Backbeat Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
5 guys, 4 legends, 3 lovers, 2 friends, 1 band.
A pre-fame Beatles head for the seedy clubs of Hamburg in search of success. The band meet up with a group of trendy German beatniks, one of whom (Astrid Kircherr) bass guitarist Stuart Sutcliffe falls in love with. Whilst best friend John Lennon can only watch, Sutcliffe has to choose between rock 'n roll and a new life in Germany...
| Marcelle Duprey | Singer |
| Stephen Dorff | Stuart Sutcliffe |
| Ian Hart | John Lennon |
| John White | Sailor 1 |
| Bernard Merrick | Sailor 2 |
| Nicholas Tennant | Sailor 3 |
| Finola Geraghty | Model |
| Rob Spendlove | Arthur Ballard |
| Charlie Caine | Lord Woodbine |
| Jennifer Ehle | Cynthia Powell |
| Gary Bakewell | Paul McCartney |
| Chris O'Neill | George Harrison |
| Frieda Kelly | Mrs. Harrison |
| Scot Williams | Pete Best |
| Paul Humpoletz | Bruno |
| Iain Softley |
6.60 out of 10 (1368 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Simply one of the best films I have ever seen...
posted on 26 May 2009It's difficult to come up with the superlatives enough to describe a film such as "Backbeat"; a film that grabbed me from the first moment I saw it and has never let go. It is a film that has everything, from great acting, great music and great dialogue, right down to the underpinning love story between John, Astrid and Stuart. Ian Hart is a revelation as Lennon, which detracts the attention from equally superb performances from Stephen Dorff and Sheryll Lee. Certainly Dorff has not bettered his performance in this since. If you haven't seen this film, and whether you have or have not any interest in the Beatles, then get it on video or DVD now. 10/10.
highly recommended, especially for Beatles' fans!
posted on 20 May 2009Well, what a great surprise this midday movie turned out to be! I'd never heard of it & didn't surprise its title had anything to do with lyrics of the Chuck Berry "Rock & Roll Music" hit that the Beatles subsequently had a hit with. As a Beatles fan from my childhood days when they were thrust into the world spotlight virtually overnight, this gives an invaluable insight into the days of Beatles' youth, when they were unheralded imports to Hamburg nightclubs where they worked long hours for little rewards, along with others of the "Merseybeat" "British invasion" about to conquer the pop charts all over Britain, Australia and the United States.I notice some comments suggesting historical inaccuracies but "Backbeat" has plenty going for it. The drama between Stu (who was destined to be a 'forgotten Beatle' and John Lennon was intriguing, so too Stu and their photographer friend Astrid.As far as the comment about it not being as good as "Hard Day's Night" I would agree with. Nothing could compare with the raw energy of these euphoric real-life Beatles skits of exuberance & mischievous innocent frivolity that complemented their insightful and often profound lyrics and catchy tunes. Though I would suggest "Backbeat" would run rings around the Beatles' subsequent movie "Help" which was pathetically ridiculous when recently viewed, but for their musical hits.Don't let harsh critics turn you off this! "Backbeat" offers much more than any criticism that might be leveled at it!
Great Movie
posted on 15 May 2009First of all I am a huge Beatles nut so any movie made by them or about them i love. With that out of the way I can say that this was a very good movie.
For those expecting a movie like A Hard Days Night, it is nothing like that. This movie is about John Lennon's friend who was the bass player for the Beatles at the begginging of their carrear. it shows how he lost his interst for music and fell in love wiht a German lady. I wont tell u the ending, but this is a true story.
All in all i thought this was a great movie. You should defiently buy it.
Less about the Beatles and more The Stuart Sutcliff Story but do you care?
posted on 03 Mar 2009***SPOILER WARNING***`Backbeat' purports to be about the early days of The Beatles and how almost overnight four struggling musicians playing the clubs of Hamburg in the early sixties suddenly found themselves the most popular rock and roll band in the world. That would be fine if that were indeed the story that the movie wanted to tell.Instead `Backbeat' puts George, Paul, Ringo and Pete Best (the band's first drummer) in minor supporting roles in order to tell the story of Stuart Sutcliff (Stephen Dorff) who's only footnote in history is that he died just shortly before the band took the world by storm.Sutcliff isn't interested in music and that's just as well because we aren't really much interested in him. The other members of the band aren't too crazy about Sutcliff. He was briefly in the band and was a friend of John Lennon and the movie flirts with the idea that they may have been in love with Stuart's girlfriend and with Stuart.The film's sole merit is the brilliant, almost eerie performance of Ian Hart as the young John Lennon. His face, his voice and his mannerisms are dead on. He has played Lennon before in a movie called `The Hours and Times' which speculated on his affair with Brian Epstein while on holiday in Spain in 1963.The problem is that the movie never tells us what it finds so fascinating about Sutcliff. How different would the success of The Beatles have been without his contribution? Basically if you take him out of this story you don't have much left. It would simply be a dull movie about a guy living in England during the 60s who paints, has a girlfriend and dies of a hemorrhage at a very young age. How did The Beatles hit it big? When did they realize that they had made it? What happened to Pete Best? How did the foursome originally get together? How did they get along initially? The answers aren't to be found here.Rating: ** (of four)
Can we not agree - Oasis is a better band than the Beatles?!?
