View source for George Harrison: Living in the Material World

{{Infobox film
| name           = George Harrison: Living in the Material World
| image          = [[File:George Harrison L.I.T.M.W..jpg|400px]]
| caption        = Theatrical release poster by F. Ron Miller<ref>{{cite web|title=George Harrison: Living in the Material World Poster|url=http://www.impawards.com/2011/george_harrison_living_in_the_material_world.html|website=IMP Awards|access-date=17 August 2021|date=9 September 2011}}</ref>
| director       = [[Martin Scorsese]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Olivia Harrison]]
* Martin Scorsese
* [[Nigel Sinclair]]
}}
| writer         = 
| music          = 
| cinematography = {{Plainlist|
* [[Robert Richardson (cinematographer)|Robert Richardson]]
* [[Martin Kenzie]]
}}
| editing        = David Tedeschi
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Grove Street Pictures]]
* [[Spitfire Pictures]]
* [[Sikelia Productions]]
* [[Grove Street Productions]]
}}
| distributor    = [[HBO]]
| released       = {{Film date|2011|10|5|df=yes}}
| runtime        = 208 minutes<ref name="BOM"/><ref name="RT"/>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         =
| gross          = $367,734<ref name="TN">{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/George-Harrison-Living-in-the-Material-World#tab=summary |title=''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'' (2020) - Financial Information |publisher=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]. Nash Information Services, LLC |access-date=27 December 2021}}</ref>
}}
'''''George Harrison: Living in the Material World''''' is a 2011 [[documentary film]] co-produced and directed by [[Martin Scorsese]], based on the life of musician [[George Harrison]], former member of [[the Beatles]]. The film's release was coordinated with both a companion book and [[Early Takes: Volume 1|an album of Harrison's demo recordings]]. The film earned [[64th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards|Emmy Awards]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program|Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming]] and [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special|Outstanding Nonfiction Special]]. 

==Premise==
The film offers a biographical perspective on the life of musician [[George Harrison]], from his early life in [[Liverpool]], the [[Beatlemania]] phenomenon, his travels to India, the influence of [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness|Krishna Consciousness]] movement in his music, and his relevance and importance as a member of [[the Beatles]]. It consists of previously unseen footage alongside a wide range of interviews, including [[Olivia Harrison|Olivia]] and [[Dhani Harrison]].

==Appearances==
{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*[[Neil Aspinall]]
*[[John Barham]]
*[[Jane Birkin]]
*[[Pattie Boyd]]
*[[Eric Clapton]]
*[[Ray Cooper]]
*[[Bob Dylan]]
*[[Mal Evans]]
*[[Terry Gilliam]]
*[[Mukunda Goswami]]
*[[Dhani Harrison]]
*[[Olivia Harrison]]
*Harry Harrison
*Irene Harrison
*Louise Harrison
*Pauline Harrison
*Peter Harrison
*[[Damon Hill]]
*[[Eric Idle]]
*Arthur Kelly
*[[Jim Keltner]]
*[[Astrid Kirchherr]]
*Paul Lanzanic
*[[John Lennon]]
*[[Jeff Lynne]]
*[[George Martin]]
*[[Paul McCartney]]
*[[Gary Moore]]
*[[Gordon Murray]]
*[[Yoko Ono]]
*[[Roy Orbison]]
*[[Tom Petty]]
*[[Billy Preston]]
*Red Ronnie
*[[Ken Scott]]
*[[Ravi Shankar]]
*[[Phil Spector]]
*[[Ringo Starr]]
*[[Jackie Stewart]]
*Joan Taylor
*[[Klaus Voormann]]
*[[Gary Wright]]
*[[George Harrison]]
}}

==Production==
After Harrison's death in 2001, various production companies approached his widow Olivia about producing a film about her late husband's life. She declined because he had wanted 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."<ref>{{cite web |last=Carlick |first=Stephen |url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=143&csid2=844&fid1=46519 |title=Martin Scorsese to Unveil George Harrison Documentary in 2011 |publisher=Exclaim.ca |date=17 May 2010 |access-date=7 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515163554/http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=143 |archive-date=15 May 2010}}</ref>

Throughout 2008 and 2009, Scorsese alternated working between ''[[Shutter Island (film)|Shutter Island]]'' and the documentary. Scorsese, his editor David Tedeschi, and a small army of researchers spent five years assembling interviews, music, film clips, photos, and memorabilia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/arts/television/george-harrison-documentary-from-martin-scorsese.html |title=A Life of Guitars, Girls and Gentle Weeping |first=Mike |last=Hale |date=4 October 2011 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912105121/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/arts/television/george-harrison-documentary-from-martin-scorsese.html |archive-date=12 September 2015 |access-date=27 December 2021}}</ref>

==Studio== {{Plainlist|
* [[Grove Street Pictures]]
* [[Spitfire Pictures]]
* [[Sikelia Productions]]
* [[Grove Street Productions]]

==Distributor==
[[HBO]]

