1968 George Harrison-Scored Psychedelic Film Premiered 58 Years Ago Today
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival is officially underway, with a few movies already firing off with impressive standing ovations.
Exactly 58 years ago, a uniquely psychedelic project premiered at the festival and had some serious star power attached. The Beatles guitarist George Harrison had composed the soundtrack for Wonderwall - not to be confused with the iconic Oasis song, of course, which came decades later. Here's the film's official synopsis offered by Rotten Tomatoes:
"Absent-minded professor Oscar Collins (Jack MacGowran), studying in his charmless apartment, is bothered by loud music from the flat next door. Peeking through a tiny crack in the wall, he discovers a gorgeous young model, Penny Lane (Jane Birkin), and becomes obsessed with her and her swinging hippie lifestyle. In surreal fantasy sequences, he imagines doing battle with Penny's gauche photographer boyfriend (Iain Quarrier) for her hand. George Harrison provides the period soundtrack."
Harrison, who died in 2001 at age 58, released the film's soundtrack in 1968 as Wonderwall Music, his debut solo studio album. It was also the first solo album released by a member of The Beatles and the first LP to be released by Apple Records.
The mostly instrumental LP is described by Harrison's official website as an intricate, vibrant tapestry of Western rock music and compositions in an Indian classical style.
"I decided to do it as a mini-anthology of Indian music, because I wanted to help turn the public on to Indian music," the renowned musician once said in 1992, per his website.
Harrison was in the spotlight last month when his sister's Illinois house - where he once stayed in 1963, before The Beatles were selling out stadiums - went on the market for $105,000. Fans of the iconic band were afraid the special home at 113 McCann Street will be torn down by new owners. Grady Adams, the property's current owner, was renting it out as apartments but has decided to sell.
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This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 11:24 PM.