George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2011)

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The first must-see film of the year.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Loving the Beatles, loving George Harrison and his individual music and him as the separate artist from the Fab Four and loving Martin Scorsese and his method of directing is what this documentary sums up to me. There is such awe in watching old clips of George and the Fab Four sewn together with some never seen before footages to produce this special . But this also clearly shows that George , like many old school rocker is past the money and fame wagon but is more on to a higher ground of spiritual search for enlightenment. On a parallel level, the story about the evolution of the FF4 is also told, with recollections from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Indeed in one part, the narration has focused on the lyrics of the song While My Guitar Gently Weeps, because for me it is a bullseye description of how the four of them must have felt for each other when they tried to pick up where they left., as I tried imagining being in their shoes countless times. There is no turning back and two of them FF4 are long gone. For documentaries, rock and roll nostalgia and legendary music lovers, this is a highly recommended watch.

There was loads of great footage to watch, but despite the overly long run time, this danced around so much that it was by no means definitive. Apparently he didn't make any music between Living in the Material World and The Travelling Wilbur's or after Roy Orbison died... ??? There was mention of "faults" but an unwillingness to go deeper and you never got past the "he was a spiritual dude" level. I'm not the biggest fan, so this was more of an entry point, but for anyone that was, I can see this being a little disappointing.

George Harrison, Living in the Material World, 2011.*Spoiler/plot- A 'bio-pic' about the adult times of this The Beatles member until his death. Follows his growth and his creative life in the band and in his relationships.*Special Stars- George Harrison, living members of The Beatles.*Theme- You're never too old to learn.*Trivia/location/goofs- documentary, UK made. *Emotion- An enjoyable film about the 'quiet' Beatle. Interesting to see his growth from an early band times through his creative life in music. Fun to see how he was related to by his band friends and through the music industry to his eventual mega success.*Based On- George Harrison's biography and interviews of his friends.

The title is no misnomer.As George sang in the track from the eponymous album,"by the Lord Sri Krishna's grace (....) my salvation from the material world" .At the time many people laughed at Harrison whom they dismissed as unhip and holier-than-thou.Scorcese's movie is exactly what George would have wanted:a long and winding line of thought of an icon who,little by little ,ditched the material world :an adulated entertainer in the glorious years of the Beatles (to whom he contributed a good handful of classics) ,a peak of musical and spiritual inspiration with his mind-boggling " all things must pass" (which remains,along with "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" ,my favorite solo album).In the seventies ,it seems that George was not that interested in carrying on with a career which anyway was on the wane after "material world" ,his last number one .The concert for Bangla Desh was a grand gesture (and Bob Geldof's laurels actually belonged to the ex-Beatle),but the rest of it ,the 1974 tour,the infatuation with racing cars ,the homemade productions ,the Japanese tour,even the marvelous Traveling Wilburys, were minor events .George had warned us on the overlooked B side "the inner light" in the words he set to music on a college professor's request:"without looking out of my Windows ,I could know the ways of Heaven" .His final years were probably the happiest of his life ,with a marvelous wife ,Olivia ,who shared his way of life ,and a son to carry on.Two hundred years after Voltaire,like Zadig,he cultivated his garden while continuing his spiritual quest.His ultimate album,"brainwashed" ,lived up to its name:although terminally ill,the musician produced a cheerful album,full of serenity .More than thirty years after the song,he had learned the "art of dying" ;"I've never seen such a confident patient " a physician said .Like Scorcese's take on Dylan ("no way home" ) ,"living in the material world " is never off the point .Nothing sensational,nothing scandalous,but an absorbing portrayal of a man,who,after conquering the whole world,realized he could "arrive without traveling " and "see all without looking".