posted on 11 Oct 2008Riding a voracious roller-coaster and watching Ian Softley's "Backbeat" could be considered one in the same. From the excitement of the opening credits, to the lackluster conversations between infamous Beatle John Lennon and former-band member Stuart Sutcliffe in Liverpool, to the empowering nights of playing music in Hamburg, to the cliché drama over a girl named Astrid, to the emotional true formation of the Beatles, this film should have a subtext that it could, if viewed in one sitting, cause stomach butterflies or cramps. With Softley's eye, the audience is strapped in tightly as "Backbeat" goes up and down, left and right, in and out of darkness, and in the end all you are left with is a perturbed expression captured on an invisible camera. There is no argument that the Beatles have secured their names in worldly culture, and that there is plenty of information covering each living minute of these Brits, AND that the story of Stuart Sutcliffe is an interesting tale about a man who chose love and art versus screaming women and super-stardom, but this critic still winced a couple of times during this 100+ minute semi-biopic. Like the music of the Beatles, Softley has amazing scenes filled with emotion and pizzazz, but where he slips is his focus on our central character, Stuart Sutcliffe. One must ask the question, is this film about the choices of Sutcliffe, or is it just another chapter about the Beatles and their rise to popularity?
With equal screen time being shared between crucial friendship Lennon and Sutcliffe, the argument can be set that Softley struggles with who to allow the camera to capture, the charismatic Ian Hart (giving us a fresh face to Mr. Lennon), or the subdue and forced accent of Stephen Dorff playing Sutcliffe. For this critic, an entire film based off Hart's performance, or seen through Hart's Lennon's eyes would have been sheer icing on Softley's cake, but since we were forced to stifle through Dorff's performance - we are stuck with him, and where this film ultimately suffered. What makes this roller-coaster worth perhaps riding a second time is Softley's ability to cast stronger secondary characters that seem more viewable than our front and center players. Gary Bakewell's McCartney is perfection, while O'Neill, Williams, and whoever played Astrid's original lover were complete eye-candy. Each actor grew their characters further than the page, and used this film as a showcase for their talent. "Backbeat" is worth the rental for the sheer background characters alone, and for Hart's John Lennon, but our central characters, Sutcliffe and Astrid, seemed cliché-ly perfect, too instantaneous in love, and at times purely fake. What forces me to say this are the scenes that the two (Dorff and Lee) share together. While the art they create is full of passion, the chemistry that they share is not. The 60s were a different time, a time where I was nowhere in existence, but this film was made in 1994 - giving off an impression that certain liberties were taken to tell their story. Softley is too generous with these two - giving us no reality to base them in. While the 60s were carefree in nature, where does Astrid stumble upon the castle in which she lives? Money seems of no concern, and it is confusing (with no pre-story) how easily Sutcliffe can give up his best friend's band and the random disasters that can be caused at German limbo parties. If this were a true story of simply Sutcliffe, than we would have followed his eyes, intermixed with the Beatles as a cameo, and really seen his artwork. It isn't until the final act of this film that his artwork gets any recognition, which again makes it difficult to understand Sutcliffe's tangent rational.
Enough with the negative; what was engrossing about this film? "Backbeat", while playing to typical biopic clichés, still maintained a level of entertainment. The songs would walk in and catch your toes tapping along. Softley used American songs to give the Beatles that sense of "cool" as well as to demonstrate how well they performed on stage. Their energy, both the actual Beatles, as well as Ian Hart and his group had enough energy for anyone watching this film. They were charismatic, exciting, and destined to be stars. This was obvious from the beginning, the Beatles did it all themselves by performing eight days a week, with little to no food or sleep. They captured the essence of "grunge". For me, that was enough to continue with this film from beginning to end. Sutcliffe's artwork, because it was so thinly used in the film, was exciting to see as well. The same can be said for Astrid's photography. The Beatles' art (both music and printed) was brilliant, these characters were brilliant in their lives, but I just felt like Softley dumb-ed them down for audiences. The final act was pure rubbish, again with the opportunity to see Sutcliffe do his work - yet limbo miserably, that it nearly sours the remaining moments of this film. Outside of the story, flawed as it was, Softley and his cinematographer should be fully credited for the roller-coaster sensation felt throughout the film. There were breath-taking scenes throughout the movie, but they were typically anchored by choppy editing. There would be this great scene of Astrid looking at the band that would steal your breath, and then we would jump to the band - in what felt like a different filming ratio, and then back to Astrid. It felt like the audience was saying, "Ohhh ... urgggg .... Ohhhh".
