film

Verdi's Estrella-sponsored Friday night treats just keep coming. This time it's the turn of Julien Temple's Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan, a spellbinding, hilarious and powerfully emotional documentary about the life and times of one of the great poets and characters of our times. A director as confident as Temple - whose first film was the 1979 Sex Pistols mockumentary The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle and who has made countless excellent punk/rock films since - was clearly needed to make this tricky brief work. The film was made in 2020, by which time McGowan was, to say the least, not in the best physical shape. 

Bridging this gap with aplomb, Temple includes conversations between McGowan and famous friends - Johnny Depp, who produced the film, Bobby Gillespie, Gerry Adams - interviews with his sister and father, animations by Ralph Steadman, and copious archive gig footage that brings home what a force of nature McGowan and the Pogues were at their peak.