aixcentric

…telling the story of his incredible life, from devastatingly sad family circumstances in England to his discovery of music which was to be his lifeline.  Black R&B musicians like BB King, Chuck Berry and Howling Wolf were the first to inspire him, and interestingly, their popularity among young British bands helped them gain worldwide acceptance and success.

The documentary weaves film of Clapton’s performances with the Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, even the Beatles, with clips from the grandmother who raised him, Jimi Hendrix, BB King, George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, Steve Winwood.  Fascinating stuff, but so too was his private life as he succumbed to drug and alcohol abuse for years, unable to play music or communicate with anyone around him.  The death of his little boy Conor in a truly tragic accident was a turning point for him.

He fought his way to stability and found happiness with his current family.

The film is on at the Mazarin, and it was pretty busy when I saw it yesterday.  Today and Tuesday at 20:50, Monday at 15:40.  Not marked ‘derniere semaine’ on the programme, so should be on next week too.