Billy Liar 4K 1963 Ultra HD 2160p

Going nowhere fast, Billy Fisher, an incorrigible fantasizer, dreams incessantly of escaping his drab existence and humdrum routine work as an undertakers' clerk in Yorkshire. Seeking refuge from his working-class family and not one but two demanding fiancees in the imaginary country called Ambrosia, more and more, Billy finds himself cut off from reality, picturing himself as its ruler and hero. Then, as Billy's fabrications grow increasingly wilder and problems start piling up, lovely, happy-go-lucky Liz enters the young day-dreamer's life, offering a way out of this fine mess. However, new beginnings are always scary, and Billy must make up his mind: it's either a fresh start in London or an endless beautiful lie in Ambrosia.

User Review

Disillusioned young people have always existed—not just in Britain, and not just in the 1960s. That is precisely why *Billy the Liar*, born out of the New British Wave, remains relevant today.

Nineteen-year-old Billy lives in a small provincial town. He endures his parents’ lectures about cold breakfasts, coming home late, leaving the cabinet door open, his lack of talent, and his lack of career prospects. But in his imagination, he’s the prime minister of the imaginary country of Ambrosia! Is Billy lying? No, he’s dreaming: of becoming a screenwriter, moving away from his parents, and marrying the girl he loves. But his main goal is London, which he imagines as a place where dreams come true.

Billy’s antics and lies are a defensive reaction to the harshness and problems of the world around him. Liz (a small but memorable role by Julie Christie), the girl the protagonist desires most, chooses a different way to cope. She, too, is disillusioned with reality, but rather than fleeing into the depths of her fantasies, she skims the surface. “Sometimes I want to escape from this city, from these people. I don’t like it when everyone knows me! I’d like to become invisible so I wouldn’t have to explain anything to anyone.” For Liz, a trip to London is an easy task: all it takes is making up your mind, buying a train ticket, getting on the train, and a few hours later you’re already strolling along Piccadilly at night.

A very subtle and light early directorial work by John Schlesinger, blending a socially realistic plot with a picaresque novel. The protagonist’s bleak reality is depressing. The vivid colors of the picaresque novel fill him with vitality. It’s another matter entirely how Billy will use that energy.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (84.7 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Info Audio

#English: FLAC 1.0
#German: LPCM 2.0

Info Subtitles