Backbeat
1994 · Movie · R · 100 min · ★ 6.1 · 64% critics
Backbeat follows the early days of The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany, centering on a close bond between a young musician and his best friend. The story also explores how a photographer’s presence adds friction as music and relationships collide during their first big trip abroad.
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Details
- Years
- 1994
- Release date
- 1994-04-01
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Critic score
- 64/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.1/10 (111 votes)
About
You’ll probably enjoy Backbeat if you want a music-and-relationships story set in early-60s Hamburg with standout performances, but Not for you if you need strict historical accuracy or prefer lighter, less vulgar scenes like Mo' Better Blues.
Pros: strong lead performances; energetic early music; compelling friendship | Cons: historical inaccuracies; uneven character focus; some vulgar moments
Themes
- guitar
- red-light district
- stuart sutcliffe
- boyfriend girlfriend relationship
- river elbe
- hamburg, germany
- photo
- reeperbahn
Cast & crew
Sheryl Lee
as Astrid Kirchherr
Stephen Dorff
as Stuart Sutcliffe
Ian Hart
as John Lennon
Gary Bakewell
as Paul McCartney
Chris O'Neill
as George Harrison
Scot Williams
as Pete Best
Kai Wiesinger
as Klaus Voormann
Jennifer Ehle
as Cynthia Powell
- MD
Marcelle Duprey
as Singer
- JW
John White
as Sailor 1
Directed by Iain Softley