Egomania (UK TV Documentary)
Encyclopedia
"Egomania" was an episode of a 3-part documentary
series on Channel 4
made by Firecracker Films about people who are diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder
(NPD).
The other two parts of the series, called Mania, were called Erotomania
and Pyromania
.
The film was directed by Mark Soldinger and narrated by actor Bernard Hill
.
The film was not well received by some critics.
Sam Wollaston from The Guardian
referred to it as "an excuse to show some really nasty people and their behaviour on the television" and asked of the Brian Blackwell
murder reenactment, "Is that really necessary?". Though he does feel the documentary improves towards the end: "When a contributor who has featured throughout, Sam Vaknin
, reveals that he is a sufferer. And then we get to see him in action, the out-takes of the making of the film, in which he's trying to run the show, demanding retakes, trying to write the script, direct it, do everything, because he believes he can do it better. He's a rare thing - a self-aware egomaniac, and it's absolutely fascinating to watch".
In his review, Paul Whitelaw felt that it "typified the shallow, brassy, stylised approach which taints so many factual-based programmes" and went on to suggest that the reconstructions of the murder: "must have been upsetting for the family concerned. Still, I'm sure it satisfied the ego of the director".
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
made by Firecracker Films about people who are diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity...
(NPD).
The other two parts of the series, called Mania, were called Erotomania
Erotomania
Erotomania is a type of delusion in which the affected person believes that another person, usually a stranger or famous person, is in love with him or her. The illness often occurs during psychosis, especially in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar mania...
and Pyromania
Pyromania
Pyromania in more extreme circumstances can be an impulse control disorder to deliberately start fires to relieve tension or for gratification or relief. The term pyromania comes from the Greek word πῦρ . Pyromania and pyromaniacs are distinct from arson, the pursuit of personal, monetary or...
.
The film was directed by Mark Soldinger and narrated by actor Bernard Hill
Bernard Hill
Bernard Hill is a British actor of film, stage and television. In a career spanning thirty years, he is best known for playing Yosser Hughes, the troubled 'hard man' whose life is falling apart in Alan Bleasdale's groundbreaking 1980s TV drama, Boys from the Blackstuff...
.
The film was not well received by some critics.
Sam Wollaston from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
referred to it as "an excuse to show some really nasty people and their behaviour on the television" and asked of the Brian Blackwell
Brian Blackwell
Brian Blackwell is an English murderer. He killed his parents - 72-year-old Brian and 61-year-old Jacqueline - at their home in Melling, a village in the northern suburbs of Liverpool, England, on July 25, 2004...
murder reenactment, "Is that really necessary?". Though he does feel the documentary improves towards the end: "When a contributor who has featured throughout, Sam Vaknin
Sam Vaknin
Shmuel Ben David "Sam" Vaknin is an Israeli writer. He is the author and publisher of Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited , editor-in-chief of the website Global Politician, and runs a website about narcissistic personality disorder .Race, Tim. , The New York Times, July 29, 2002, p...
, reveals that he is a sufferer. And then we get to see him in action, the out-takes of the making of the film, in which he's trying to run the show, demanding retakes, trying to write the script, direct it, do everything, because he believes he can do it better. He's a rare thing - a self-aware egomaniac, and it's absolutely fascinating to watch".
In his review, Paul Whitelaw felt that it "typified the shallow, brassy, stylised approach which taints so many factual-based programmes" and went on to suggest that the reconstructions of the murder: "must have been upsetting for the family concerned. Still, I'm sure it satisfied the ego of the director".