The 1963 British film Billy Liar memorably captured the beauty and charm of Julie Christie, then a youthful 22. But dazzling and delightful as Christie's portrayal of the spontaneous and carefree Liz was, this comic drama also put its main filming location on the screen for posterity.
While some scenes were shot in nearby Leeds and Manchester, as well as London, the movie's fictional setting of Stradhoughton was chiefly the real-life West Yorkshire industrial town (and city, since 1974) of Bradford. Some 46 years after Billy Liar was released in theaters, Billy's dreary northern England world is still there to be discovered.
House Call: Baildon, Near Bradford
Hinchliffe Avenue, in the Baildon area, just north of the city, was a main location for the film. The medium-sized, semi-detached 37 Hinchliffe Avenue was home to the Fisher family: the gruff patriarch, the longsuffering mother, the elderly grandmother and, at the center of the story, the undisciplined, over-imaginative and frustrated teenage son, Billy Fisher (Tom Courtenay).
It has changed very little in over four decades. A few cosmetic changes and a new driveway are noticeable, but for the most part it is the very same house in front of which Geoffrey Fisher's TV repair van pulls up in the opening scenes. Meeting Hinchliffe Avenue is Midland Road, which Billy can be seen walking down on his way to work - later marching back, army in tow (just one of Billy's many fantasies).
A Tomb with a View: Undercliffe Cemetery
Further in towards the city center, another location is Undercliffe Cemetery, where Billy attempts to woo girlfriend number one, the orange-eating, girlishly giddy and excessively prude Barbara (Helen Fraser). It too has changed surprisingly little, with only a few landscaping alterations evident. The most distinctive gravestones seen in the film are still easily recognizable.
Entering the city itself, from the northern side, the first recognizable location is Bradford Cathedral. In the film, Billy entertains himself on the walk to work by pretending to be blind, provoking odd stares from passers-by. Arms outstretched, he gropes his way from down Barkerend Road and Stott Hill, down Church Bank, and past the Cathedral. At the time of filming, scaffolding could be seen on the north end of the church. A trip there today reveals the completed extension.
Unfortunately, another nearby location no longer exists. In the early 21st century, Forster Square was completely flattened to make way for a retail complex. In the film, Billy and best friend Arthur (Rodney Bewes) stroll through the square and mimic their elders, lampooning their old-fashioned attitudes and once again inviting the curiosity of onlookers.
City Center Locations
The center of Bradford contains at least two locations. The first of these is Southgate, where a false front was erected on what is now a bed store, to become Billy's somewhat grim place of work, the undertakers' office Shadrack and Duxbury. The steps running outside the shop are intact to this day. The shops across the street, running along Southgate to meet with Sunbridge Road, also retain their look, especially the distinctive turret of windows on the facade of what is now the department store TJ Hughes.
Finally, there is the War Memorial on Little Horton Lane, next to the famous Alhambra Theatre. Behind it can be seen a statue of Queen Victoria. This was the location for one of the film's most thematically important scenes, in which Billy and Arthur commit the ultimate act of sacrilege by dancing on the war memorial - a notably comical moment that highlights the huge gulf that separates the values and experience of Billy's generation from those of his parents. Billy Liar was to the generation gap in the UK what The Graduate (1967) would be to the generation gap in the US.
Bonus: Bradford's National Media Museum
Having explored Billy Liar's Bradford, film aficionados who love to tread in the footsteps of their favorite actors should not miss out on visiting the National Media Museum (formerly known as the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television). It is right across the street from the War Memorial. It is easy to lose track of time exploring the history of cinema and TV within its walls, and it is an apt way to end a day spent exploring the world of an all-time classic film.
The Times They Are a-Changin'
Billy Liar was very much a film about changing times. Many of the scenes, especially those filmed in and around Leeds, showed large-scale construction work taking place, with the sight of scaffolding accompanied by the noise of bulldozers and pendulous crane-mounted demolition balls.
Director John Schlesinger told this story of change against a backdrop of great social, cultural and architectural change in the UK. Revisiting these locations after almost half a century reveals both changes and similarities. But more importantly, a tour of the locations provokes yet more admiration and affection for the iconic Billy Liar, a film that brilliantly captures the mood of both its time and its gritty urban setting.
