Big Banana Feet not to be missed
Fans of legendary Scottish comedian, the Big Yin, are in for a rare treat today at both the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre in Dumfries and Annan Lonsdale Cinema this weekend.
There are two screenings of Billy Connolly: Big Banana Feet (12A) at 6pm and 7.45pm at the RBCFT today and it is showing at the Annan Lonsdale at 8pm tonight, tomorrow at 5.45pm, Sunday at 6.25pm and Wednesday at 1.30pm.
When it was filmed in 1975 at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, it had a limited release in cinemas in the UK, followed by a small video release.
Then, the distributor went bust and the film disappeared.
Thanks to the tenacity of film archivist Douglas Weir, who works at the British Film Institute, the BFI has secured the film’s future and fans of the now 81-year-old Sir Billy Connelly are going to relish seeing him in the raw and edgy fly-on-the-wall documentary which follows him – on the cusp of fame – around a volatile landscape touring Ireland.
This loving restoration by the BFI was undertaken in collaboration with Murray Grigor, Douglas Weir, National Library of Scotland, University of California and R3Store Studios, using the only 16mm print known to exist.
And, of course, Billy has on his famous banana boots, which are now housed in The People’s Palace in Glasgow, and the tour culminated in his famous engagement at the ABC Cinema in Belfast.
The RBCFT is keen to encourage inspire a love of film in young people and “an enthusiasm for discovery in an exciting, safe and comfortable environment” so has set up its Tween Film Club.
The latest offering is tomorrow with Billy Wilder’s wonderful comedy classic, Some Like It Hot (12A). There are no ads or trailers with this film and it will start promptly at 2pm.
After witnessing a Mafia murder, slick saxophone player Joe (Tony Curtis) and his long-suffering buddy, Jerry (Jack Lemmon), improvise a quick plan to escape from Chicago with their lives. Disguising themselves as women, they join an all-female jazz band and hop a train bound for sunny Florida. While Joe pretends to be a millionaire to win the band’s sexy singer, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), Jerry finds himself pursued by a real millionaire (Joe E. Brown) as things heat up and the mobsters close in.
The RBCFT is screening the spring released Challengers (15) on Sunday at 4.14pm, Tuesday at 7.45pm and Thursday at 7.30pm. Zendaya stars as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court.
Married to a champion on a losing streak, Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick – his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win?
The Monday Night Film Club offering at 7pm is Disco Boy (15).
Aleksei, a young Belarusian, has his sights set on the nightclubs of Paris.