Rating: R
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 01/25/2005
SubTitles: French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1/DD2
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Universal Studios
The Beatles' early days as a struggling bar band are depicted in this fact-based drama, which tells the little-known story of original member
Stuart Sutcliffe (
Stephen Dorff). A close friend of
John Lennon,
Sutcliffe acts as the band's original bassist, accompanying them on their early gigs in Liverpool and Hamburg, Germany. The friendship becomes strained, however, when
Sutcliffe falls in love with a German art student and starts to question his commitment to the band. With
Sutcliffe's story taking center stage, the stories of the more famous
Beatles largely fade into the background. The exception is
John Lennon, thanks to a fierce performance by
Ian Hart, who had previously portrayed the musician in the more intimate and provocative
The Hours and the Times. While
Backbeat does provide a new perspective on the band's beginning, and numerous opportunities for a group of modern rock musicians to recreate the band's energetic early performances, it never makes
Sutcliffe's story seem more than a footnote to musical history.
~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
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