One of my most vivid childhood memories related to music is my dad playing the first album by Cream. Having kept a casual interest in Eric Clapton, (and having read a number of music mags with pieces about him) I was intrigued to see the BBC show a recent feature film doc on him,which led to me playing with a slow-hand.
View on the doc:
Narrated by Clapton himself, director Lili Fini Zanuck plays an outstanding amount of archive material,from childhood photos of the Clapton's,grainy footage of infamous gigs,and joyful snaps from the present of Clapton enjoying life with his family. While Clapton takes centre stage in the doc, Zanuck stays far away from making this a fan tribute,by making this a warts and all title,with additional comments from family/former band members and Clapton's own self- criticism painting him at times in a self-centred, less than flattering light. Even with a 2 hour run time, the movie feels oddly lacking in depth, with the phases in Clapton's music career each being skimmed over, and people known to have played a big part in his life (like Pete Townsend) not getting one mention as Clapton plays the 12 bars of life.
View on the doc:
Narrated by Clapton himself, director Lili Fini Zanuck plays an outstanding amount of archive material,from childhood photos of the Clapton's,grainy footage of infamous gigs,and joyful snaps from the present of Clapton enjoying life with his family. While Clapton takes centre stage in the doc, Zanuck stays far away from making this a fan tribute,by making this a warts and all title,with additional comments from family/former band members and Clapton's own self- criticism painting him at times in a self-centred, less than flattering light. Even with a 2 hour run time, the movie feels oddly lacking in depth, with the phases in Clapton's music career each being skimmed over, and people known to have played a big part in his life (like Pete Townsend) not getting one mention as Clapton plays the 12 bars of life.