Backbeat is a 1994 movie that chronicles the early days of The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany. The movie focuses primarily on the relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe (played by Stephen Dorff) and John Lennon (played by Ian Hart), and also with Sutcliffe's German girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr (played by Sheryl Lee).

The movie is generally more accurate, both about Sutcliffe's life and the early Beatles history, than the 1979 TV movie Birth of the Beatles, which covers mostly the same period. It also has a darker, more detailed storyline, and Beatles history per se is background to the main story.

The soundtrack to the movie features not Beatles songs, but the cover tunes they used to play in Hamburg, written and recorded by other artists.

Rather than re-create the period sounds, iconoclastic, rebellious musicians were recruited (as a producer noted, The Beatles' pre-recording stage act was "the punk of its day".) This was done to better convey the way the music came across to the audience, at the time. The musicians were all members of well-known American rock bands:

• Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum): vocals
• Greg Dulli (The Afghan Whigs): vocals
• Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth): guitar
• Don Fleming (Gumball): guitar
• Mike Mills (R.E.M.): bass guitar
• Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters): drums

External links

• DVD Journal review

• http://www.backbeatbeatles.com - The Backbeat Beatles Official Site

• http://backbeat.atspace.com/main.htm - The Backbeat Beatles Fan Club Newsletter

1994 films | British films | Biographical films | Drama films | Tributes to The Beatles

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