Billy Liar

Studio: Kino Lorber Studio Classics

Apr 21, 2020 Web Exclusive By Austin Trunick

My familiarity with this British cult classic didn’t come from the film itself, but the numerous songs it purportedly inspired and frequently cropped up on records I loved. These would be (at least) a pair of tracks from The Smiths – “William, It Was Really Nothing” and “Frankly Mr. Shankly” – and the early and more obviously linked Decemberists track, “Billy Liar.” The former group’s influence may even border on fixation; Morrissey has openly cited the film as one of his all-time favorites, and fans speculate that it could be referenced in up to eight of his songs. Although scholar Simon Goddard wrote that “William” was not explicitly about the William Fisher of the film, and I believe his reasoning, the lyrics are too perfectly on-point for the movie not to have been at least lurking somewhere in his mind:

The song’s written to a young man whose “humdrum town” has clearly dragged him down, and warns him not to settle down and marry a woman he doesn’t love. John Schlesinger’s Billy Liar (1963) revolves around the young Billy Fisher (Tom Courtenay), a daydreamer whose flights of fancy are his desperate method of escaping real life. He fantasizes about being the prime minister of his own militarized nation, a hero adored by his people – in his real life, he works as a junior assistant in a funeral home and still lives with his parents. He fancies himself better than the people around him – he’s convinced himself he’s a talented joke writer, and that there’s a career waiting for him in London writing scripts for a beloved comedian – but Billy’s problem is that he’s lazy, and a habitual liar. Hardly a word can escape his mouth without there being some level of mistruth to it.

Billy’s lies are what get him into trouble time and again. When the film picks up, he’s already engaged to two different girls, neither of whom he particularly seems to care for. As he juggles the two women who unknowingly share a single engagement ring, another lie comes to the surface when his employer discovers he’s embezzled a fair amount of petty cash that was meant to mail out several hundred promotional calendars. It’s Billy’s mad attempts to cover up for his lies with more lies where the comedy in Billy Liar mostly comes from.

The thing is, though, Billy Liar is about as depressing as a comedy can possibly get away with. Billy’s fantasy sequences often become violent, and his pathological lying seem to hint at mental illness – no one believes a word Billy says more than he himself, which can be painful to watch. Billy’s a man who wants more than he has and feels entitled to it, yet is unwilling to do anything to earn or show he deserves it. When a freewheeling young woman (Julie Christie) returns to town, a friend of Billy’s to whom he seems truly affectionate for once, she offers him a hand in finally escaping it all, but Billy’s too set in his ways. The film is both humorous and utterly heartbreaking – it’s no wonder Morrissey loved it so much.

Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray edition of the film looks fantastic, with sharp edges and a nice contrast in the black and white photography that brings a cinematic feel to the movie’s everyday setting. Also included is a new commentary by historian Kat Ellinger. For fans of the film, this is a recommended release.

(www.kinolorber.com/product/billy-liar-blu-ray)

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