Living in the Material World: George Harrison
Encyclopedia
George Harrison: Living in the Material World is a documentary film
directed by Martin Scorsese
, based on the life of George Harrison
.
, the success of Beatlemania
, his travels to India, the influence of Indian culture in his music, and his relevance and importance as a member of The Beatles
. It consists of previously unseen footage and interviews with Olivia and Dhani Harrison
, Pattie Boyd
, Paul McCartney
, Ringo Starr
, Yoko Ono
, George Martin
, Eric Clapton
, Astrid Kirchherr
, Klaus Voormann
, Jeff Lynne
, Eric Idle
, Phil Spector
, Tom Petty
and Mukunda Goswami
among others.
According to Scorsese, he was attracted to the project because "That subject matter has never left me...The more you're in the material world, the more there is a tendency for a search for serenity and a need to not be distracted by physical elements that are around you. His music is very important to me, so I was interested in the journey that he took as an artist. The film is an exploration. We don't know. We're just feeling our way through."
Throughout 2008 and 2009, Scorsese alternated working between Shutter Island and the documentary.
The documentary premièred at the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology
in Liverpool on 2 October 2011. It was shown on HBO in two parts on 5 and 6 October 2011 in the US and Canada and as a two part Arena
special on BBC Two
on 12 and 13 November 2011 in the UK.
, except where noted.
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...
directed by Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
, based on the life of George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
.
Plot
The film follows Harrison's story from his early life in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the success of Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
, his travels to India, the influence of Indian culture in his music, and his relevance and importance as a member of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. It consists of previously unseen footage and interviews with Olivia and Dhani Harrison
Dhani Harrison
Dhani Harrison is an English musician and the son of George Harrison of The Beatles and Olivia Harrison. Harrison debuted as a professional musician when completing his father's final album Brainwashed after George Harrison's death in November 2001...
, Pattie Boyd
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne "Pattie" Boyd is an English model and photographer, and the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
, George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Astrid Kirchherr
Astrid Kirchherr
Astrid Kirchherr is a German photographer and artist and is well known for her association with The Beatles and her photographs of The Beatles during their Hamburg days....
, Klaus Voormann
Klaus Voormann
Klaus Voormann is a German Grammy Award-winning artist, noted musician, and record producer. He designed artwork for many bands including The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Wet Wet Wet and Turbonegro. His most notable work as a producer was his work with the band Trio, including their worldwide hit "Da Da...
, Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
, Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
, Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
and Mukunda Goswami
Mukunda Goswami
Mukunda Goswami is a spiritual leader within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness ....
among others.
Production
After Harrison's death in 2001, his widow Olivia was approached with several offers by various production companies wanting to produce a film about her late husband's life, but she declined due to his wish to tell his own life story through his video archive. Upon meeting Scorsese, she gave her blessings and signed on to the film project as a producer.According to Scorsese, he was attracted to the project because "That subject matter has never left me...The more you're in the material world, the more there is a tendency for a search for serenity and a need to not be distracted by physical elements that are around you. His music is very important to me, so I was interested in the journey that he took as an artist. The film is an exploration. We don't know. We're just feeling our way through."
Throughout 2008 and 2009, Scorsese alternated working between Shutter Island and the documentary.
The documentary premièred at the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology
Foundation for Art and Creative Technology
FACT is a new media arts centre based on Wood Street in Liverpool, England.-Support for the creative industries:...
in Liverpool on 2 October 2011. It was shown on HBO in two parts on 5 and 6 October 2011 in the US and Canada and as a two part Arena
Arena (TV series)
Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. It has run since 1 October 1975, and over five hundred episodes have been made. Arena covers all manner of subjects, from profiles of notable people such as Bob Dylan to the Ford Cortina car...
special on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on 12 and 13 November 2011 in the UK.
Deluxe Edition CD
All songs written by George HarrisonGeorge Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, except where noted.
- "My Sweet LordMy Sweet Lord"My Sweet Lord" is a song by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison from his UK number one hit triple album All Things Must Pass. The song was written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna...
" (Demo) – 3:33 - "Run of the Mill" (Demo) – 1:56
- "I'd Have You AnytimeI'd Have You Anytime"I'd Have You Anytime" is a song written by George Harrison & Bob Dylan, and is the opening track to Harrison's 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. It was written in 1968 while Harrison was visiting the United States, where he and Dylan collaborated on a number of compositions...
" (Early Take) (George Harrison, Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 3:06 - "Mama, You've Been on My Mind" (Demo) (Bob Dylan) – 3:04
- "Let It Be Me" (Demo) (Gilbert BécaudGilbert BécaudGilbert Bécaud was a French singer, composer and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et Maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love"...
, Mann Curtis, Pierre DelanoëPierre DelanoëPierre Delanoë , born Pierre Leroyer, was a French songwriter/lyricist who wrote for dozens of singers such as Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Petula Clark, and Johnny Hallyday....
) – 2:56 - "Woman Don't You Cry for MeWoman Don't You Cry For Me"Woman Don't You Cry For Me" is the leadoff track of George Harrison's 1976 album, Thirty Three & 1/3. The song is in open E.-History:Harrison started writing the song in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1968. Harrison was on a European tour with Delaney, Bonnie & Friends and Eric Clapton. Delaney handed...
" (Early Take) – 2:44 - "Awaiting on You All" (early take) – 2:40
- "Behind That Locked Door" (Demo) – 3:29
- "All Things Must PassAll Things Must Pass (song)"All Things Must Pass" is a song written by George Harrison. It is the title track to his triple album of the same name.During The Beatles' Get Back sessions in January 1969, this was one of many songs the group rehearsed to be part of their new album...
" (Demo) – 4:38 - "The Light That Has Lighted the WorldThe Light That Has Lighted The World"The Light That Has Lighted The World" is a song by George Harrison from his 1973 album Living in the Material World.Harrison had tried recording "When Every Song is Sung" with Cilla Black and later decided to write a B-side for her. Both Harrison and Black were from Liverpool and had become famous...
" (Demo) – 2:23