Apart from a terrible narration this is actually an enjoyable look at Eric Morecambe  public and private

Twenty years after his death, the Morecambe family decided to open up their home and the contents of their father's study to a camera crew. Using the tape recordings and notes found there, along with comments from friends, family and fans, the film paints an intimate picture of the famous entertainer Eric Morecambe.

This film opens with a rubbish narration that paints this film as a daring expose of Eric Morecambe which I must admit had me worried because it was not what I wanted and it sounded like it would be rather cheap. I was interested but not in a tacky way because for me and many million others, Morecambe and Wise were two of the best light entertainment performers I'll probably ever see. It was timely that I saw this in the run up to Christmas because they are one of the things I look forward to at this time of the year and it is where I hope future generations will continue to discover them.

Despite continuing with the slightly seedy narration, the film succeeds because of the power of the man himself  he is a legend and even without being there he holds the interest. The talking heads all do him justice, being a mix of the personal and the professional and almost all of them being interesting and edited well together. The film relies heavily on clips of course, which is a good thing because it gives it a more rounded feel of a "look back" rather than the expose the narration suggests. Morecambe comes out of the film really well (despite the sinister tone) but it is all a bit unfair on Ernie Wise  a classic straightman who is just dismissed by this film as a side-issue; understandable perhaps because he was not the focus of the film but unforgivable just in terms of the treatment of the man. The film does treat Eric well though, not really getting as far beneath the skin as the narration suggests but it does give more to the comedy sketches and it is still very interesting.

Overall then, this is better than the narration suggests it but not as deep as the "unseen" title suggests. However, despite Graham's terrible voice work, this is actually an interesting, enjoyable and engaging look back at a man who was half of the most fondly remembered double act in the past fifty years. There can't be many people who do not love this man and for that reason it is worth seeing.

The biography, or "biopic", is a genre that portrays the life story of a real person, often a notable individual or historical figure. They aim to provide a depiction of the subject's personal history, achievements, challenges, and impact on society.

Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

A documentary on the life of Eric Morecambe based on discoveries from his private study, which until now had not been entered since his death twenty years ago.

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

The Unseen Eric Morecambe

Photos

Top Cast23

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed