It's not that I avoided Billy Liar for all these years, it's more that I was very wary of it for a long time. It is described on the cover as an important film in New wave cinema. Now in my opinion New Wave cinema can either be beautifully constructed interesting films with little plot but lots of feeling (for example Jean Luc Godard), or they can also be pretentious bollocks with little entertainment value besides a mild curiosity how it ever got made as a film (for example.. Jean Luc Godard). But with so many people calling this a classic I thought it only fair that I give it a shot.
The film is about William Fisher, who works as a clerk, lives at home and is generally very unhappy with his life. To combat his unhappiness he delves into his psyche and creates an alternate universe where he is the ruler of a nation and his life means something. He is also engaged. To two women, neither of whom know about the other, whilst Billy himself isn't really in love with either of them, instead he has feelings for Liz (played by Julie Christie) who is a wild adventurous spirit. In essence it is a story about growing up, about the decisions you make in life, and how to balance your responsibilities with your desires.
After an initial unsure feeling about the film I grew to really like it. This was based mostly on a liking for Billy himself, who despite being a compulsive liar, is actually a very identifiable character. After all, most people have been young and searching for a path. I don't think I know a single person who hasn't at one point in their lives been stuck in a job they cared little for, someone who was fed up of the monotony of their lives and wished for excitement. Liz encapsulates that excitement for Billy, for she has managed to get out of their small town not just once, but multiple times. She explores the world at her own will and isn't tied down in any one place, she lives the life that Billy wants to lead. In the end Billy must make a choice between pursuing his dreams and leaving town to explore on his own, or stay at home and help his parents out, look after the family business and care for his elderly grandparents. It's a tough decision and whilst the circumstances will vary, the fundamental choice between responsibility and freedom will occur in most peoples lives. This being made on the brink of the 60s cultural revolution makes the whole film even more relevant and interesting.
As a film it holds up very well, the dialogue buzzes along with a great mixture of realism and slightly off the wall-ness (much like the wild flights of fancy we go through when we cut to Billy's daydreams), the plot is a mixture of social realism mixed with a more lighthearted spin (again, through Billy's daydreams and interactions with his friends) and is generally a well constructed piece of art. It is a film that is very British without complying to the regulations of what you would normally call a British film. Recently the government has issued advice that if the British film industry is to prosper then it needs to fund films that are going to make money. I imagine that this means following the template of what has made successful British films lately, whether it is The Kings Speech, The Queen, Pride and Prejudice, Atonement etc, it seems that the British government wants to play it safe and make films of a certain nature. However if that advice were to be followed I fear that films like Billy Liar would never be made. At the moment of writing, the British film industry is still producing vibrant and interesting films, films like Tyrannosaur (which I have yet to see but I heard was amazing), and Shame (which is most certainly amazing). Billy Liar feels like an early example of British film making talent, and hopefully the path it opened up won't be closed by an interfering government.
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