Billy Connolly: Big Banana Feet

1977

Comedy / Documentary / Music

6
IMDb Rating 7.0/10 10 160 160

stand-up comedy

Plot summary

Billy Connolly was, in the 1970s, a sort of Scottish Lenny Bruce, who, with devastating humour, sliced through the hypocrisies he perceived. This 1976 documentary follows the singer-comic during his 1975 Irish tour. Made in a cinema verité fashion, the performer appears to be completely unaware of the presence of the camera in his off-stage and backstage moments.

Director

Murray Grigor Photo
Murray Grigor

Top cast

Billy Connolly Photo
Billy Connolly as Self
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
712.95 MB
1280*974
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 17 min
Seeds 1
1.29 GB
1420*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 17 min
Seeds 7

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 7 / 10

Billy Connolly: Big Banana Feet

If you've grown up in Glasgow, you'll know that Sectarianism in this city is still pretty rife - even now, but not so much as in the mid 1970s. It's not surprising, therefore, that after a successful slot on the popular BBC "Parkinson" chat show, Connolly - possibly the world's only professional Glaswegian - sets off on a three gig tour of the Emerald Isle. With the "troubles" only gaining in momentum, he goes on stage trying to bring his unique form of quirkily written folk music, earthy observational humour and jokes about his willie to audiences that react with varying degrees of... let's say "friendship". Trained as a welder on the Clyde, Connolly is no slouch when it comes to defending himself from the cowardly hecklers sniping from the darkness, and his friendly wit appears to go down well with most of his audiences, if less effectively with the rather staid collection of journalists who turn up for pre-show interviews with little knowledge or interest in the man or his story. This isn't Billy Connolly at his best, but it's certainly him at his most natural as he thinks on his feet delivering pithy tales from his childhood and career so far that works simplistically well set against a backdrop of industrial decline and rising fervour.
Reviewed by torrascotia 7 / 10

Its Now Widely Available

Big Banana Feet was one of those myths in Scotland, a rumoured Billy Connelly film which was floating about on VHS and discussed in hush tones in pubs throughout Scotland. Although talked about nobody ever seemed to have a copy or could convince you they had seen it.Fast forward to 2024 and a copy was purchased on Ebay on a defunct format and has been restored, not to its former glory but better, thanks to the wonders of technology. Which is essential due to the size of todays TV screens.BBF is a snapshot of a young Billy Connelly, still on his first marriage and his first comedy show format, which was as much musical comedy, if not more so, than spoken word. Which may come as a surprise to people who were later to the Billy Connelly phenomena. As his biggest impact came later on with his An Audience With for ITV in the 1980's.A word of warning however, this is not a 100% stand up show. Music aside its more of a travel doc or backstage behind the scenes kind of thing. Its not wall to wall performance. Although its clear that a certain level of performance is on show for how Billy skilfully interacts with his fans and necessary bodies of the showbiz fraternity. Some of these scenes are as funny as the stage show. What is unusual about this documentary is that it is filmed in Ireland at the height of the troubles, when entertainers were being targeted and killed. Billy turns up anyway. This will be of interest to any Billy Connelly fan, however for those who were around in the 70's it will likely hold a special place. If you are one of those people, then rejoice as its available now!
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