Βіllу Lίаr 1963

his early work of John Schlesinger (Sunday Bloody Sunday, Midnight Cowboy) is very much of the "kitchen sink" genre of B&W British film in the 1960s. I think of this as Tom Courtenay's breakout role, but I see The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner predates this one by a year. I notice also Julie Christie was cast as a love interest in Doctor Zhivago, as in this film. That said, this really is a one-character spotlight study, and a tour-de-force performance by one actor. Seems silly to say this about a grey-hued rainy-day kitchen-sink drama-- but the ending was a bit downbeat, leaving me caring a little too much for this silly character. I mean, he does have the choice of just "snapping out of it" after all, right?