Backbeat (1994)

Director:

Iain Softley

Writers:

Iain Softley (writer)
Michael Thomas (writer)

Release Date:

15 April 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Music

Tagline:

He Had To Choose Between His Best Friend... The Woman He Loved... And The Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band In the World.

Plot:

A dramatization of the Hamburg, Germany phase of the Beatles' early history.

Plot Keywords:

Stuart Sutcliffe | John Lennon | Germany | Beatles | Paul Mccartney

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Sheryl Lee	...	Astrid Kirchherr
Stephen Dorff	...	Stuart Sutcliffe
Ian Hart	...	John Lennon
Gary Bakewell	...	Paul McCartney
Chris O'Neill	...	George Harrison
Scot Williams	...	Pete Best
Kai Wiesinger	...	Klaus Voormann
Jennifer Ehle	...	Cynthia Powell
Marcelle Duprey	...	Singer
John White	...	Sailor 1
Bernard Merrick	...	Sailor 2
Nicholas Tennant	...	Sailor 3
Finola Geraghty	...	Model
Rob Spendlove	...	Arthur Ballard
Charlie Caine	...	Lord Woodbine

Also Known As:

BackBeat - Die Wahrheit über die Beatles (Germany)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English | German | French

Colour:

Black and White | Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | LC-Concept Digital Sound

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Argentina:13 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cheney Street, London, England, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

The soundtrack does not feature any Lennon-McCartney compositions, presumably for budgetary reasons. However, the film does include many songs covered by the Beatles as part of their well-known Hamburg/Cavern Club repertoire. Among these are "Twist and Shout" (later to appear on their debut album "Please Please Me") and "Long Tall Sally" (later released on an EP of the same name).

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: At the end of the film, text describing subsequent events is superimposed over shots of a beach. One paragraph notes that Klaus Voormann played bass on John Lennon's album "Imagine" and designed the Beatles' "Revolver" album cover, but although the former title is placed in quotation marks, the latter is not.

Quotes:

John Lennon: You can't do your solo spots any more, Stu.
Stuart Sutcliffe: Why not?
John Lennon: Because it's shite.
Stuart Sutcliffe: Give it to me straight. Let's not beat around the bush.

Movie Connections:

Version of Stuart Sutcliffe: The Lost Beatle (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Please Mr Postman

A long, long time ago, in a country not too far away...

I think that it's especially appropriate that "Backbeat" was released right after the 30th anniversary of the Beatles coming to America: everyone was remembering them, and then a really good movie shows their early days. Specifically, it focuses on when they went to Hamburg and met artsy photographer Astrid Kirchherr. I should identify that this movie is for mature audiences only: aside from the language and sex, it shows how John, Paul, George, Pete, and Stu got addicted to speed so that they could keep playing; as a result, they got little sleep and their eyes got all glassy as they laid awake.

A really effective scene is right after Stu leaves the Beatles. Hoping to devote his life to art, he goes out and gets all drunk. Around this time, East Germany's government erects the Berlin Wall. Watching it on TV, Astrid and Klaus hold hands to be supportive of each other. When Stu sees this, he gets all violent. This scene - possibly more than any other in the movie - shows his mental breakdown.

All in all, a great movie. We also see that they first met Ringo in Hamburg. I'm sure that we'll all be remembering "Backbeat" for years to come. Rock on, lads!