==Release==
The documentary premièred at the [[Foundation for Art and Creative Technology]] in Liverpool on 2 October 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-14931924 | title = Scorsese's George Harrison film gets Liverpool premiere | publisher = [[BBC News]] | date = 15 September 2011 | access-date =19 September 2011}}</ref> It was shown on [[HBO]] in two parts on 5 and 6 October 2011 in the United States and Canada<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.thebeatles.com/#/news/George_Harrison_LITMW_trailer | title = George Harrison: Living in the Material World Official Trailer Is Released | work = thebeatles.com | access-date =31 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[HBO Canada]] |url=http://www.hbocanada.com/details/?id=53072 |title=George Harrison: Living in the Material World |access-date=3 October 2011}}</ref> and as a two-part ''[[Arena (UK TV series)|Arena]]'' special on [[BBC Two]] on 12 and 13 November 2011 in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[BBC]] |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006pn88/episodes/guide#b017ngp1 |title=George Harrison: Living in the Material World |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> It was first theatrically released in Australia on 20 October 2011.<ref name="BOM"/>

==Deluxe edition CD==
{{See also|Early Takes: Volume 1}}
All songs written by [[George Harrison]], except where noted.<ref>{{Discogs master|709813|George Harrison – George Harrison: Living In The Material World}}.</ref>

#"[[My Sweet Lord]]" (Demo)&nbsp;– 3:33
#"[[Run of the Mill (George Harrison song)|Run of the Mill]]" (Demo)&nbsp;– 1:56
#"[[I'd Have You Anytime]]" (Early Take) (George Harrison, [[Bob Dylan]])&nbsp;– 3:06
#"[[Mama, You Been on My Mind|Mama, You've Been on My Mind]]" (Demo) (Bob Dylan)&nbsp;– 3:04
#"[[Let It Be Me (The Everly Brothers song)|Let It Be Me]]" (Demo) ([[Gilbert Bécaud]], Mann Curtis, [[Pierre Delanoë]])&nbsp;– 2:56
#"[[Woman Don't You Cry for Me]]" (Early Take)&nbsp;– 2:44
#"[[Awaiting on You All]]" (Early Take)&nbsp;– 2:40
#"[[Behind That Locked Door]]" (Demo)&nbsp;– 3:29
#"[[All Things Must Pass (song)|All Things Must Pass]]" (Demo)&nbsp;– 4:38
#"[[The Light That Has Lighted the World]]" (Demo)&nbsp;– 2:23

==Book==
Olivia Harrison authored the book ''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'' published by [[Abrams Books|Abrams]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|first=Steve|last=Rabey|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/09/george-harrison-living-in-the-material-world_n_1001707.html|title=George Harrison, 'Living in the Material World'|work=[[Huffington Post]]|date=9 October 2011|access-date=12 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2011/oct/04/george-harrison-in-pictures|title=George Harrison: Living in the Material World – in pictures|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=4 October 2011|access-date=12 August 2018}}</ref> The book was edited by Mark Holborn and contains a foreword by Scorsese and an introduction by author and literary critic [[Paul Theroux]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Olivia|last=Harrison|title=George Harrison: Living in the Material World|publisher=Abrams|location=New York, NY|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4197-0220-4|page=iii}}</ref>

==Response==

===Box office===
''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'' grossed $0 in the United States and Canada,<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1113829 |title=''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'' (2011) |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]. [[IMDbPro]] |access-date=27 December 2021}}</ref> and a worldwide total of $367,734.<ref name="TN"/>

===Critical reception===
The film holds {{a or an|{{RT data|score}}}} approval rating at [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on {{RT data|count}} professional reviews, with an [[weighted arithmetic mean|average]] rating of 7.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "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."<ref name="RT">{{cite web |title=''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'' |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/george_harrison_living_in_the_material_world |access-date=27 December 2021 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]. [[Fandango Media]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film holds a score of 74 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/george-harrison-living-in-the-material-world |title=''George Harrison: Living in the Material World'' Reviews |publisher=[[Metacritic]]. [[Red Ventures]] |access-date=27 December 2021}}</ref>

===Accolades===
The film earned six nominations at the [[64th Primetime Emmy Awards]], winning two: [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program|Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming]] and [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special|Outstanding Nonfiction Special]]. Other nominations included Outstanding Cinematography, Picture Editing, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/shows/george-harrison-living-material-world |title=George Harrison: Living in the Material World Awards & Nominations|date=16 September 2012 |work=emmys.com |access-date=16 September 2012}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title}}
*{{Allmovie title}}

{{George Harrison}}
{{Martin Scorsese}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''George Harrison: Living in the Material World''
|list =
{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary Film}}
{{EmmyAward Documentary Special}}
}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:George Harrison: Living in the Material World}}

[[Category:2011 films]]
[[Category:American biographical films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about the Beatles]]
[[Category:Films directed by Martin Scorsese]]
[[Category:Films produced by Martin Scorsese]]
[[Category:George Harrison]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award-winning broadcasts]]
[[Category:2010s English-language films]]
[[Category:2010's films]]
[[Category:2010s American films]]
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:George Harrison]]