Part 1 was on last night. I have it DVR’d since I had to go to a school orientation.
Don’t give away any spoilers 
- did you see it? How was it?
I just watched it. I liked it, but there were no real surprises or revelations. A pretty large amount of the interview material was taken from the Beatles Anthology DVD collection, though for all I know the Anthology interviews were lifted for yet some other source.
Okay - watched it on DVR. Bottom line, IMHO: if you are a Beatles’ “completist” and or a total Harrison fanboy/girl, it is a loving chronicle that shows George’s perspective on things as his and the Beatles’ celebrity unfolded and how his friends felt about him. If you come to this doc looking to understand more about why the Quiet Beatle is so revered by some folks - well, I am not sure it does a good job of that - the emergence of his songwriting and his spiritual quest are obviously delved into, but the doc doesn’t engage you in deep drama - some pivotal moment where a song breaks through John & Paul’s dominance or some move where he makes it clear he is doing his own thing. He comes across as someone who is trying to find his own thing and how he quietly, stubbornly makes that happen. Seems like a good guy - but this doc doesn’t make a case to Unbelievers as to why he should be anointed, if you will…again, just my $.02. Saw it, then deleted it off my DVR list…
Oh - and some of the rare footage and photos overall are cool, as are the comments from friends. Again, surprising how minimal the drama is over stuff like the Patti Boyd exchange between George and Clapton.
Oh, and boy, is it me or does he kinda bare his teeth when he sings? He has such a somewhat…constricted? look on his face…I find myself contrasting that with his words and overall intent, so it stands out a bit. Total YMMV thing.
Other random thoughts upon reflection: in the second half there is a whole lot about what a great guy George is – that is very cool. Doesn’t comment on him as an artist, but a wonderful commentary about him as a person, from the Monty Python troupe, racecar driver Jackie Stewart, Tom Petty, etc. They go into detail about the attack when the crazy guy broke into the Harrison estate – heavy. At the end, they scroll down a list of songs he wrote – they stand up, period. Oh, and with a video clip of him playing ukulele, he seems far more relaxed with his singing – same with some cool insider clips of the Wilburys. He was singing in a more constricted way earlier, then got more relaxed.
Oooh rats. I don’t have HBO and would love to see this just to hear more about that. I remember when it happened - didn’t his wife take out the guy with a lamp or something? Wild!
I just watch part 2 and liked it quite a bit more. Most of it was about George’s post-Beatle years, and I’m sure one reason I found it so compelling is because I knew so little about that time. I didn’t know he was attacked and nearly killed, I didn’t know he had cancer earlier that went into remission, I didn’t know that he was the guy who started out the whole rock&roll “Concert to Benefit Whatever” meme.
He wasn’t according to those responded to my thread on the subject.
Well, that would explain why I hadn’t known before. It was a claim made in the documentary. Maybe there was something about the concert that made it different from all the others, though I’m having a hard time imagining what.