Eric Clapton, the dean of rock guitarists, deserves a thorough, insightful documentary about his influences, achievements, and the pivotal chapters in his artistic life. Unfortunately, director Lili Fini Zanuck’s Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars is not quite that film, although there is particular merit in its overview of the master’s early years. Viewers meet Clapton as a nondescript boy who signals nothing of greatness ahead, and they follow his emerging passion for blues guitar and relentless efforts to play the music of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Albert King, and many more. After a trial with one band, Clapton anchored the outstanding Yardbirds, a group in the forefront of the 1960s blues scene in London. But he was a restless soul too dedicated to the blues to cross over to the Yardbirds’ drift toward pop, and he bolted to join John Mayall’s rootsy ensemble. The film does a decent if impressionistic job of laying out what came next: the Olympian heights of power trio Cream, the mysterious beauty of Blind Faith’s music, and the epic brilliance of the Derek and the Dominos album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. But the film is equally interested in the more sensational, oft-told story about Clapton falling in love with friend George Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd (the subject of both Harrison’s Beatles hit "Something," and Clapton’s "Layla"). Indeed, that complicated affair had a big impact on Clapton’s creativity as well as his emotional sanity, but 12 Bars comes perilously close to simply wallowing in this love triangle story. Similarly, the accidental death of Clapton’s young son is treated here in more maudlin than illuminating fashion regarding Clapton’s subsequent well-being. And the film glides right past a long period in the mid-to-late ‘70s when Clapton was producing mellower material. On the plus side, there is much to enjoy in the tales of Clapton’s friendships with fellow guitar wizards Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman. Extras include a featurette with a conversation between Zanuck, Clapton, and musician Jools Holland. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars
(2018) 159 min. DVD: $14.98, Blu-ray: $21.98. Eagle Rock Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 5
Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars
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