George Harrison: Living in the Material World DVD

Following his film about Bob Dylan, Martin Scorsese takes an original, archive-filled look at Beatle George Harrison.

George Harrison was always labelled the Quiet One. However, he speaks with eloquence and conviction in Martin Scorsese's epic documentary, which not only achieves the remarkable feat of finding new angles on one of the most oft-told tales in modern showbiz, but also delves into the personality and philosophy of the Beatle who grew most as a man through his experiences in the best band popular music will ever know.

Following an assured assessment of the Hamburg years that forged the group dynamic, Scorsese reveals that while it was exciting being a Mop Top, it was rarely fun and John, George, Paul and Ringo only really began to mature as musicians once they ceased touring in 1966 and the media furore died down. However, the camaraderie of the road had essentially been holding the combo together and the pressures of producing consistently innovative music began to take their toll, especially once Harrison had established his own artistic identity and no longer found being the creative balance between Lennon and McCartney rewarding.

Paul and Ringo recall their time together with fondness and pride. But the most telling observations come from Eric Clapton, who viewed the tightly knit family with a mix of envy and disbelief and Scorsese notes that even though George relished his independence after 1970, he always enjoyed collaboration more than solo responsibility and celebrity.

Such insights become rarer as the complex chronicle of charity concerts, critically mauled tours, audacious film ventures, motor-racing and ukulele fixations, drug lapses, health scares and knife attacks is pieced together. It's a particular shame that, the Wilbury adventure aside, so little attention is paid to the later albums, as many are superb. Yet Scorsese concentrates on finding the man behind the songs and boldly leavens discussions of his sincere spiritual search and commitment to Indian culture with revelations from wives Pattie Boyd and Olivia Harrison about George's changeable temperament and periodic infidelity. What emerges, therefore, is a thoughtful, honest and affectionate appreciation of a decent if sometimes conflicted Liverpudlian who always suspected that, for all his earthly success, the best was yet to come.

David Parkinson on 29th September 2011
Author of 191 reviews