Billy Liar

One of the seminal films of the British New Wave, John Schlessinger's bittersweet 1963 comedy stars Tom Courtney (in one of his signature roles) as William Fisher, a working class Walter Mitty who lives with his disapproving parents, has a dead-end job at a funeral parlor, strings along two fiancées, and makes up fantastic stories (he tells his parents he has been offered a job in London as a screenwriter). In his daydreams, however, life is much more exciting: William is the adored ruler of a country called Ambrosia. The beautiful Julie Christie co-stars as Liz, a free spirit "who goes wherever she wants" (the sequence in which she strolls carefree down a busy street is an iconic '60s moment). Eventually, poor William is forced to choose between the woman of his dreams or the relative safety of his fantasy life. Another impeccable Criterion disc, boasting a pristine, widescreen transfer, Billy Liar's supplemental features include interview commentary by Schlessinger, Courtney, and Christie, as well as excerpts from a BBC documentary series about British cinema in the '60s. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)