Overall, "Backbeat" was an entertaining film, in fact, it stands above the mediocre level of entertainment to say that I could view this movie a second time - but it would be with much argument and comments through the peanut gallery throughout. The music stands out, Softley defines the time perfectly (almost as if anyone who could carry a tune could swoon those German women), but he cannot define his characters. This is a biopic, in the short sense of the word, about Stuart Sutcliffe, yet the audience watches nearly equal screen time between he and John Lennon. While I agree Lennon's influence on Sutcliffe and their friendship is worth the film reel it is printed on, I do not believe it fully grasps the art and lifestyle that Sutcliffe embodied. With a hodgepodge of beautiful scenes, why couldn't Softley use that tricky camera work to define Sutcliffe's art - to make his art the second main character? Ian Hart gave a phenomenal, hands-down, performance as Lennon, and a whole film could have been made about him - but Softley's film cannot support both - so they both suffer. Upon finishing this film, one cannot truly say they knew Sutcliffe at all - outside of the catastrophic ending and the tacky final words as they play in the ocean. "Backbeat" was an entertaining two hours, but not worth a second repeat.
Grade: *** out of *****
Five Star History, Four Star Drama
posted on 02 Oct 2008If you rated this movie based on dramatic content, script, acting, etc. it might not be too strong. As a historical piece, though, it is very strong. Reasonably authentic music that ROCKS (under the direction of famous producer Don Was), along with a provocative story line, keeps this movie on the edge. Anyone with an interest in the early sixties or the Beatles should enjoy Backbeat.
Glimpse of the largely unknown proto-Beatles
posted on 01 Jun 2008"Backbeat" provides a fascinating and alternative viewpoint of the pre-stardom Beatles. Ian Hart's jealous, sarcastic, and insecure Lennon is both fresh yet seemingly correct. Liverpool and Hamburg lay at either ends of the bridge between the sappy 50's and avant-garde 60s, and the film moves us across that bridge at the frenetic and raucous pace of the cover tunes of the then-Beatles' playlist. Hart and the actors playing McCartney and Harrison bear a less superficial and more unnerving resemblance to the young Beatles, certainly not in the way of a Vegas revue, and all the better for it. It's probably a good thing though that Stu Sutcliffe quit the band, if quite a sad thing he died so young. His continuance with the Beatles is one counterfactualist scenario I'm glad not to imagine.
Good Film, Even Better Soundtrack
posted on 31 May 2008I really enjoyed this film, I do however doubt that i would have enjoyed it as much if it hadn't been for the absoloutely storming soundtrack made up of Fifties covers which you believe would have been played by the Beatles at that stage in their careers. Add to that the fact that the Band used to create the sound of the Beatles consisted of some of the leading musicians of the 90's. They bring their own interpretation to the music just as you believe the Beatles would have done, The only exception to this is the Drum beat which tends to sound more like the 90's than the 60's that being said it does make it more accessable to a contemporary audience.Now as for the actual film itself, It was built on an interesting story about Stuart Sutcliffe, John Lennons best friend, Choosing between music and Art, the latter enevitably wins out with the help of Astrid. Much of the story is of a Tug Of war between John lennon trying to keep him involved in the music and Astrid who sees his artistic potential. It's a story that has been played over and over again but is refreshed in the context of surrounding characters that you feel you already know.The Characteristically funny Lennon, Business like McCartney, Shy Harrison all come across very comfortably. But they are merely bit characters as this film is more about the choices of sutcliffe than it is about the fab four.
Sweet, Small Film of the Early Beatles
posted on 13 Dec 2007The Beatles' career is covered in this biopic which emphasizes the short life of Stuart Sutcliffe. Stuart was John Lennon's best friend from art school and he became a Beatle for a short time, not based on musical ability but on friendship. John was very loyal to Stuart and he was distressed when he quit the band to continue his pursuit of being an artist and live in Germany with his girlfriend. Stuart died young of a cerebral hemorrhage. A small film with a bit of charm and a bit of history. The DVD also contains a interview with Astrid his German girlfriend.
