Billy Liar (film)
Billy Liar is a 1963 British CinemaScope comedy-drama film based on the 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse. 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. Mona Washbourne plays Mrs. Fisher and Wilfred Pickles plays Mr. Fisher. Rodney Bewes, Finlay Currie and Leonard Rossiter also feature. The Cinemascope photography is by Denys Coop and Richard Rodney Bennett supplied the score.
| Billy Liar | |
|---|---|
original film poster | |
| Directed by | John Schlesinger |
| Screenplay by | Keith Waterhouse Willis Hall |
| Based on | 1959 novel by Waterhouse 1960 play by Waterhouse and Hall |
| Produced by | Joseph Janni |
| Starring | Tom Courtenay Julie Christie Wilfred Pickles Mona Washbourne |
| Cinematography | Denys Coop |
| Edited by | Roger Cherrill |
| Music by | Richard Rodney Bennett |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production companies | Vic Films Productions Waterhall Productions |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors Warner-Pathé |
Release dates | 15 August 1963 (London, West End) |
Running time | 98 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million or £236,809 |
| Box office | £22,173 (USA) |
The film belongs to the British New Wave, inspired by both the earlier kitchen sink realism movement and the French New Wave. Characteristic of the style is a documentary/cinéma vérité feel and the use of real locations (in this case, many in the city of Bradford in Yorkshire).