Geliebter Spinner (1963)

Geliebter Spinner: Directed by John Schlesinger. With Tom Courtenay, Wilfred Pickles, Mona Washbourne, Ethel Griffies. A lazy, irresponsible young clerk (Sir Tom Courtenay) in provincial Northern England lives in his own fantasy world and makes emotionally immature decisions as he alienates friends and family.

“Billy Liar (1963)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBilled as a u0026quot;gayu0026quot; movie by TCM when they played this in 2017, and the basis for that is fair enough—director John Schlesinger was openly gay, and the feeling of this film is very much about being an outsider to a larger culture. Which in the early 1960s is what most gay men (and women) experienced.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHeads up—this is a very British film, and itu0026#39;s on the cusp of a new Britain, getting out from World War II burdens and about to see the Beatles take over the world. In short, Mod England is in full swing, and the surprising new actress Julie Christie is key here. Maybe Iu0026#39;m just a guy, but I think the charm and honest presence of Christie from the first glimpse in a lorry (truck for you Americans) is a spark of life that tips the movie over. Great stuff.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe star however is the title character, played by Tom Courtenay, whose real character name is Billy Fisher. Heu0026#39;s terrific, playing a cad of sorts, someone who lives by effect, a former soldier (in his head) who has settled uncomfortably into his beloved England. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe pace is crisp and the fast cuts are unusual for the time. There are oddities—early on he plays blackface in one scene (in his imagination), a woman in another (also daydreaming). Itu0026#39;s farce top to bottom, and raw comedy. I think the British laughed harder by far than us poor Americans, but itu0026#39;s a lark and a fancy through and through. The flavor of it reminds me of u0026quot;A Hard Days Nightu0026quot; and in fact they both come out of the so called British New Cinema.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film is imaginative in its structure, depending on the wandering thoughts of Billy to change the scene at will. Itu0026#39;s cheeky but clever, and keeps you looking. And chuckling. As a comedy it might not be uproarious, but it never lets up its absurdity. Itu0026#39;s called Billy Liar because Billy succeeds with his co-workers and family by making things up. Endlessly.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEventually you have to ask if the film can be read as an insight into being a gay man in these times. Certainly it can. It cheerfully points out how painful it is to be misunderstood and maligned for no good reason. It was easy to understand Billy as a a would-be success pushed down by his willing non-conformity. But it is also troubling to admit that this is something that is insinuated by TCM at the start—if you see the movie as a straight movie about an eccentric (not gay in particular) it has a different and less serious feel. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMaybe itu0026#39;s fair to let it be both, or let it float depending on the viewer. Because it remains fast, inventive, and funny throughout. Even the camera-work is fun, with lots of wide angle and with moving pans across landscapes that distort the world. Appropriately.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe final verdict: this is a film about the new England, the land of youth poking fun at the serious old school England of lore (and of WWII). It attacks this with necessary humor (not to offend absolutely everyone) and with visual pizazz. It wears slightly thin at times, and you do wonder what really matters about this aimless chap, but in all itu0026#39;s refreshing and revealing of the era. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd it has Julie Christie in her first film. As she says with revealing authority, u0026quot;I donu0026#39;t want to get engaged, I want to get married.u0026quot; Yeah.”