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I didn't learn anything new from this documentary. It also seemed longer than it actually was, which is not a good thing.

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends aren't even mentioned. This is criminal since Eric is supposedly telling his own story. The legendary Derek & the Dominos were all members of that band and that's how they met. Delaney Bramlett produced Clapton's first solo album which begat the Dominos and the All Things Must Pass sessions.

Delaney & Bonnie opened for Blind Faith on their summer 1969 US Tour. Clapton liked what he saw. He was disgusted with the direction of both Cream and Blind Faith. He hopped on the more rootsy Delaney & Bonnie & Friends bandwagon for tours of Europe and the US in 1969-1970. Delaney & Bonnie were the frickin' catalyst to his new direction. Clapton and the film makers didn't even take the time to mention them once. That is an insult.

I don't recall J.J. Cale mentioned in the documentary either. Weird since Clapton copped Cale's whole vibe in the 1970's.

An unflinching near self-portrait of the artist Eric Clapton as a young and indeed mature alcoholic, who took years to come to terms with his addictions to both heroin and alcohol, in the end spurred onto beat them by a tragic domestic accident and at last finding love, happiness and a new family in his later years.

Clapton has provided director Lili Fini Zanuck with a good deal of sometimes unflattering private video footage, none more so than we see him snorting cocaine on-camera in the 70s as well as film of his obviously unhappy childhood and saddest of all, intimate father-son scenes of him with his young boy Conor who tragically fell to his death accidentally in New York aged only four. In addition, much screen-time is given over to his awkward, to say the least, courtship of best friend George Harrison's then wife Pattie Boyd, which extended, painful process inspired arguably his greatest work, the searing "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" double album, although even after he won her, sadly the relationship didn't survive, mainly due to his alcoholism.

There's much fine music here in clips featuring his days with the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Derek and the Dominos and his long solo career plus rare video and audio footage no doubt from Clapton's own personal collection, including a taped conversation between him and friendly guitar rival Jimi Hendrix and commentary, some of it naturally archival, from key collaborators down the years such as Duane Allman, Steve Winwood and Bobby Whitlock amongst many others, although the highest credit is given to the late, great B.B. King film of whom both introduces and closes the film.

Clapton comes across as an often shy, troubled and difficult man as he would no doubt be the first to admit but he's also candid, modest and above all honest about himself. There's none of the usual for this type of film, adulatory talking-heads over-the-top praise for either his music or musicianship which I certainly appreciated.

The film depicts his troubled childhood emanating from his early abandonment by his young-at-the-time mother as the main reason for his future insecurity and eventual self-hating. Later, it too quickly skips over the years from the mid 70's to the 90's (ironically, a time of great commercial success for him) in a matter of seconds, omitting in the process references to the career-boosting importance of events like his 1973 comeback concert at the Rainbow organised by Pete Townshend as well as his time with Delaney and Bonnie's band, or even his 80s hook-up with Phil Collins, although perhaps in so doing the director was demonstrating just how much of an empty void this time represented in his life as he struggled with the bottle.

It takes a long, long time for him to come out the other end of his own dark tunnel, but come out he did, as demonstrated both inside his career by the multiple Grammy success of his "Unplugged" album, and outside it, with the refuge for addicts he funded in Antigua from the sale of his vast guitar collection and lastly with the cosy domestic images of the at-last happy family man at play with his wife and young daughters.

Yes, this filmed life of one as long and full as Clapton's makes omissions, with no mention of his work with say J.J. Cale or his belated return collaborations with his Cream band-mates (of whom he's now the last survivor), or Winwood. Nevertheless, with much fine music, although it was surprising not to hear on the soundtrack such key songs from his career as "Sunshine Of Your Love", "Let It Rain" or "I Shot The Sheriff", fascinating private film and soberingly honest commentary from the man himself, this was a revealing and compelling insight into a great musician's often uphill struggle throughout most of his life with his own lack of self-confidence and inadequacy even after achieving great fame and success.

