George Harrison: Living in the Material World

2011

3h 28m

Documentary

Biography

Music

List

87%

38 Reviews

Tomatometer

93%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese examines the life of musician George Harrison, weaving together interviews, concert footage, home movies and photographs.

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Critics Consensus

Clocking in at nearly three and a half hours, George Harrison: Living in the Material World is a moving portrait of the so-called Quiet Beatle's spirituality and troubled existence that highlights the best of Scorsese's sensibilities.

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Sienna M

I love me some George Harrison, so really, what else could I rate this as? It is an absolute must see for anyone who is interested in the 1970s or the Beatles (meh, they're okay I guess) or the greatest Beatle of all, specifically (George, duh!)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

Full Review

michael d

Great music and a solid doc.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

https://youtu.be/-wZIpRfqaco

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Documents the gorgeous blend and evolution of their voices over time. Spiritual experience ☺️

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

I've always been a fan of George. This makes me like him even better. Like a brother to me.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

kyle v

Reviewed 4.10.19 This is a review of the extended edition, which runs 3 hours and 21 minutes. A regular length feature could only touch the surface of such a full life, so I hoped for extra insight. Unfortunately, it adds nothing but time. Director Martin Scorcese obviously has great respect for George Harrison, and again and again he drives home the positive aspects of the man. His spirituality, his devotion, his work ethic and his perhaps underrated talent. But when opportunities to dive deeper into George's more complicated emotions arise, Scorcese turns the camera away. Whether it be his band mate, Paul McCartney, struggling with words to describe George's darker tendencies, and then covering up with 'he was my mate,' or George's descent into heavy drug use while supposedly being such an 'enlightened' soul, were left without answers to the most interesting questions. It's made clear he cheated on his wife, and was a womanizer, but it's never stated directly, nor examined in any manner. He had a tendency to be kind one moment and cruel the next. But 'why' is never delved into. Question after question left hanging. This is what happens when a fan edits a documentary of someone they admire. Thankfully what we are allowed to see is pleasant enough. And I imagine the 94 minute version delivers a taut version of an oversized life. Either is a must for any Beatle's fan, for the back stories, personal photos and film footage alone. And for fans of the 'quiet' Beatle, over 200 minutes spent behind the scenes will be a thrill. If only they'd also peered behind the mask.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Martin Scorsese

Director

Paul McCartney

Actor

Ringo Starr

Actor

Olivia Harrison

Actor

Dhani Harrison

Actor

Eric Clapton

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Noel Murray

AV Club

Despite the shagginess, Scorsese mostly stays focused on Harrison as a reflection of his fans, eternally searching for something elusive - something that only came around occasionally.

Rated: B

Aug 6, 2012

Full Review

Rachel Ray

Daily Telegraph (UK)

History may now be more inclined to view the progressive Harrison as not the quiet Beatle but the cool one.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 6, 2012

Full Review

Alan Sepinwall

HitFix

Scorsese makes it into something more than a three-plus hour rehash of an oft-told tale.

Rated: B+

Aug 6, 2012

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Rather than spin a traditional Beatles story, Scorsese went for a slightly unorthodox narrative. Why not examine the Beatles through the lens of its most elusive member, guitarist George Harrison?

Mar 31, 2023

Full Review

Lucy Popescu

CineVue

It's no mean feat to have assembled such a lucid biography from hours of footage.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 1, 2018

Full Review

Benjamin H. Smith

Decider

George Harrison: Living in the Material World covers every twist and turn in Harrison's 58 years on this Earth.

Jan 24, 2018

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese examines the life of musician George Harrison, weaving together interviews, concert footage, home movies and photographs.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Producer: Margaret Bodde, Scott Pascucci
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 5, 2017
Runtime: 3h 28m

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