Long live Eric - The new king of the silver screen

June 04, 2009

FOOTBALLING legend Eric Cantona swapped the red shirt of Manchester United for the red carpet as he returned to Manchester to see the UK premier of Looking For Eric – a film shot in and around south Manchester. And he told Susannah Wright that he could soon be back in the city wearing the shirt of the other United.

HE WON the hearts of a million (mainly Red) Mancunians during his five-year spell at Old Trafford – and now King Eric is back.

The man that many still call Le Dieu has long-since hung up his boots and shifted his focus to a different kind of performance, bringing the same kind of flair that once gripped the Theatre of Dreams to the silver screen.

Eric Cantona is the star of Looking For Eric, a new film shot at a number of locations in and around Chorlton; including South West Cricket Club on Ellesmere Road and a house on Keppel Road.

Cantona stars as an imaginary version of himself who becomes a guardian angel to a depressed postman called Eric Bishop, played by Steve Evets.

The film, produced by independent cinema legend Ken Loach, also starred a number of comedians who live in the suburb.

The film touches upon the story of FC United, the breakaway team founded by disillusioned Manchester United fans following the takeover by Malcolm Glazer in 2005.

FC United bosses were involved in the film from the beginning, discussing ideas with writer Paul Laverty and director Ken Loach. Many of the supporters also acted as extras in the film.

According to Loach, the film is about the joy of being a football supporter and the way that the commercialisation of the game has left many fans unable to afford Premier League tickets.

Cantona has been willing to show his support for FC, who are nicknamed the Red Rebels, and recently told a journalist: "They have a great idea. I hope they will become a great club and win the European Cup in 50 years." And when I cornered him on the red carpet at the UK premiere at Salford’s Vue cinema, he hinted he was willing to play a more active role in the club, even being prepared to play a match for the breakaway side.

Asked whether he would be prepared to play for the Unibond Premier League side, 43-year-old Cantona gave his famous Gallic shrug and said: "Yes, why not?"

It may be 12 years since Cantona brought the curtain down on his five year spell but it seems his love for Manchester – and especially its southern suburbs so dutifully served by your Reporter - remains undiminished.

He said: "It’s always nice to be back in Manchester. I love the people here. That never fades.

"I come sometimes to watch the games. The fans are great, there is a lot of humanity.

"And having the film’s premier here is very important, it is essential."

And while on the red carpet, Cantona revealed that he enjoyed his time filming in Chorlton, particularly at South West Manchester Cricket Club. He said: "It was great working at the cricket club, even when it was raining! People here have a lot of guts and a lot of heart. It is about teamwork. If you work hard as a team, you have confidence and you can enjoy it.

"That is all there in this movie. It’s unusual to capture that – they are nice people, nice, beautiful people, always a lot of solidarity, a lot of friendship.

"I was moved by their energy. I love this kind of thing because these days it’s unusual, solidarity, friendship. In the film, we can see that on the inside they are beautiful people."

The film was directed by an award-winning stalwart of British independent cinema, Ken Loach, whose credits include The Wind That Shakes The Barley, My Name Is Joe, Land And Freedom, Riff-Raff, and Kes.

The lead character, Eric Bishop, is a lonely dad struggling to cope with life and his two unruly teenage stepsons. He tries to make amends with Lily, the woman of his dreams that he once loved and walked out on many years ago.

And to help him deal with things, his postmen mates – played by a host of comedy actors including John Henshaw, Des Sharples, Justin Moorhouse – try to cheer him up and make him laugh.

But in desperate times, postman Eric smokes some cannabis and lets his mind wander for a bit of guidance from his hero, the footballing genius, Eric Cantona.

The notion of teamwork is integral to the film, with Eric Bishop’s mates all doing their bit to pull him out of the emotional mire he’s descended into.

The film gives Cantona the soon to be immortal line: "I am not a man, I am Cantona."

Director Ken Loach revealed why he chose the leafy south Manchester area to shoot some of the film. He said: "We picked Chorlton because it’s quite a mixed area.

"There are some lovely large houses and older properties and the cricket club was great. We ate there every day and it was really nice – how are they doing?"

Comedian Des Sharples – who comperes Mirth On Monday at Chorlton’s Iguana bar – was chosen to play the character of Jack after being invited for a chat with Ken Loach.

Des said: "I’m a Man City fan and I did say I’d never play a Man Utd fan, but everything outweighed that, with Eric and Ken Loach." Meanwhile, John Henshaw – best known for playing landlord Ken in sitcom Early Doors – plays Meatballs in the film. He said: "The humour is very northern, it has a warmth to it, and a lot of banter but it’s not humour at the expense of other people.

"It was nice filming in Chorlton, in fact my daughter used to live on Corkland Road. The people were very accommodating."

And comedian – and Manchester Evening News columnist – Justin Moorhouse who plays Spleen, joked: "Eric’s lovely – he’s gorgeous, and I’m a straight man!"

He added: "I watched a preview at Parrs Wood cinema and I had Alex Ferguson behind me with his popcorn, and I thought ‘Oh no, we’ve got the gaffer here’, but he loved it!"

But what of Eric’s prospects of getting a spot in the FC team next season?

Andy Walsh, general manager of FC United, was thrilled at the prospect. He said: "To have two people of such status as Eric Cantona and Ken Loach understand the issues of ordinary football fans and support the club, is to be cherished.

"Eric Cantona was one of the best footballers ever to put on a football shirt, let alone a Man United one. It’s tremendous that he knows what FC United is all about and what we’re trying to do.

"If he ever wanted to play for us, that would be great!"