Told with refreshing and revealing candour, this is one of the better rock-docs you'll see.

I don't know how it got such a low rated score here (I assume it was trolls). But 'Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars' was spectacular, it delved into the personal life of Clapton: his struggles through drug and alcohol abuse, his girlfriends, his family life and career. It was very revealing. It showed another side of him, a more vulnerable and real side. It shows his early music influences in Blues and also includes other musicians that Eric was associated with in that era. Many people close to him are featured in the documentary. It was very well done. Brilliant.

There are many ways one can look at this documentary. I'll give credit for it being an excellent overview of one of the most gifted musicians of our generation. Eric Clapton is a music legend, and in all fairness, he doesn't try to hide his shortcomings as a human being. But therein lies the problem. Some things are better left unsaid.

There are things I found surprising here, for example- no mention of his work with Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett. They greatly influenced his musical direction, connected him to Duane Allman, Leon Russell, and an impressive supporting cast of musicians- who encouraged him to write and sing more- while providing an escape from a psychological and professional rut he desperately needed to escape from.

The problem I have with this documentary is that it tries to make us feel sympathy for Clapton, and I have to question why.

Clapton was brought up by his Grandparents in a very loving home. He barely knew his mother, and only saw her twice as a child, Somehow, this documentary is presented in a way that it uses it as an excuse for all the poor choices and irresponsible behavior Clapton made in his life. Truth is, he has never taken full responsibility for his actions except by way of past reflection.

This documentary was filled with too many- "I really should have apologized" or "I really wished I hadn't done that" -- for my liking. It showed us how fame, fortune, and self-centered behavior can bring out the monster in some people and yet still leave them looking for sympathy. Being called "God" may have been the worst thing that ever happened to him.

Clapton left his original band- the Yardbirds- without notice. He later abandoned the band "Blind Faith" much like the Yardbirds- without notice, even to Steve Winwood. He influenced Delaney and Bonnie's band members to leave them for more money to form the "Dominos", and eventually tried to convince a married women to run away with him - wife of his best friend (George Harrison) only to abuse her later (resulting from his battles with Alcohol). His 5-year-old son died- having fallen out of a window - evidently unsupervised by his girlfriend who was unstable at the time.

Although he has had periods later in life of showing good will towards others with benefit concerts (something almost every artist does during their careers), even his diehard fans were not spared. I was at that concert in Pittsburgh in 1986, and the movie depicts just a glimpse of what happened. It was ugly. Racist rants. Drunken behavior- Destroyed relationships seems to be a habit with him and In some cases, one has to wonder if there was ever a relationship at all. Patty Boyd recently wrote in her book that there was an ugly incident which led to her leaving Clapton leading to their divorce. She had enough

Clapton also received undeserved credit in this documentary. They pointed out that he "opened the door" for Blues musicians, making it easier for them to get exposure to the general public- but was this a wonderful gesture on his part- or simply the byproduct of playing their music? Big difference. One can actually say without THEIR inspiration- he never would have picked up a guitar in the first place.

What really bothered me though was his failure to give credit to those who loved him and even saved him from further self-destruction. Pete Townsend dragged him out of bed during his drug addiction and got him back onstage, saving both his life and his career. Procol Harum's Gary Brooker did the same by helping him kick his alcoholism by sharing his passion for fishing. Patty Boyd? Many people helped him thru his down times but were NEVER mentioned or given credit for any of their support along the way. For a documentary of such length, there was surely enough time- and again, going public with all this baggage just to boast he was a survivor- his words in the interview

And why the rush at the end- it goes from his son's tragedy to being happily married to another woman now with 3 kids and a 17-year-old daughter? A huge period of time that i guess just flew by.

Believe it or not, I was a big fan of Clapton, but he never was a God in my eyes- just an ordinary man with one extraordinary talent. There's a big difference between living the blues and playing it. Clapton's Blues were the results of his own selfish actions- unlike the Blues masters, who were TRULY dealt a bad hand in life and had to express their hardships thru their music. Many today still live in poverty- not multimillion dollar mansions.

