With courtenay s performance, christie in a small but winning supporting role, and schlesingers direction, billy liar is indeed a winner. Billy liar is the story of billy fischer, a 19 year old adolescent living in the fictional yorkshire town of stradhoughton with his parents and his grandmother. Tom courtenay delivers a starmaking turn as william terrence fisher billy liar in one of the most memorable and universally acclaimed films of the 60s. Billy liar 1963 the comic story of an imaginative young man who escapes his dull home life, numbing job and dreary industrial town through wild fantasies and fabrications, john schlesingers billy liar 1963 is often described as a british version of the secret life of walter mitty 1947. Still present too is the impish melancholy that made courtenay famous in his second film, 1962s the loneliness of the long distance runner, and billy liar, his third, in which his angry young man. Tom courtenay biography facts, childhood, family life.
Classic mittyesque satire from director john schlesinger with tom courtenay as billy fisher, a british workingclass everyman who spends his time daydreaming and spinning tall tales, earning him the nickname billy liar. A lazy, irresponsible young clerk sir tom courtenay in provincial northern england lives in his own fantasy world and makes emotionally immature decisions as he alienates friends and family. Billy liar 1963 a rotten cottage in rotten devon paul. Billy liar by keith waterhouse, first edition abebooks. As the stage play returns, laura barton asks tom courtenay and julie christie. Billy juggles his dream world of being the hero of the mythical country of ambrosia with the reality of being an undertakers clerk in yorkshire. Fifty years on, billy liar has not grown old books the.
Liar 1963, based on a novel and play by keith waterhouse. The cautiousness of tom courtenay the new york times. Tom courtenay delivers a starmaking turn as william terrence fisher. Billy liar john schlesingers excellent british comedydrama concerns billy tom courtenay, a middle class young man who despises his position as a funeral parlor bookkeeper. Directed by john schlesinger, it stars tom courtenay who had understudied albert finney in the west end theatre adaptation of the novel as billy, and julie christie as liz, one of his three girlfriends. Tom courtenay is enthralling as billy fisher, clerk. Billy liar is his most famous book, and was an equally famous film, directed by john schlesinger, starring tom courtenay. John schlesingers 1963 film is arguably the most famous incarnation, now restored to mark its 50th anniversary.
Lovely to realise that tom himself always respected and loved his parents and sister despite moving up to the dizzy heights of stardom, and he explains why in this affectionate portrayal of a working class background in hull in the midtwentieth century. Billy spends the majority of his time daydreaming of a much more interesting life filled with conquests, esp. Sir tom courtenay will be attending next months bradford international film festival to be given a lifetime achievement award. Like a rolling stone rolling stones john schlesinger tom courtenay are you being served bradford say hello statue of liberty the twenties. Kino lorbers new high definition restoration looks and sounds terrific, and it comes with an audio commentary by film historian kat ellinger. Tom courtenay and john schlesinger changed their destinies and that of julie christie with this brilliant black.
This film version of the keith waterhousewillis hall stage play visualizes some of billys more outrageous fabrications. Billy liar is the chronicle of one decisive day in the life of its protagonist billy fisher. Tom courtenay simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This film followed major successes by both its director, john schlesinger, who was coming off a kind of loving, and its star, tom courtenay, who had just established himself as a major actor with the loneliness of the long distance runner. Still from the film version of billy liar, with leonard rossiter left and tom courtenay in the title role. Billy tom courtenay is stuck in his deadend job as a clerk for a local funeral director. We are all, at times, a bit like billy which is why the anniversary of the book is worth celebrating.
Scripted by keith waterhouse from his own novel, and sensitively directed by. British filming locations for the movie billy liar 1963 including maps, screenshots, and other nearby film locations. Apr 19, 20 tom courtenay and julie christie in billy liar, 1963 british cinema of the early 1960s was a relentlessly downbeat affair, studiedly realist in a manner pinched from the french new wave. The frustrated billy rebels against his dull routine with outrageous lies and chicanery, but hasnt the courage to strike forth on his own even when invited to do so by the. Undertakers clerk billy tom courtenay escapes his dreary small town existence in a 1950s northern town by living in a fantasy world where he realises his ambitions. Billy liar 1963 a rotten cottage in rotten devon youtube. Tom courtenay gives a flawlessly nuanced performance as billy fisher, the underachieving undertakers assistant whose constant daydreams and truthdeficient stories earn him the nickname billy liar. Billy liar is a 1963 british blackandwhite cinemascope comedydrama film based on the 1959 novel by keith waterhouse. Overview billy fisher tom courtenay is known to his bluecollar british mates as billy liar because of his vivid imagination. Simon heffer explores billy liar, the 1963 british new wave film based on keith waterhouses novel, starring tom courtenay. Sir thomas daniel tom courtenay born 25 february 1937 is a english actor. You start off billy liar, recreating the world in your own fantastic image, and you end up william dorrit, locked in the marshalsea, brooding on your misery and failure.
