George Michael: Freedom

What I really liked about this documentary was the insight we got, from George himself, into the beautiful lyrics that he wrote and performed, especially after the death of his first real love, Anselmo. George told us what inspired his song writing before and after his meeting with Anselmo and he showed us, with the help of musical clips, how his various emotions manifested themselves through song. His happiness when he met Anselmo, his sadness when Anselmo died and when his mother died of cancer, his anger when Sony refused to let him go and his humour after his unfortunate encounter in a Beverly Hills loo, Ricky Gervais made us laugh with his take on the affair. Elton John seemed to understand George well and perhaps surprisingly, Liam Gallagher too.They, along with a few other celebrities, helped us get to know George better and by the time Chris Martin started to sing "A Different Corner", his tribute to George at the Brit Awards, there were tears in my eyes. I met George Michael many years ago and we all knew he was gay, but most of all it was obvious that he was a very kind person and very vulnerable, which comes across during this fine documentary. You will laugh and probably cry when you watch Freedom, I dare you not too!

It's very sad to watch the documentary "George Michael: Freedom" knowing that he left this world when he was finishing this work. Michael passed away on December 25, 2016, at the age of 53. This documentary seems like a testament letter about his life. The accelerating career success and pressure from the media was the abyss to his demise, exactly like Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, Witney Houston, and Prince. The quick voyage of their lives between us was simply to gift us with each one's voice and talent. George Michael was no different, only after winning the much-desired public recognition did he realize that he was not happy. And when he discovers the happiness of love, "...Heaven sent And Heaven Stole You smiled at me...". We and the media didn't allow them to live in peace as an artist. We created, idolized, and at the same time silenced these voices. I am so...so...sorry for that, Michael!!!

George Michael is honored in a fine documentary released in October 2017, a film he wrote and directed and supervised about his life in show business before his death on Christmas Day 2016. The film was completed under David Austin's direction. As he states in the film, 'Stars are almost always people that want to make up for their own weaknesses by being loved by the public and I'm no exception to that.'

The movie is a frank and honest account of George Michael's professional life and career. Though the film was made by the man himself, various artists add to the narrative – Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Emmanuelle Alt, Naomi Campbell, Ricky Gervais, Elton John, Liam Gallagher, Cindy Crawford, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Kate Moss Nile Rodgers, James Corden, Stevie Wonder, and many others.

The film highlights conversations with Michael, his crisis with Sony, his 'coming out' as a gay man and finding love with a Brazilian man who subsequently died of AIDS, his driving force to be the best performer and songwriter ever known, his many successful videos and clips from live performances and much, much more.

This is a very beautifully made film, steaming with love from Michael and from his many fans, and filled with information about the positive impact he made on the world. Completely entertaining and a fine tribute to an enormously gifted artist.

The Voice of my generation, in my opinion. He made so much music that will play on for many years to come. Still, I feel sad that he won't be here to create any more. His evolution into becoming himself took his whole life and was documented perfectly in his songs.

Damn, he really knew how to craft some perfect pop songs though!

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

George Michael was born in the 1960s to Greek immigrants, in London, and in the early 1980s, formed one pop pairing that wasn't terribly successful, before forming Wham!, which enjoyed phenomenal success that resonates until this day, whilst also enjoying a solo career of his own. But while becoming a worldwide superstar, in his private life, he was battling his own personal demons, including his repressed homosexuality, his unease with the limelight, through to the death of his partner and battle with his record company. Made in the few months leading up to his death, this documentary lifts the lid on his life in a way nothing else probably has before.

In a year where a superstar a minute seemed to pop off this mortal coil, the news of George Michael's death on none other than Christmas Day last year was like the final cherry on top of a particularly poisonous cake. So many cultural icons just snuffed out like candles, but no others seem to have left us with anything quite as revealing and intimate as this. As we learn, George was a guy who had to do everything on his terms, who had to be controlling the direction his life was taking, and so in this documentary, we learn in his own time, about the impact his personal and professional life took on him personally.

What emerges is a portrait of a young guy, thrust into the pit of fame, but he was no manufactured teen heart throb, a mature young adult, wise beyond his years, who allegedly wrote Careless Whisper, one of the most stirring and beautiful ballads of all time, on the back of a bus when he was just 17. It's interesting to wonder how a man of such tender years could have the emotional understanding and intelligence to write such material, but as we learn, he always felt more comfortable as a writer than a performer or celebrity.

The numerous musical talents who provide commentary never at all feel like unsavoury arse kissers, but give off a vibe of genuine admirers, whose musical style was genuinely influenced by George, possibly more than anyone else. You don't know what you've got till it's gone, I guess, and this revealing documentary certainly doesn't let you get away without knowing what exactly a one and only George was. ****