A long-lost Billy Connolly documentary has been unearthed and is hitting selected cinema screens across the UK and Ireland from Friday May 10.
Big Banana Feet captures Billy on and off stage during his 1975 tour of Ireland, when he was on the cusp of international stardom.
The British Film Institute, who restored the film, describes the movie as a ‘captivating record’ that’s ‘inspired by the fly-on-the-wall style of DA Pennebaker’s Bob Dylan documentary Dont Look Back.’
Directed by Murray Grigor and cinematographer David Peat, the film presents Connolly at his best – ‘using humour and charm to successfully navigate the political tensions of 1970s Dublin and Belfast.’
The rarely-seen documentary was reinstated using rare 16mm prints – one was recovered from a private collection while the other was held by the Pacific Film Archive Collection in the US.
A long-lost Billy Connolly documentary called Big Banana Feet has been unearthed and is hitting cinema screens across the UK and Ireland from Friday May 10
Big Banana Feet was named as an ode to the famously iconic boots the comedian would flaunt on stage (Pictured in 1997) the documentary captures Billy on and off stage during his 1975 tour of Ireland, when he was on the cusp of international stardom
Big Banana Feet was named as an ode to the famously iconic boots the comedian would flaunt on stage.
The documentary is one hour and 17 minutes long and is available in selected cinemas from Friday 10 May 2024 – scroll down for the full list of locations.
It will also be available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray 20 May 2024 for £16.99.
Nicknamed the Big Yin, [the big one] Connolly worked as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards before starting a career as a folk singer.
When he discovered that the audience enjoyed his banter between songs more than the songs themselves he swapped to comedy.
Throughout the 1970s, his anarchic and expletive-laden humour catapulted him to global fame.
He later starred in a string of films and presented a long list of TV shows.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease ten years ago, which means he no longer performs live, but in recent years he has successfully channelled his creativity into art.
Billy shared a health update with fans in February as he continues to battle the degenerative condition.
The documentary is one hour and 17 minutes long and is available in selected cinemas from Friday 10 May 2024
Shot over a weekend on a hand-held camera, filmmaker Murray Grigor took his cue from D A Pennebaker’s iconic Bob Dylan rockumentary, Don’t Look Back
Billy was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease ten years ago, which means he no longer performs live, but in recent years he has successfully channelled his creativity into art (Pictured in 2019)
In February, he shared a health update with fans as he continues to battle Parkinson’s disease (Pictured in 2022)
He told GB News: ‘Being unwell is strange. Everybody else is OK and you’ve got this thing that’s wrong… you’re out of step.’
In a new interview, conducted by his wife Pamela Stephenson, he has admitted his balance is getting worse – causing him to suffer what she described as ‘a couple of serious falls’.
He explained how the disease was creeping up on him, saying: ‘It’s very difficult to see the progression exactly, because a lot of things come and go.
‘Recently I’ve noticed a deterioration in my balance. That was never such a problem before, but in the last year that has come and it has stayed.
‘For some reason, I thought it would go away, because a lot of symptoms have come and gone away… just to defy the symptom spotters. The shaking has reappeared.’
With typical irreverence, Connolly compared the situation to a joke he used to tell on stage as part of his routine.
He said: ‘It’s funny, that fall I had when I landed on my jaw reminded me of a thing I used to do on stage. I used to say, ‘I fell out of bed, but luckily my face broke my fall’.
He said: ‘It’s funny, that fall I had when I landed on my jaw reminded me of a thing I used to do on stage. I used to say, ‘I fell out of bed, but luckily my face broke my fall’.