The long and winding road to fame
posted on 12 Aug 2007This is the story of the early trials and tribulations of John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe, art students and rock musicians from Liverpool. They were scrappy trouble-makers when they formed the Beatles with Paul, George, and Pete Best and went to play in the shabby strip clubs of Hamburg, hoping to make a name for themselves. There, Stuart met and fell in love with photographer Astrid Kirchherr. Although he was very close to John, Stuart chose to leave the group and stay with Astrid, just before the Beatles released their first record.
Ian Hart (Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) gives an explosive performance as John Lennon. Being a native of Liverpool, Hart gets the accent right and conveys John's scruffy, irreverent attitude and love of music. American actor Stephen Dorff does a good job as the sensitive, doomed Stuart. None of the actors look much like their characters, but they do project a believable image of the group.
The songs (none of which are by Lennon-McCartney) were sung by members of established bands such as REM. The sleazy locations in Liverpool and Hamburg contribute to the rag-tag feeling of the movie. In spite of ample profanity and nudity, this is a movie that Beatles fans will enjoy, and the DVD has many interesting extras.
Great history good film-making fair story
posted on 11 Aug 2007Is "Backbeat" a factually accurate depiction of the Beatles' stint in Hamburg? Probably not, to the dismay of pedants who have perused the (by my rough count) 5,000,000 books written about the history of the Fab Four. But the various milieu in which the characters lived -- the bleakness of Liverpool, the sleaze of Hamburg -- is beautifully conveyed and gives you a better sense of what shaped John Lennon's tortured genius than any dry recitation of recording-session dates. You get a nice sense of the Beatles' looming threat to Britain's staid popular culture in an early scene of John Lennon and best mate Stuart Sutcliffe sitting in a trad jazz club, wearing leather jackets and heckling the band. You also get a good idea of Hamburg's sordidness from a quick-cut stripper montage after the lads have departed England for the Reeperbahn. Musically, the band performances don't sound exactly like the early Beatles, but the filmmakers choose wisely when they asked a group of indie-music all-stars like Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) to play on the soundtrack. The loud, slightly dissonant take on early Beatles classics are as vivid and startling as the Beatles must have been to early 60s audiences. Finally, the film doesn't gloss over any bad behavior -- there's drugs and whoring galore, and Lennon is depicted as an obnoxious if engaging genius. ("How did you get to be such an ***hole?" asks Astrid Kirchherr. "Practice," responds Lennon.) It's a well-made, lively portray of The Artists As A Bunch Of Horny Young Men on Speed, and if a few dates get muddled, well, you're supposed to look those up in books anyway, not get them from movies.What keeps "Backbeat" from being brilliant, sadly, is the central character of Stuart Sutcliffe, who comes off as a wooden, shallow pretty boy. I don't know if that's a fair portrayal of the real Sutcliffe or a side effect of asking Stephen Dorff to play him. Lennon and Astrid are competing for Sutcliffe's love, and their rivalry is a lot more interesting than the relationship either have with Stuart himself, probably because they're stronger characters played by better actors. (Ian Hart is a charmingly snotty Lennon, Sheryl Lee is a sweet and attractive Astrid.) Sutcliffe's tragic downfall would be more compelling if (A) we didn't already know about it, and (B) Dorff wasn't such a stiff. Whatever, you're watching this movie because you're a Beatles fan, you don't need a love story. As for the supporting characters (now legends), Paul McCartney doesn't come off all that well (but he never does on film); Cynthia Lennon gets a surprisingly sympathetic treatment (she's a cipher or a shrew elsewhere); and George, Ringo, Pete Best et al all sort of lurk in the shadow of John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's opportunism, just like in real life.
This movie rocked and rolled
posted on 06 Aug 2007This movie has everything from tear-jerking emotion to all-out action. The actors portraying the characters of John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe (Ian Hart and Stephen Dorff) are fantastic in their roles as do-or-die best friends. This movie really captured the rough and tumble action of the early days of the Beatles, and the heartbreakingly deep friendship between John and Stu. The acting is amazing and really grabs you by the heartstrings. I never cry during movies, but the ending to this one had me bawling, something that's very rare. But despite this, Backbeat is a wonderful mix of charismatic fun, tough attitudes, unbreakable friendships, betrayl, and of course great music. This is by far the best movie made about the Beatles, and even if you aren't a fan of theirs you won't be able to help yourself from liking this non-stop thrill ride of a movie. I also loved the way it gives long over-due credit to to my personal favorite member of the early group, Stuart Sutcliffe, who died before the band made it big, and left the future biggest band in the world, for love and to do what he wanted to do despite the fact that it was one of the hardest things he ever did because of his friendship with John. In short, this movie was a really well-crafted piece of entertainment that also serves to give respect to one of the least well-known but greatest painters of our time who was also a big influence on the greatest band of all time.
