Backbeat

This nearly forgotten film is an entertaining if embellished tale of the Beatles’ pre-fame Hamburg days, and their relationship with photographer Astrid Kirchherr and her boyfriend, Klaus Voormann. At least, they were a couple, until Astrid’s heart was stolen by then-Beatles bassist Stu Sutcliffe (played by Stephen Dorff, four years before he gained fame as Deacon Frost in “Blade”). I found it interesting that neither Astrid’s nor Klaus’ respective surnames were ever spoken; they appear in print only at the end. Most casual Beatles fans know Astrid’s role in the Beatles story, but one shouldn’t overlook Klaus, who became a renowned artist and musician in his own right, and continued to work with the Beatles, including their solo projects. Amid the hype over the upcoming “Anthology 4,” one should note that Klaus designed the “Anthology” covers, as well as the one for “Revolver.” In summary, this film is a must-watch for Beatles fans.

best Beatle movie ever made. Watch Nowhere Boy first and then this one takes it from there and ends right at the point where they are about to hit it Big.

This is a movie I enjoyed a lot when it first came out. I'm not a hardcore fan of The Beatles, more of a casual fan, and tend to like John Lennon's post-Beatle work more than The Beatles. "Backbeat" is the back story of The Beatles before they made it big. A pre-history of The Beatles. "Backbeat" starts where last year's "Nowhere Boy" leaves off. The years The Beatles went to Hamburg, Germany playing dank clubs in cellars and learned how to play rock `n' roll. Liverpool art students and best friends John Lennon (Ian Hart) and Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) take the proto-Beatles Paul McCartney (Gary Bakewell), George Harrison (Chris O'Neill), and Pete Best (Scot Williams) to Hamburg. In Germany The Beatles resembled more of a punk band than The Beatles that later became famous. They dress in leathers, they're introduced to speed, and their playing is more ragged and raucous. One of the points of contention between McCartney and Lennon is Sutcliffe's lack of ability in playing the bass guitar, but since Sutcliffe is Lennon's best mate Sutcliffe stays in the band. Soon after arriving, Sutcliffe meets Astrid Kirchherr (Sheryl Lee), and several love triangles develop between the characters. The triangle that receives the main focus of "Backbeat" is between Lennon, Sutcliffe, and Kirchherr, then the close relationship between Lennon and Sutcliffe, and the more subtle love triangle of Lennon, The Beatles and the pull of fame and recognition Lennon craved. All pull with equal gravity on Lennon and Sutcliffe. Hart as John Lennon disappears into the role he makes a believable Lennon without it falling into impersonation or parody. While not many people were familiar with Sutcliffe before "Backbeat" in the special features section of the DVD are pictures of Sutcliffe and Dorff looks remarkably like Sutcliffe. Dorff was about the same age as Sutcliffe when he made this movie, and due to the enormous input of Astrid Kirchherr to the movie it would be safe to assume Dorff has the same handle on Sutcliffe as Hart has on Lennon. Sheryl Lee also plays Kirchherr very subtly. She seems shy but her influence on Sutcliffe's life visibly grows during the course of the film, and the conclusion seems preordained to us. As the movie ends we fill in the blanks. It's the point where the historic Beatles begin and almost everyone knows (or thinks they know) the history of The Beatles. A lot of attention seems to have been paid to the details of both the era and the relationships of the person's involved. As we discover in the special features director Iain Softley developed the screenplay with a lot of input from Astrid Kirchherr. Softley admits that some things have been changed for dramatic purposes but nothing that changes the overall story or the characters. The special features include an interview with Astrid Kirchherr, that her relationship with Sutcliffe, and includes photographs of Sutcliffe and his paintings. There are two interviews with director Iain Softley the first at Sundance which tells a lot about how he developed "Backbeat" with the input of Kirchherr. The second interview with Softley and Hart is a little redundant in places because Softley reiterates how he came to make "Backbeat." The commentary is rather minimalist in approach and you can easily watch the movie around it. As I mentioned "Backbeat" carries on where " Nowhere Boy " left off. Although these two movies weren't conceived as such and were made 16 years apart, they make nice companion pieces and fit nicely together in the Lennon/Beatles story.

Saw it when it first came out, years ago, and was fascinated by it. It's not the greatest movie ever made, but if you're a Beatles fan, it's an interesting one. We tend to forget that the Beatles were at one time just kids, trying to put a band together, play in front of an audience and inching toward becoming "The Beatles" as we know them today. They were punks playing 'Long Tall Sally" and other cover tunes in dive Hamburg bars in between strip shows. Layer in the story of Stu Sutcliffe, and it's a well-rounded tale. The actors are good, the accents are passable and there are moments of triumph and tragedy. Worth watching if you're a music fan.

