George Harrison - Living in the Material World
I just got my copy of the new Martin Scorsese documentary on George Harrison. I know most true Beatle maniacs out there will have already seen it or know about it, but I wanted to say a few things about the director, the Beatles, and George.
Martin Scorsese was allowed access to much unseen material for the making of this documentary. Scorsese is no stranger to rock and roll, having worked as a cameraman on the Rolling Stones 'Gimme Shelter' movie, creating the incredible 'Last Waltz' film with The Band, and producing the documentary 'The Blues'.
A post I did last year explained my history with and love for the Beatles when I reviewed 'HELP!' on this blog. I grew up listening to The Beatles as a band and as solo artists. My iTunes collection is about 20% Beatles music,both as a band and solo, and I have almost complete collections of Lennon's and Harrison's works, with a healthy dose of McCartney, Wings and Ringo songs too.
Needless to say I believe my life has been enriched by having Beatles music and movies to enjoy - and I will be getting the re-release of Yellow Submarine on blu-ray to enjoy with my 7 year old daughter when it is released in couple of weeks!
The over three hour documentary of 'Living in the Material World' has many delights for Beatle fans. I loved the footage of the Beatles waving to fans on hotel balconies showing George taking pictures with his own camera, then actually seeing the photo from his own collection.
I also enjoyed seeing George's home, Friar Park, and his personal recording studio and the footage of him working, writing and hanging out with friends. I love the fly on the wall aspect of documentaries where you can imagine what it would be like to have been present at different historical and artistic events.
The first of the 2 part documentary will have stuff most familiar to hard-core Beatle fans. Some of the material has been seen and heard before, but Scorsese presents it in his own fashion, keeping you watching, laughing and listening to all the great music George created in his lifetime.
I know that if Scorsese had let all the songs play in their entirety, the film would have been twice as long, and I personally would not have minded. There was many times when I was just getting into a song (cranked up on my surround sound - awesome to hear it like that!) when the song would be cut off as the story propelled forward.
Oh well, I will be listening to all these songs again over the next few days as I listen with a new appreciation for George's genius.
The second part of the movie will be most interesting to long time Beatle fans, however. This is where the stories of George's life after the Beatles is mostly told, including the shocking hardcore attack on him and his wife Olivia during a violent home invasion, and the story of the final weeks of George's life.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes the Beatles, and for anyone with a liking of good life stories well told. The film is gorgeous and sounds sweet with many Harrison and Beatle classics to enjoy! -Article by Xim
Martin Scorsese was allowed access to much unseen material for the making of this documentary. Scorsese is no stranger to rock and roll, having worked as a cameraman on the Rolling Stones 'Gimme Shelter' movie, creating the incredible 'Last Waltz' film with The Band, and producing the documentary 'The Blues'.
A post I did last year explained my history with and love for the Beatles when I reviewed 'HELP!' on this blog. I grew up listening to The Beatles as a band and as solo artists. My iTunes collection is about 20% Beatles music,both as a band and solo, and I have almost complete collections of Lennon's and Harrison's works, with a healthy dose of McCartney, Wings and Ringo songs too.
Needless to say I believe my life has been enriched by having Beatles music and movies to enjoy - and I will be getting the re-release of Yellow Submarine on blu-ray to enjoy with my 7 year old daughter when it is released in couple of weeks!
The over three hour documentary of 'Living in the Material World' has many delights for Beatle fans. I loved the footage of the Beatles waving to fans on hotel balconies showing George taking pictures with his own camera, then actually seeing the photo from his own collection.
I also enjoyed seeing George's home, Friar Park, and his personal recording studio and the footage of him working, writing and hanging out with friends. I love the fly on the wall aspect of documentaries where you can imagine what it would be like to have been present at different historical and artistic events.
The first of the 2 part documentary will have stuff most familiar to hard-core Beatle fans. Some of the material has been seen and heard before, but Scorsese presents it in his own fashion, keeping you watching, laughing and listening to all the great music George created in his lifetime.
I know that if Scorsese had let all the songs play in their entirety, the film would have been twice as long, and I personally would not have minded. There was many times when I was just getting into a song (cranked up on my surround sound - awesome to hear it like that!) when the song would be cut off as the story propelled forward.
Oh well, I will be listening to all these songs again over the next few days as I listen with a new appreciation for George's genius.
The second part of the movie will be most interesting to long time Beatle fans, however. This is where the stories of George's life after the Beatles is mostly told, including the shocking hardcore attack on him and his wife Olivia during a violent home invasion, and the story of the final weeks of George's life.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes the Beatles, and for anyone with a liking of good life stories well told. The film is gorgeous and sounds sweet with many Harrison and Beatle classics to enjoy! -Article by Xim