his imagination, Ambrosia. When Billy isn’t in Ambrosia, he is weaving a web of lies, half-truths, and fantasies that are about to bite him in the bum.
It’s a day that starts much like any other for Billy, as he lies in bed daydreaming about his imaginary world, while his mum (Mona Washbourne) and his dad (Wilfred Pickles) shout upstairs for him to get up and get ready for work. Meanwhile, his grandma (Ethel Griffies) mumbles about how spoiled he is and how lazy he has become. Still, in his own good time, Billy appears and announces that he has been offered a job in London working for a famous comedian, Danny Boon (Leslie Randall), and he intends to accept. Of course, none of them is convinced, and Billy’s dad is far more concerned that he get his arse into gear and get to work.
At a leisurely pace, Billy arrives at his job at Shadrack and Duxbury’s Undertakers, run by Emanuel Shadrack (Leonard Rossiter). To say Billy’s not that invested in the death business is an understatement! He ‘forgot’ to post the customer calendars, which are still sitting in his wardrobe at home, but remembered to claim the postage money. Even his best mate Arthur (Rodney Bewes), who he works with, isn’t fully aware of the calendar controversy bubbling away under the surface. Still, who cares, because today’s the day when Billy is going to tell Shadrack to stuff his job.
Of course, there are other reasons an escape to London appeals; Billy’s love life is a disaster of his own making. The trouble is Billy gets bored with girls very quickly, but usually not until after he has got engaged to them. His latest engagement is to the rather boring Barbara (Helen Fraser), but he neglected to tell her that he is also still engaged to the fiery Rita (Gwendolyn Watts). Then there is the girl he really wants, a mysterious dreamer like him, Liz (Julie Christie). But Liz is hardly ever in town, spending most of her time travelling from place to place.
Will Billy make it to London by the end of the day? And will the return of Liz only further complicate Billy’s love life? Over 24 hours, imagination is about to meet reality, as Billy’s dreams are tested like never before.
Lovingly restored by Studiocanal and now available in a stunning 4K print, John Schlesinger’s movie isn’t just a fantastical, memorable, funny and playful addition to the British New Wave; it’s a unique and striking portrait of adolescence in all its absurdity, longing and doubt, as Billy attempts to navigate the gaping chasm between his dream of escape and the reality of his life in Stradhoughton.
Like many British New Wave films, Billy Liar represents the wrecking ball of 60s modernisation, as Victorian landscapes and history were levelled in the name of progress. This was a time in British history when young people aspired for something more than the industrial jobs of their mothers and fathers. City life beckoned to many looking to escape and embrace the vibrant change of the sixties, which often felt distant in many smaller towns.
Having returned from the Grammar School where he earned his place, Billy longs to taste that freedom and embrace the dreams he has so carefully crafted. Yet, he also knows that physical escape is often far more difficult than a mental one, especially in a town where your destiny feels pre-determined despite the promises made during your education. It’s here that Billy Liar speaks to working-class young people today in the same way it did to a 60s generation of young people yearning for more.
Despite our apparent progress in the United Kingdom, wealth inequality has continued to grow since the 1960s, with the 1980s a defining decade in its further expansion. As a result, far too many working-class young people find themselves trapped due to socio-economic restrictions they have no control over. For too many young people, their hometowns, stripped of industry, services, and retail, often feel like prisons they dream of escaping because of a lack of opportunities, employment, or social life, yet, unlike wealthier kids, the opportunity to move is all but a dream. In fact, for many, the opportunities open to Billy would seem wonderful compared to their opportunities today.
Billy’s created world of Ambrosia isn’t just a playful exploration of a boy living through his imagination; it’s the battleground of the film. Ambrosia reflects the promised new world following the Second World War, and the reality that, for many, that world remained a dream due to their place, accent, socio-economic status, and class, despite the social change surrounding them. Again, it’s a theme many modern-day young people will relate to, as relentless political promises of stable jobs, good housing and security have come to nothing under successive governments. As Billy Liar demonstrates, you can demolish old historical buildings and build concrete towers in their place, but that doesn’t change the social mobility in that town or the restrictions its people face.
Billy Liar isn’t just a cornerstone of the British New Wave, held aloft by John Schlesinger’s expert direction, Tom Courtenay’s delightful and energetic performance, and an exemplary ensemble cast; it’s a truly stunning coming-of-age film that still feels all too relevant today.
The newly restored Billy Liar will play at selected cinemas from July 31, and Studiocanal’s two-disc 4K UHD Collector’s Edition is available to pre-order now.
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