George Harrison ‘Fell Out of Love’ With Making Movies After Clashing With a ‘Difficult’ Director

Though George Harrison is best known for his music, he also had a hand in many movies. With his production company, HandMade Films, Harrison helped revitalize the British film industry. He became disenchanted with the industry after a number of financial setbacks, but those who knew him say he really fell out of love with it after working on an early film for the company. The challenges of working with director Terry Gilliam on Time Bandits wore on Harrison.

George Harrison produced movies through his company, HandMade Films

The controversial religious subject matter of Monty Python’s Life of Brian caused the film’s first backer to pull out at the last minute. Harrison was friendly with members of Monty Python, so when Eric Idle asked him for help, he agreed.

“What happened was that I helped to raise the money for them in order to make the film when the previous backer pulled out,” Harrison told Rolling Stone in 1979. “As I’m a Monty Python fan, I wanted to see the movie — I like to go and have a laugh too — and a friend suggested that I try and raise the money. So we just got a loan from a bank. It’s a risk I suppose.”

The risk paid off. Life of Brian earned over $20 million, and Harrison and his business partner, Denis O’Brien, founded HandMade films.

George Harrison fell out of love with producing movies after working on ‘Time Bandits’

HandMade had another success in Time Bandits. It earned $36 million on a $5 million budget and received positive reviews from critics. The process of getting the film to theaters was arduous, though. Gilliam, O’Brien, and Harrison clashed creatively all through the production process. 

O’Brien and Harrison wanted to include Harrison’s original music throughout the film, and Gilliam vehemently disagreed. While Harrison, as an artist himself, was understanding of Gilliam’s vision, his patience wore thin.

“You remind me of John Lennon, you’re so difficult, so bolshie,” Harrison told him, per the book Very Naughty Boys by Robert Sellers. “Can’t you just compromise?”

Ultimately, only one of Harrison’s songs appeared in the film, playing over the end credits. According to Idle, the exhausting process of working with Gilliam wore on Harrison. While he had, up until this point, enjoyed working with HandMade films, it started to become a chore.

“I think George fell out of love with it when he made Time Bandits because he just realized what Gilliam was really like,” Idle said. “You try to discuss a budget with Terry Gilliam, it’s kind of ridiculous. Terry is completely mono, he’s taken several businesses out of existence. Several companies have fallen victim to the Gillam piracy.”

HandMade films ceased operations in 1991

HandMade did not fall victim to Gilliam’s rigid vision, but it did cease operations in 1991. The company invested in many unprofitable films, which crushed Harrison.

“I have the feeling that George never quite recovered from that,” Michael Palin wrote in the foreword to Very Naughty Boys. “He remained generous, but felt compromised and he began to draw back. Once that happened, the end was in sight.”

Harrison mass-fired HandMade employees via fax and later learned that O’Brien hadn’t been honest about his financial contributions. While Harrison believed they were equal partners, he was actually fully financially responsible for the losses. 

“He hated [O’Brien] with an intensity that was quite rare for George,” Idle explained. “It took him a long time to get over all that.”