This movie was way better than I was expecting it to be. The two things that stuck out to me was that Paul was too tall and it sounded nothing like John singing when they were on stage. At least Paul sounded like Paul when he was singing. Besides that, they did a really good job. Stephen Dorff is great as Stuart, but I think the best parts were the scenes of John and Paul talking to each others, that's what we really want to see. Ian Hart was incredible as John in the movie. He had the look and voice down. Overall, a really sad movie about a guy that gave up being in the best band in the world for the woman he loved. That is the message of the movie.

I got a kick out of the current "Spotlight" review of this DVD, the one referring to a portrayal of an unrequited "homosexual" love affair between Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon. People see what they want to see, I guess, but I didn't see that at all in this wonderful movie. Sure, the John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe characters experience a deep felt "love" for each other, but love in a non-sexual sense. A man can feel intense love for another man (or a woman for another woman, a mother and daughter for instance)and it doesn't have to be (nor is it usually) sexual. Maybe it takes a quite a few years to realize it, but sexual love is really the weakest kind of love out there. Sexual love often boils down to nothing more than lust, and the friendship between John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe that is portrayed in BACKBEAT is in a world apart from than that. As most everyone has said, the movie is a absolute delight. The performances are all strong and the cinematography just right. It's one of those films you can watch over and over again, and see something different each time. Most highly recommended, especially to fans of early Beatle music.

Shout Factory does it again, the film looks great & the bonus features are exceptional.

ビートルズファンでなくても見る価値はあると思います。 成功の裏側にスチュアートと恋人アストリッドの切ないラブストーリー があった事を知りました。 この映画で私が印象深いシーンは、浜辺にスチュアート、アストリッド、 ジョン、シンシアがドライブに来て、灯台でジョンがアストリッドに 告白する場面です。 後にクラウスもビートルズ解散後のジョンレノンのプラスティック・オノバンドに 参加したあと、様々なミュージシャンのセッションに参加して活躍しており、 才能豊かな人々が偶然この時代に出会い、お互いに影響しあい、その後の ビートルズの成功へと繋がったんだと思いました。

In tempo, perfetto, lo cercavo da anni. Ancora celofanato.

Superb film of the Hamburg period of The Beatles...Oh, No! Actually a story centering on Stu Sutcliffe and Astrid Kirkherr...but it manages to kill two birds with one stone, if you will forgive the inelegant analogy. Well acted and superbly cast, this film takes some beating. Forget the physical resemblances to the real characters, the personalities of the three core Beatles are so accurately depicted that Cynthia Lennon was bowled over when she saw the film with her son Julian. "That is what your Dad was like!" she is supposed to have remarked. The loving couple, Astrid Kirkherr (Sheryl Lee) and Stu (Stephen Dorff) are touching, and believable. Kudos to both for their credible German and Liverpudlian personas respectively. The music is also brilliantly performed by 1990s rock talents. Very atmospheric, since it is shot in many of the very same locations as the historical actions occurred...even down to Dorff leaning in the same tree that Kikherr had photographed the real-life Sutcliffe up against. Some have lamented the absence of Lennon/ McCartney material; doubtless a copyright problem...but there wasn't that much around pre-1963, and the original band made do mostly with cover material.

El tache no es para Amazon, pues su servicio hasta ahora ha sido excelente. La verdad lo compré creyendo en la máxima de que ahora Blu ray, por su espacio, se quita de problemas incluyendo subtítulos incluso en el material extra, además de que la calidad en la imagen y sonido debe ser superior, porque de lo contrario, para eso siguen existiendo vhs y dvd. Pues no, quien "re editó" esta versión, pareciera que tomó un vhs y lo copió tal cual a un blu ray. No tiene subtítulos en ningún idioma (solo trae en inglés para sordos y hasta eso, mal hechos), la imagen no se ve restaurada y el sonido menos, con el detalle de que al seleccionar el 5.1, se escucha en estéreo, y viceversa. Si pones el estéreo, se escucha en 5.1 (muy malo, por cierto). Lo único que salva a este disco es el material que en sí representa para cada bitlémano, sobre todo para quien jamás lo ha visto, pero de ahí en fuera, tendré que seguir conformándome con mi antiguo vhs subtitulado. De hecho esta compra la hice para una persona que está muy interesada en aprender sobre el cuarteto (sí, ya se que no es fiel esta historia, pero no deja de ser imprescindible para un fan) pero como no sabe inglés, no le sirve. A eso agreguemos que el precio no es muy accesible que digamos, al menos no para la pésima calidad del disco. Si pueden, evítenlo, y quienes ya lo adquirimos, tendremos que esperar hasta que alguien más inteligente y con mayor interés en este material se preocupe por sacar una versión realmente mejorada y con subtítulos en todos los idiomas.

Envío rápido, producto en buen estado.