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George Harrison: Living in the Material World

Play trailer Poster for George Harrison: Living in the Material World 2011 3h 28m Documentary Biography Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Filmmaker Martin Scorsese examines the life of musician George Harrison, weaving together interviews, concert footage, home movies and photographs.

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George Harrison: Living in the Material World

George Harrison: Living in the Material World

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Martin Scorsese examines the life of musician George Harrison, weaving together interviews, concert footage, home movies and photographs.
Director
Martin Scorsese
Producer
Martin Scorsese, Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair
Production Co
Spitfire Pictures, Sikelia Productions
Genre
Documentary, Biography, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 5, 2017
Runtime
3h 28m
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