HBO to Air George Harrison Doc

NEW YORK: HBO has scored the North American TV rights to George Harrison: Living in the Material World, produced by Martin Scorsese and featuring interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton and Terry Gilliam, among others.

HBO has picked up the rights to the doc, which will air over two parts on October 5 and 6, from Olivia Harrison’s Grove Street Pictures. The film was produced by Scorsese through his Sikelia Productions banner, together with Harrison and Nigel Sinclair of Exclusive’s documentary label, Spitfire Pictures. The film chronicles Harrison’s life, much of it told in his own words, from his musical beginnings in Liverpool through his time as a musician, spiritual seeker, philanthropist and filmmaker.

"When Martin Scorsese brings a project to HBO, we all know it is going to be very special, and he has added to that body of work with this monumental film on George Harrison," said Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming. "From rock ‘n’ roll icon to moviemaker, to spiritual seeker and humanitarian, George Harrison was a true renaissance man. This amazing film will illuminate every aspect of Harrison’s remarkable, multifaceted life."

Scorsese commented: "Like so many millions of people, I first came to know George through the music, which was the soundtrack of our world. The Beatles’ music, those beautifully lyrical guitar breaks and solos, those unforgettable songs of George’s like ‘I Me Mine’ or ‘If I Needed Someone,’ and the images, in magazines, on album covers, the TV appearances, the newsreel footage, the Richard Lester movies; and then there was the world after the Beatles, when George and his music seemed to open up and flower. I will never forget the first time I heard ‘All Things Must Pass,’ the overwhelming feeling of taking in that all glorious music for the first time. It was like walking into a cathedral. George was making spiritually awake music—we all heard and felt it—and I think that was the reason that he came to occupy a very special place in our lives. So when I was offered the chance to make this picture, I jumped at it. Spending time with Olivia, interviewing so many of George’s closest friends, reviewing all that footage, some of it never seen before, and listening to all of that magnificent music – it was a joy, and an experience I’ll always treasure.

Exclusive Films International represents the worldwide rights, excluding the U.S.