George Harrison Scorcese Film

[donald]

Has this been discussed here?   Watched it at least twice so far.   A real treat for GH and Beatles fans.  Over 3 hours of great footage and interview, much unseen before.  On HBO in the US.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I saw it. From an artistic point of view, I think it's a really well done documentary - not quite at the level of No Direction Home but still very, very good. I think, perhaps, what makes Material World inferior is that it tries to capture George's whole life while Scorsese's film on Dylan essentially stops in 1966. Consequently, we brush by some significant things. But again, that's fine if you are solely interested in narrative. The film is ultimately about George's spiritual journey so the fact that his comeback with Cloud Nine is entirely omitted makes sense from that point of view.

As a Beatles obsessee though, I unfairly can't get over some things. It really bothers me when the chronology isn't right with The Beatles and, here, it isn't. It even makes me crazy in The Beatles Anthology. I still wish that movie spent more time on considering Revolver as an individual album, rather than Volume 2 of the transition era. Oh well...

[pixletwin]

I loved it though I agree with rockandroll that sometimes the jumps in chronology were a bit maddening. 1965 to 1967 to 1966 to 1965 LOL

[donald]

yeah, I even had trouble gfiguring out when some of the interviews were taking place. ....like last year?  8 years ago?

But overall, I was drawn in to the film and George's life in a way that few documentaries do....  I found his spiritual search very touching and even inspiring.  This "quiet" Beatle,  was really a multi-faceted individual.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

yeah, I even had trouble gfiguring out when some of the interviews were taking place. ....like last year?  8 years ago?

No kidding. And what about the interviews with Neil Aspinall and Billy Preston? Were they interviews from other sources or were interviews being done before Preston's death in 2006?

[pixletwin]

Some of the interviews were from the same sessions used for the Beatles Anthology. That was pretty obvious.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Some of the interviews were from the same sessions used for the Beatles Anthology. That was pretty obvious.

The George ones, yes. But none of the other ones as far as I could tell.

[Roger Ryan]

Some of the interviews were from the same sessions used for the Beatles Anthology. That was pretty obvious.

The George ones, yes. But none of the other ones as far as I could tell.

Preston's were obviously older because they were 4:3, whereas I imagine Aspinall was shot shortly before his death since the format was HD 16:9. One of the producers commented that they got the Spector stuff shortly before he became "unavailable". Harrison's stuff comes from late 80s through 2001.

I felt the documentary would have been stronger if it started with the Beatles break-up and concentrated on the solo years - too much of the 60s was just a rehash of the stories that concerned all four Beatles with little to distinguish Harrison's perspective.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Some of the interviews were from the same sessions used for the Beatles Anthology. That was pretty obvious.

The George ones, yes. But none of the other ones as far as I could tell.

Preston's were obviously older because they were 4:3, whereas I imagine Aspinall was shot shortly before his death since the format was HD 16:9. One of the producers commented that they got the Spector stuff shortly before he became "unavailable". Harrison's stuff comes from late 80s through 2001.

Thanks for that info.

I felt the documentary would have been stronger if it started with the Beatles break-up and concentrated on the solo years - too much of the 60s was just a rehash of the stories that concerned all four Beatles with little to distinguish Harrison's perspective.

I understand, and in fact we have heard so much of that info before. But, really, the movie is about George's spiritual journey and that really comes alive during The Beatle years. It is really impossible to paint that kind of portrait of George without talking about him learning the sitar with Ravi, doing songs like Within You Without You, turning towards meditation, the Maharashi, the India trip, turning back towards his Western rock roots, peaking with material on The White Album, Let it Be, and Abbey Road, etc.

I suppose if the goal was to simply show that George had a vibrant solo career (and that itself WOULD make a good doc) then you could leave that out. As it stands though, the movie isn't about that. Which is why, for better or worse, we get no discussion on Extra Texture, Dark Horse, 33 1/3rd, the self titled, Somewhere in England, Gone Troppo or Cloud Nine.

[puni puni]

One of the producers commented that they got the Spector stuff shortly before he became "unavailable".

from the television doc "the life and suffering of phil spector" or something

same one where he calls good vibrations an edit record

[Keri]

I understand, and in fact we have heard so much of that info before. But, really, the movie is about George's spiritual journey and that really comes alive during The Beatle years. It is really impossible to paint that kind of portrait of George without talking about him learning the sitar with Ravi, doing songs like Within You Without You, turning towards meditation, the Maharashi, the India trip, turning back towards his Western rock roots, peaking with material on The White Album, Let it Be, and Abbey Road, etc.

I suppose if the goal was to simply show that George had a vibrant solo career (and that itself WOULD make a good doc) then you could leave that out. As it stands though, the movie isn't about that. Which is why, for better or worse, we get no discussion on Extra Texture, Dark Horse, 33 1/3rd, the self titled, Somewhere in England, Gone Troppo or Cloud Nine.

Good post, I agree, Scorsese is not doing a doco that fills you in with all the facts and gives you a perfect timeline, he is trying to capture something more nebulous, to give us a glimpse of George. What strikes me about it is the way he showed what a gift of friendship George had, the number of people that felt really close to George was a real testament to his humanity. He might have shunned the press but he still had a full life. It was a doco with heart.

[cablegeddon]

I never got into the Dylan documentaries. Too much music and not enought storytelling. It just felt like lazy editing. If this one is in the same style, then I won't bother!?

I honestly like the really dry type of music documentary like VH1's Behind the music. I want the story not the  music.

[I. Spaceman]

I never got into the Dylan documentaries. Too much music and not enought storytelling. It just felt like lazy editing. If this one is in the same style, then I won't bother!?

I honestly like the really dry type of music documentary like VH1's Behind the music. I want the story not the  music.

Wow.