Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars review – Technically, it’s nothing special

This latest documentary fails to uncover a fresh perspective on the guitar hero
Guitar hero: This Eric Clapton documentary leaves plenty still to be told
Charlotte O'Sullivan16 January 2018

Eric Clapton has the world’s most unassuming chin. If and when he becomes the subject of a biopic, actor Paul Dano (similarly timorous in that department) would make a perfect lead. Lili Fini Zanuck’s documentary gives us plenty of time to ponder Clapton’s physique but if you’re hoping to get inside the rock legend’s head, look elsewhere.

It’s not news that Clapton was brought up by his grandmother, had a mean mum and used the blues to quench his pain. Heard, rather than seen, various interviewees (including Clapton) talk us through the bleak details, but what you want is a fresh perspective. Did his mother, or his half-siblings, get in touch with him once he became a superstar? How did he behave towards them once he had money and fame on his side?

Similarly, a section on Clapton’s turbulent relationship with Patti Boyd, the Guinevere to his Lancelot, manages to feel both endless and incomplete. We all know the story behind Layla but how does he feel about her now? How does she feel about him?

The death of B B King bookends the film and footage shows Muddy Waters, as well as a young Clapton, talking eloquently and incisively about prejudice and appropriation. Bizarrely, Clapton isn’t asked any hard questions about his later, more controversial, attitudes to race. A notorious rant during the Seventies is put down to booze, while no mention is made of the 2007 interview in which a (sober) Clapton once again gave a thumbs-up to Enoch Powell. Zanuck, keen to paint the musician as a progressive, simply can’t do this complicated story justice.

Technically, it’s nothing special. Zanuck films old photos like a supply teacher trying to get to grips with a dodgy slide projector. Thank goodness for the juicy clips.

Clapton enjoys an impromptu session with the lightning-voiced Aretha Franklin. Discussing Jimi Hendrix, he says, “The only thing I can give my darling Jimi is time.”

He’s a fascinating guy. Can someone please make that biopic?

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