You can trace the roots back to james thurbers original story, but its nothing like the danny kaye movie of the meek dreamer turned courageous hero. The following day, april 14, the movie billy liar will be screened. Having starred in the loneliness of the long distance runner the previous year, billy liar established tom courtenay, playing the lead character billy fisher, as a major actor. Billy liar official trailer 50th anniversary edition youtube. Oct 05, 2000 delightful, heartwarming book about tom courtenays parents and his home background. The ronald grant archive the publication of billy liar 50 years ago. Peter bradshaw kicks off our new series on the films our writers think are overrated by bursting billy liars bubble, which starred tom courtenay. Sep 01, 2010 published in 1959, billy liar has, over those five decades, enjoyed a rich and varied existence, remembered not only as a novel and a play, but also as a film again starring courtenay, a musical. Tom courtenay full list of movies and tv shows in theaters, in production and upcoming films. This costarred albert finney who had played the tom courtenay part, billy fisher, on stage, but turned down playing the part in the film.
Billy liar by keith waterhouse goodreads share book. In 2009 waterhouse announced that at the age of 80 he was giving up his longstanding column in the daily mail. Billy liar by john schlesinger john schlesinger, tom. He would later reprise the role in the 1963 cinematic. He is known for his roles in the loneliness of the long distance runner 1962, billy liar 1963, doctor zhivago 1965, the dresser 1983, and in last orders. Billy liar is based on thurbers walter mitty, the double lives of reality and a dream running concurrently. In 1960, tom courtenay started his career as an actor with the old vic theatre company at the lyceum, edinburgh.
Billy liar was his second novel and was first published in 1959 by michael joseph. Billy liar 1963 tom courtenay, julie christie, wilfred. Tom courtenay is a veteran english actor known for his role in the film billy liar. Billy liar on the moon dust jacket only no book by waterhouse, keith and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The movie, which stars tom courtenay in the lead role, is based on the novel by keith. The comic story of an imaginative young man who escapes his dull home life, numbing job and dreary industrial town through wild fantasies and fabrications, john schlesingers billy liar 1963 is often described as a british version of the secret life of walter mitty 1947. Shadrack leonard rossiter is his hard driving, humorless employer who scolds young billy for his. Billy liar 1963 tom courtenay, like a rolling stone, i movie. Billy liar, a story of smalltown frustration, captivated a generation, preempted the 60s and even inspired oasis. A hit on page and stage, keith waterhouse and willis halls billy liar was brought to the screen by john schlesinger as a faultless blend of social realism and satirical fantasy.
Tom courtenay and julie christie in the film version of billy liar. Id somehow acquired a 16mm pannedandscanned print, and was intrigued by both the title and cast. Tom courtenay is enthralling as billy fisher, clerk to an undertaker in a dull yorkshire town and engaged to two girls while pining after another, taking refuge from daily drudgery in walter mittylike fantasies. Apr 19, 20 john schlesingers 1963 film is arguably the most famous incarnation, now restored to mark its 50th anniversary. Billy tom courtenay is stuck in his deadend job as a clerk for a local funeral. Sep 23, 2015 rita gwendolyn watts and billy tom courtenay have words. That creates great expectations, and billy liar lived up to them. Apr 01, 2010 billy liar is his most famous book, and was an equally famous film, directed by john schlesinger, starring tom courtenay. An all new fully restored 50th anniversary edition of the british classic billy liar.
Billy liar footage shows a piece of cinematic history. Tom courtenay in scene from the motion picture billy liar photo measures 10. The actor on david foster wallace, the chateau marmont hotel, his favourite local restaurant, strictly and his loyalty to hull city afc tom courtenay, who made his name in the 1960s in films that have become classics the loneliness of the long distance runner, dr zhivago, billy liar has been enjoying a tremendous new lease of life, at. It is now 50 years since keith waterhouses novel transferred to the stage. Aug 11, 2009 fifty years on, billy liar has not grown old. Courtenay gives a flawlessly nuanced performance as billy fisher, the underachieving undertakers assistant whose constant daydreams and truthdeficient stories earn him the nickname billy liar.
Mar 31, 2014 published on mar 31, 2014 tom courtenay delivers a starmaking turn as william terrence fisher billy liarin one of the most memorable and universally acclaimed films of the 60s. Billy liar film billy liar is a 1963 british blackandwhite cinemascope comedydrama film based on the 1959 novel by keith waterhouse. Billy liar was turned into a successful play in 1960, a film in 1963, and a musical in 1974. Like the long and the short, hailed as the best antiwar play since journeys end, billy liar was an instant success. Jul 09, 2001 when i first encountered billy liar in the early 1970s, id never heard of it. Billy liar 1963 john schlesingers film features a bravura central performance from tom courtenay as an undertakers assistant escaping dreary reality through daydreams. Tom courtenay list of movies and tv shows tv guide. When his job, unsympathetic working class family and two fiancees threaten to become too much, he meets fashionable julie christie, who offers him his one chance for real escape. Tom courtenay, julie christie, wilfred pickles, mona washbourne, ethel griffies, finlay currie, gwendolyn. Billy liar on location leeds, bradford yorkshire film archive. Scripted by keith waterhouse from his own novel, and sensitively. Julie christie is the handbagswinging charmer whose free spirit just might inspire billy to finally move out of his parents house.
Tom courtenay sat in a dimly lighted restaurant in the watergate complex, looking very ill. I certainly knew who julie christie was, and i vaguely remembered tom courtenay in the loneliness of the long distance runner, so i ran it. A year later, he substituted albert finney in the title role of billy liar at the cambridge theatre. Rita gwendolyn watts and billy tom courtenay have words. Check out this biography to know about his birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him. Tom courtenay, julie christie, wilfred pickles, mona washbourne, ethel griffies, finlay currie, leonard rossiter, george innes.
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