Billy Liar

Last night, TCM did a tribute to Tom Courtenay, the intense, immensely-talented English actor who (along with Albert Finney) best personified the "Angry Young Man" of post-war Britain. Courtenay got a few starring vehicles like The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner, a showcase role in Doctor Zhivago (which earned him an Oscar nod), and ensemble work in films like The Night of the Generals and King Rat, but largely faded by the early '70s, perhaps by choice, perhaps because his moment had passed.

Billy Liar (1963) features an atypical Courtenay performance. A light comedy dealing with serious themes, it shows a young man so wrapped up in his self-indulgent fantasies that he can barely function in the real world. The story might be tragic if Courtenay, director John Schlesinger and writers Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse didn't make so it endearing.

Billy Fisher (Tom Courtenay) is a young Yorkshire man who dreams of greatness. Stuck in a menial job clerking for a stuffy businessman (Leonard Rossiter), he spends most his free time dreaming about his self-created country of Ambrosia, or imagining himself rich and famous. This proves problematic, however, when his fantasies seep into real life: he becomes engaged to two different women at once, and tells everyone he's been hired by comedian Danny Boon (Leslie Randall). Billy quits his job, gets in trouble for pilfering company materials and runs afoul of both fiancees (Gwendolyn Watts and Helen Fraser). When old flame Liz (Julie Christie) comes back to town, she offers Billy an escape to London - but does Billy have the initiative to take it?

Billy Liar loosely resembles a far less grating version of The Graduate, with pre-Richard Lester fantasy scenes worked in. Billy is more confused than angry, stuck in a boring but not intolerable home life, not interested in a simple desk job but not having the ability to advance beyond his station. He certainly has ambition, submitting scripts to Danny Boon and getting a song performed at a discotheque, but when these fail he falls back on his detailed fantasy life. With Billy, it's not so much laziness that sabotages his chances as an indecisive personality that can't handle the pressures of the real world. My, how I can relate.

John Schlesinger (Marathon Man) handles a fine production. He provides straightforward direction, creating a film that's light-hearted without distracting from the serious subject matter. The fantasy scenes (military parades, a funeral, Billy "machine-gunning" those who anger him) are elaborately staged and funny, contrasting nicely with the grim Yorkshire town being gradually demolished. Schlesinger and his writers achieve the neat trick of being both silly and tragic without compromising either mood.

Courtenay gives a superb performance, mixing his habitual working-class anger with charm, guile and confusion. Billy could easily be flaky or obnoxious, but Courtenay makes him a likeable and credible personage. Julie Christie parlayed her small part into super-stardom: her Liz is an utterly charming creation, a free-spirited girl who represents everything Billy's missing in life, without seeming idealized. The movie scores by treating its adult characters with respect: Wilfred Pickles and Mona Washbourne give strong support as Billy's parents, with Pickles getting the film's best scene telling Billy off. Leonard Rossiter (Barry Lyndon) plays Billy's boss, and Finlay Currie (Great Expectations) gets a small but memorable part.

Billy Liar is an enjoyable, well-crafted film. Unlike many of the British "kitchen sink" films, it hasn't dated a bit and remains relatable.