As a Beatles fan it may be hard to write objectively about this enormously satisfying and moving tribute to the life and music of George Harrison. But as a movie fan I can honestly put this film in the same revered class as Martin Scorsese's great concert film The Last Waltz. Gorgeously filmed by world-class cinematographer Chris Menges inside the Royal Albert Hall last year, one year to the day after Harrison's death, the concert was the brainchild of Eric Clapton, who felt that the most fitting way to pay tribute to his friend would be to gather many of George's greatest musical friends and admirers to perform his songs in a once-in-a-lifetime mega-concert. Musical highlights are plentiful. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne revive the spirit of the Travelling Wilburys with a lively Handle With Care. Billy Preston brings out the gospel flavor of a heartfelt My Sweet Lord. Clapton himself contributes powerful renditions of Beware of Darkness and Isn't It a Pity. An Indian orchestra led by the great Ravi Shankar remind us of Harrison's lifelong spiritual devotion. George's irreverent sense of humor is saluted by members of Monty Python, who are joined by Tom Hanks for the classic Lumberjack Song. And of course there are those other two Fabs, Paul and Ringo, without whose contributions this tribute would have been lacking. Ringo's sweetness exudes throughout Photograph (written with George) and Honey Don't (by Harrison idol Carl Perkins). And Paul has rarely been in finer voice than in his brilliant renditions of For You Blue and All Things Must Pass. There is also an astonishing version of Something which starts out with Paul on ukelele (a la his last tour)then builds to a powerful full-band arrangement highlighted by Clapton's guitar and a lovely string section. And while he doesn't do any singing (save some background vocals), George's son Dhani is on stage during nearly every number, playing guitar and looking amazingly like his own father circa 1963. I pity anyone who passes up the chance to see this in a movie theatre, figuring that the DVD will be out in a few weeks anyway. To see this on the big screen is both a joyous and an emotionally powerful experience. In a year full of great documentaries, this is simply one of the best films of the year.
Review of Concert for George
