Radio Times

Review by:

Terry Payne

George Harrison was the Quiet Beatle. Posthumously, and poignantly, he finds his voice. Director Martin Scorsese has pieced together a cinematic love letter to Harrison. And, boy, can you feel the love. The surviving Beatles, his two wives and countless friends all form a respectful queue paying tribute in this two-part film. It’s not, though, a symphony of sycophancy.

Their memories – spliced together with archive interviews, evocative home-movie film and some captivating early Beatles studio footage – are preserved, you sense, by the deep affection they clearly felt for him. But it’s the music – oh what joyous, uplifting music – that provides the stitching in this immaculately crafted tapestry. The moment you hear the opening drumline to Something or the jaunty acoustic intro to Hear Comes the Sun, you realise you’re in the company of genius. The Quiet Beatle is silent no longer.

About this programme

Part one of two. Martin Scorsese's documentary tracing Harrison's early life in Liverpool, the Beatles' first gigs in Hamburg, the advent of Beatlemania, his psychedelic phase and his increasing fascination with Indian culture, both musical and spiritual. Featuring contributions from fellow group members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, producers George Martin and Phil Spector, and musician Eric Clapton.

Cast and crew

Crew

Director

Martin Scorsese

Producer

Olivia Harrison

Producer

Nigel Sinclair

Producer

Martin Scorsese

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