SPLITTING Laurel from Hardy and dissecting the personality of the British-born element of one of the best-loved cinematic comedy duos of all time is bound to raise a few eyebrows.

Bob Kingdom's incisive look at the life of Stan Laurel captured the essence of both the artist and the man who all his life "just wanted to make people laugh".

Perfecting the look of permanent surprise, the clown-like posture and the signature gesture of the ruffling of his own hair, Kingdom's portrayal of Stan Laurel was as a thoughtful, but rather sad little man. Slightly bitter at not being mentioned in Charlie Chaplain's autobiography despite rooming with him in New York, marginally envious of Chaplain's head for business and altogether "not very Hollywood", Laurel believed you have to "give it away to keep it".

His instinct for comedy meant constant calls from rising stars such as Peter Sellers, taken in his cosy chairs at home while his stage partner "Babe" was socialising at golf or the races.

In a life in which "opposites and contradictions" fuelled his interest, Laurel's own life was tangibly different from his stage persona.

Married eight times to four women, a bit of a devil in drink by his own admission, Laurel's journey of self discovery began with the death of his beloved mother.

The catalyst for his ambition and his self searching, Laurel's transformation from Stanley Jefferson in Bishop Auckland to Stan Laurel in Hollywood was a long journey of trial and error, failure and success.

For fans of Laurel and Hardy, this is a fascinating insight into the quiet intelligence of the rather lost man hidden behind the gormless smile who, regardless of his personality or private life, will forever be remembered as one half of one of the finest double acts of motion picture history.

Christina McIntyre