Billy Liar (1963 John Schelsinger)

Well, Billy has not got a lot going for him, has he? He's managed to become engaged to two girls (Helen Fraser and Gwendolyn Watts), neither of which he loves, alienates his family (Mona Washborne and Wilfred Pickles) and friend (Rodney Bewes), has stolen from work (and may be prosecuted), and is a rubbish writer - he hasn't a clue what to write about, and accordingly hasn't written a word of his novel. The one enterprising thing he has done is send some scripts to a cheesy and insincere comedian, but clearly here he's just being brushed off. He's not even a decent fantasist - everyone thinks about murdering someone annoying, don't they? And as for his fantasy world, Ambrosia - well, what's that all about? (Yes, what is that all about? I would have been tempted to excise all that stuff from the screenplay as it doesn't really add anything. Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse were BAFTA nominated, as was the film.)

In fact the one thing he has done right - and this is as big a surprise to us as anything - is that he and his mate (Bewes) have managed to write a song together, which is played by the band at the dance hall... And that's perhaps the bright future Billy does have that he doesn't seem to realise (a really nice irony).

So, we're trying to shake off the Angry Young Man image - there's one or two scenes - one with Billy walking along the pavement at night and the camera that's been keeping up with him pulls away leaving him in the distance - the other where he scatters the stolen calendars into a quarry, to a tinkle from Richard Rodney Bennett - that seem reminiscent of Les Quatres Cent Coups.

So, a sad (but truthful) film, where he fails to go with the one person who understands him - Julie Christie.

These two were BAFTA-nominated

Well acted, especially by Tom Courtenay, nicely shot by Wilkie Cooper (another BAFTA nomination), filmed in Bradford. With the always welcome Leonard Rossiter, and Finlay Currie and George Innes (his film debut; we know him from The Italian Job, Upstairs, Downstairs and a million other credits).