A look at his early life, the sins of his Mother, and the pain it caused leading to his obsession with the blues and subsequent drug and alcohol addictions.

Very beautifully and interestingly done.

The filmmakers were obviously granted access to so much of his life in his effort to provide a testimony to his substance abuse and recovery in an effort to help others suffering the same problems.

In the words of the former England football team manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson. 'First half good, second half, not so good.'

I liked the insight to Clapton's early life. Finding out that his mother was actually his grandmother and the woman who he thought was his sister was his mother who had abandoned him and gone to Canada.

The young Clapton was good at art, loved blues music and had an inferiority complex at school. There is film footage of his family and various still of Clapton's artwork.

When Clapton decides to enter the music industry, he has skill as a guitarist, horned after listening to all those blues records and copying their style. Clapton though was not a good bandmate, leaving The Yardbirds at short notice because they were heading in a commercial direction.

The second half was more problematic. It zig zags the chronology, going back to the issues of mistrust with his real mother and grandparents.

The film is hazy as to when Clapton became clean or did he just relapse too often? I recollect that Clapton said he had cleaned up in the mid to late 1980s from drugs and booze. Here it seems he was was still on the booze in the early 1990s and certainly admits to recording albums where he remembers being drunk as we see the later 80s albums in this montage. Did he lie back then? If he lied then, he might be lying now.

Clapton deals with his notorious racist outburst in 1976 in a concert in Birmingham. Up to this point of the documentary, Clapton cited his influences of the blues and friendship with black US musicians. He was a supporter of the civil rights movement. Clapton also admired music and literature from the east. He was a fan of the musician Bismillah Khan. A Persian poem inspired the song Layla. Ahmet Ertegun, the Turkish born head of Atlantic Records was a big champion of Clapton.

Yet under the influence of booze and drugs, this racial outburst shocked his fans. In retrospect Clapton is rightly embarrassed with his outburst. He states that he comes across as a semi-racist. Only semi? I think it was a full on racist rant.

Maybe the booze lowered his inhibitions and made him say things that were swirling around his mind at the time. Birmingham in the mid 1970s would look very different to an English lad born in Ripley in Surrey. Racism is complex, Clapton admits to having black girlfriends but he knows that he will never be able to live down his words.

I was also horrified with his casual attitude to sex in an era of Aids. He had flings with several women and they became pregnant, Clapton does not seem to believe in using a condom. His interest in engaging with married women did not stop with Pattie Boyd.

I found the latter half of the documentary to be self serving. Yet at times it does have flashes of brilliance as well. It helps that Clapton was cooperative with this film, he allowed access to his private documents.

Looking at the reviews, it is clear that the documentary has skimped other people who should have had a part in this story such as Pete Townshend who helped Clapton become clean.

Excellent. Incredible insight into Eric as a man. And as a musician. Intertwining the man and his music. His passion playing through his guitar. It's that passion that drives the emotional response so many people have to his guitar and his music. Welll beyond just virtuosity. That's why he's Eric Clapton. That's why you need to see this. Whether you're a fan or not, an extremely well done, sensitive, interesting documentary on Eric. Thank you for making this movie.

This starts out well, as Zanuck uses childhood footage with concert clips of Clapton. Some of the interviews are good, but I got tired of the endless Patti Boyd material. Clapton pined for George Harrison's wife and wrote "Layla" for her. Years later they hooked up, and it was the classic be careful what you wish for line. He continued to drink and use heroin even after he finally got his girl. I wish more music was included and Boyd should have ended up a footnote in music history. She was nothing but a glorified groupie. Zanuck's editing leaves a lot to be desired. At the end, we get to see Eric, as an older man with his young children. Watch Creams farewell concert instead.