The Story of Disco Stu
posted on 02 Aug 2007We all know who The Beatles was. But not everybody knows how many more played in the band before their big breakthrough in 1961. This film tells the story of one of them, Stu Sutcliffe, best friend of Lennon at that time and a tragic figure. It is a sensitive piece without a doubt and a decent homage to the beginnings of the world's most popular band, but Stephen Dorff as Sutcliffe is pretty horrible, his overacting almost painful to watch. Unfortunately, his performance ruined a lot for me which is the film's greatest pity, because Sutcliffe was an interesting character. He came to the band in 1960 as bass player after Lennon wheedled him into. While staying almost exclusively in Hamburg, Sutcliffe met the German photographer Astrid Kirchherr (who was also the inspiration for the famous haircuts) and fell in love with her. He neglected the duties of being a band member, concentrated on painting instead and spent his time with Astrid whereupon McCartney fired him. So, Sutcliffe accepted within a blink and said that the band is not going to become famous anyway. You bet. However, Dorff was definitely the wrong choice for the role.
Pure garage raunch
posted on 21 Jul 2007The film is a marvel. The only evidence of post-fame Beatles nostalgia that doesn't seek to cash-out. It is no less than a kick-ass rock n' roll film, with deft photography, powerful direction and an incredibly hard garage soundtrack. Recommended for fans of garage raunch and pre-invasion british blues.
Boring, dragged on. Action in last 10 minutes
posted on 22 Jun 2007Do you wonder why hardly anyone has heard of this film? There's a reason for that. It is so boring, and drags like no other film you've seen. Surrounds the very early days of Lennon and his friend (played by Stephen Dorff).
Don't waste your time. Nothing that interesting to tell.
Pretty Nice Stuff
posted on 26 May 2007I came across this movie at a local VC sell-out. It turned out to be the first feature movie about the Beatles I ever enjoyed. Well I never! The general idea, the team or actors, the sound of 60s and even the Liverpool accent spoken, all in all produced that penetrating feeling of those times gone once and back again on the screen. Really touching and marvellous stuff!
Superb
posted on 03 Dec 2006"Backbeat" is an excellent portrayal of the Hamburg phase of the early Beatles, and succeeds on every level. Although purportedly intended primarily to tell the story of "fifth Beatle" Stuart Sutcliffe, the focus quickly shifts to John Lennon who (as in real life) dominated the music and lives of the early Beatles. It is as much the story of Stu and John as the story of Stu and Astrid, and explores the dynamics of both complex relationships. Still, it is a fascinating look at the early Beatles, who paid their dues by playing in some of the rough Reeperbahn bars in the pre-fame years. The cast is excellent, and were obviously chosen for their talent rather than their resemblance to the characters they portrayed. The music is also excellent, and complements the story perfectly. In all, "Backbeat" is an entertaining journey through the world of the early Beatles, and is well worth purchasing for repeat viewings.
Great movie...but they don't SOUND like the Beatles!
posted on 14 Nov 2006I really enjoyed this film, but I just had a little trouble with the music.
It was truly terrific, but Dave Pirner sounds nothing like Paul McCartney by any stretch of the imagination, nor does Greg Dulli sound anything remotely like John Lennon. I thought it was great that they used such well-known and talented musicians as Thurston Moore and Dave Grohl, but couldn't they have found somebody that sounded a little bit more like Lennon and McCartney?
Ok, enough about that. I didn't know the whole story about Stuart Sutcliffe, and I had no idea that *SPOILER* he died. That was awful. But I really enjoyed learning more about one of my favorite bands, especially since I completely missed out on their heyday. (John Lennon died about six months before I was born! Oh, the agony!) I really didn't know much about the early days of the band, so this movie was very informative. I thought all the actors looked incredibly like their real-life counterparts. I had already see Ian Hart portray Lennon in The Hours and the Times, so I knew his characterization of Lennon was awesome, and made me enjoy his performance in Backbeat all the more. I highly recommend this film to all Beatles fans and anyone interested in rock 'n' roll history.
Unbelievable soundtrack!
posted on 09 Aug 2009I just bought this soundtrack used and it fascinated me that Mike Mills (REM), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) and the other musicians could cover the Beatles covering American bands. outstanding! If you have the means, I highly recommend purchasing it. Try a place like wherehouse music and get it used!