Big Banana Feet

[MichaelB]

Full specs announced:

BILLY CONNOLLY: BIG BANANA FEET
Newly restored

Released on BFI Blu-ray/DVD (Dual Format Edition) and digitally on 20 May 2024

See the trailer here

Billy Connolly is at the peak of his powers in this newly rediscovered and restored film. Capturing ‘The Big Yin’ on and off stage during his 1975 tour of Ireland, BIG BANANA FEET is a captivating record of Connolly on the cusp of international stardom. After its premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival in March, it will screen in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 10 May and beyond, and comes to BFI Blu-ray/DVD on 20 May. Special features include a newly filmed interview with Murray Grigor and Billy Johnson who was the road manager on the tour, and the rarely seen Clydescope featuring Billy Connolly.

Inspired by the fly-on-the-wall style of DA Pennebaker’s Bob Dylan documentary Dont Look Back, director Murray Grigor and cinematographer David Peat present Connolly at his beguiling best, using humour and charm to successfully navigate the political tensions of 1970s Dublin and Belfast.

Featuring iconic stand-up material alongside fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses, this previously elusive milestone of British comedy is now newly restored in 2K (from original 16mm materials), reaffirming the genius that has endeared Connolly to generations of fans.

Special features
• Newly restored by the BFI and presented on Blu-ray and DVD
• Murray Grigor and Billy Johnson in Conversation (2024, 18 mins): the director of Big Banana Feet and the road manager on Connolly’s tour of Ireland, Billy Johnson, are interviewed after the film’s premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival
• Clydescope (1974, 31 mins): a panorama of the Clyde, from Biggar to Brodick, with Billy Connolly as your guide
• BLAST (1975, 24 mins): made for the Arts Council of Great Britain, Murray Grigor’s award-winning short film explores Vorticism, a radical art movement of the early 20th century
• Restoration demo (2023, 2 min): a before and after look at the restoration of Big Banana Feet
• Rerelease trailer (2024)
• ***First pressing only*** Illustrated booklet featuring new writing by Claire Buchanan, David Archibald, Murray Grigor and Douglas Weir; a review of the film from 1977, notes on the special features and credits. Presented in a slipcase.

Product details
RRP: £19.99 / Cat. no. BFIB1398/ 12
UK / 1976 / colour / 77 minutes / English language with optional descriptive subtitles / original aspect ratio 1.33:1 // BD50: 1080p, 24fps, PCM 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/24-bit) / DVD9: PAL, 25fps, Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio (48kHz/16-bit)

[MichaelB]

It's probably worth adding that this is another labour-of-love project for the BFI's Doug Weir, who also masterminded the restoration of that other great 1970s Glasgow film milestone That Sinking Feeling - and he discusses the Big Banana Feet project here, which was inspired by an unexpected find on eBay.

To quote Doug directly:

I've always had an eye out for Big Banana Feet. It's not uncommon for films to be lost or scattered after a distributor or a lab goes bust. They can turn up at car boot sales or in people's attics or on eBay. I got an alert one evening to say there was a 16mm film for sale. They'd spelled Billy Connolly incorrectly and they'd misspelled banana so no one bid on it, and I got it for £50.