It's a very remarkable movie if you don't know Clapton well, or are even a big fan of his. Great documentary on his early work and how he somehow became the king of the guitar while growing up in the UK. It focuses on his early career mostly as that's where the story gets really interesting. Though uneven and moody at times, this gives the viewer the story on how Clapton became so respected that people would graffiti buildings with "Clapton is God".

So sad that trolls now control the ratings for such a good documentary like this. It seems they are out to get this movie by pretending to be female voters. But as has been noted on the internet many times, any movie praising black or feminine culture will be attacked on this site sadly. Hopefully this will not stop people from going to see this well done documentary as it deserves the praise it's been getting.

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.

I cried like a baby at Eric's true life story. I really didn't appreciate his body of work until the latter part of my life. For those of us that know only his music, it mostly delves into his personal life from childhood until the release date. It's an honest portrait of a man that not only played the blues, but lived it.

Why are we hearing from Jimmy's baby mama when she was only with Eric for the very early days? Surely to not have mentioned Jimmy Page as his bass playing replacement in the Yardbirds but have the same girlfriend give a long interview was by design, its fine but set the tempo of making Eric the LEGEND who stands alone & its HIS movie so thats cool but the racism stuff & drug use is all forgivable if he had real humility( helping people get sober is so awesome of me...eek) but hes one of many artists who were inspired by real Blues & went on to become their own originators of unique sound. Clapton was a blues purist in the 60s & i agree but that doesnt make him the MOST important or influential. Hes has a some legendary songs & I love his playing & loved the idea that the guitarists had a nice rivalry but I always heard Townshend praise Eric as a friend and a hero & even Pete praise Jimmy. LOTS of omissions... LOL But we gotta learn theres NO real rock & roll fraternity where the men of Axes all hang out and golf or even jam. They all seem so competitive. The fans who love these artists enough to get ripped off by scalpers deserve MORE gratitude for TOLERANCE! Perhaps he doesnt want other guitarists of their own generation to seem on his level. Theres room for so many artists. In fact more than ever now. This was great for hero worship but is as good a linear life bio as any other artist. Even if i find myself not loving him too much. He has my respect for the music...which is the legacy that lasts beyong all the decades past. Layla will be around long after Eric leaves us. Very long.....like the run time. Winning Grammys for a song about your kid dying is also sad. Glad hes hard so many do overs! He does seem happy and thats good. BB the KING sure gave him props!! So there! Oxox

Some of this documentary was good; the Blind Faith, Cream, and the Derek and the Dominos areas were quite good. However, Can someone please tell me how George Harrison was his only 'best' musician friend during the late '60's and early '70's? It is a glaring omission that Pete Townshend was not interviewed, or even shown in this film.Eric's comeback occurred at the Rainbow Concert, in January of 1973, after two years of inactivity, and was organized by, yes, you guessed it, Pete Townshend. Oh, and also, Pete was with Eric the first time that he saw Jimi Hendrix perform on stage. It's completely ridiculous that the producers of this film left Pete out of it, especially since he's alive, and could have easily have been interviewed.

Don't mind the low rating so far, this is an excellent documentary on one of the greatest living musicians ever! With insight and empathy, it shows Clapton's life and the factors that made him who he is, with all pros and cons. Very informative, revealing and very moving also. Worth watching, definitely!

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (2017)

**** (out of 4)

This documentary, clocking in over two hours, features Eric Clapton discussing his life and career as we get clips from various concerts and television specials. Throughout the running time we learn about how his career took shape, his friendship with George Harrison and the love affair that shaped some of his greatest songs.

If you're a fan of Clapton then I'm sure you're going to already know a lot of the stories told here but the documentary is extremely well-made and there's no question that you can get some added joy out of hearing Clapton discuss these events. This includes the various high points of his life but also the low ones including the death of Jimi Hendrix as well as his son, which also led to one of his most loved songs.

There's no doubt that getting the interview footage with Clapton was a major plus but the greatest aspect of this documentary is that it has a lot of really great video footage. This includes a lot of early concert footage from Clapton's time with Cream as well as some earlier projects that Clapton worked on. There's no doubt that the brilliance of Clapton as a guitarist gets to shine here and if you're not a fan then you will be after watching this.

ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS takes a look at a brilliant but troubled man and I thought it was extremely fair handled and entertaining.

When you receive adulation from millions of people, it is difficult to believe that the petty personal details of your life are unimportant. But this film, much of it made up of still photographs and recorded interviews, is devoted to the unimportant. Still, Clapton's early and varied artistic interests and interdependence with other artists are adequately covered. But its length is a problem. We don't always know who is speaking or in what year something significant happened. The revisit to the 1960s is a vivid reminder of those days and we're pleased that Clapton made it through all his addictions, his art intact.

For blues lovers and for novices too. 50+ years of a life and evolution in music. Precious!

I think its one of the best documentaries but coming from me, that doesnt really mean anything.

There are a lot of reviews here and elsewhere that focus on EC's apparent lack of remorse. I agree, he could probably do more to atone for his terrible behavior, but I am willing to give him a bit of a bye, as he seems to be working hard to raise a family and be a loving husband and father in the waning years of his life. Unless you know first-hand what being abandoned by your mother can do to a man, don't be so quick to judge. It can be an awful path to walk, and (as I know) can lead to selfish and excessive behavior.

That said, I think this documentary does a very good job presenting Eric's life and *some* of the events and people that were and are part of his orbit. I am a true fan, and have been so since the days of Cream. I rediscovered Eric in the mid nineties when my wife bought me an acoustic guitar for Christmas. Through Eric is DID learn about the blues, and today I love the 12-bar genre more than any other music style. He led me to it, and for that I am thankful.

One thing I did discover in this documentary was the session with Aretha Franklin. I was unaware of it, and I'd never heard "Good To Me As I Am To You" before this show. It's a great tune, and when a fan finds a "deep track" when Eric is concerned, it is a find.

Lastly, I think the documentary did well to shine a light onto George Harrison's personality (to a small degree). I left my viewing with a lot of sympathy for Pattie Boyd. She seems to have been a woman doomed to be drawn to damaged men.

In my life, I don't think I've ever met a compelling artist that didn't have a number of flaws as a human being. Eric is no exception, and he deserves much credit for the art that he has created for us, and generations to come.

I know I'm supposed to excuse all of Clapton's poor behavior over the years due to his drug and alcohol abuse. But the overall impression one gets from this documentary is that he's a selfish jerk, leaving a wake of destroyed relationships and obligations where ever he went. I've loved his music years, but after seeing this it will be a bit harder to enjoy it quite as much.

No clue how this gets such a low rating. Great job documenting the life of legend Clapton. Learned this if his childhood that I was not aware of. Loved it!

This is a biopic of the legendary guitarist singer Eric Clapton. Is he truly God or just a troubled introvert guitar genius? He grew up believing his mother was his older sister. He didn't know his Canadian soldier father who went home after the war. He grew up obsessively playing his guitar to blues music. He played along with many of the big names and well known by his peers eventually gaining popularity as part of Cream. He becomes obsessed with George Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd. In the aftermath comes Layla. With heroin and alcohol addiction, his career rolls along and his messy personal life continues. He would marry Pattie, abuse her, and consistently cheated on her. He has a son with Lory Del Santo whose tragic death in 1991 leads to his iconic song.

I don't really know much about his personal history other than Tears in Heaven before this documentary. I knew he's a respected guitar genius with past drug issues like everybody else in rock. What comes through is his shyness, his obsessive nature, and his demons. Certainly, this movie has his approval and cooperation. Nevertheless, it is unflinching in telling his story. It's his story, warts and all. Is there a good biopic of his life? I had no illusions about the man before watching this. I expected a troubled life but this is even more destructive. I've always thought Tears in Heaven is a beautiful song but seeing the boy's face really elevates the sadness. Casual fans may not like it but it's the ugly truth. There is salvation and redemption, no matter the regrets.