BACKBEAT
A film review by Scott Renshaw
Copyright 1994 Scott Renshaw
Starring: Sheryl Lee, Stephen Dorff, Ian Hart, Gary Bakewell. Screenplay: Iain Softley, Stephen Ward & Michael Thomas. Director: Iain Softley.
In the original edition of Trivial Pursuit, there is a question which reads simply, "Who replaced Pete Best?" From the phrasing of that question, it would appear that at least one change from the original lineup of The Beatles is assumed to be part of the popular consciousness. That probably is not the case for the true story behind BACKBEAT, which dramatizes the pre-Fab days when they were in fact a fivesome. It is an intriguing and atmospheric study of a complicated romantic triangle, but it lacks solid performances across the board to back up Ian Hart's dynamic work as John Lennon.
BACKBEAT opens in 1960, as Liverpool mates John Lennon (Hart) and Stu Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) prepare to take their band The Beatles to bigger and better things, which includes moving to Hamburg to take advantage of the thriving club scene. Stu is more interested in his painting, but he joins John, Paul (Gary Bakewell), George (Chris O'Neill) and Pete (Scot Williams) in Germany to follow up strippers in darkened pubs. There Stu meets Astrid Kirchherr (Sheryl Lee), a bohemian photographer who introduces him to another side of Hamburg. As they become closer, tensions rise within the band. Paul questions Stu's talent and dedication, and John seems jealous ... although of whom is not entirely clear.
Director and co-writer Iain Softley has a unique perspective from which to tell the story of The Beatles' rise from ragged cover band to international icons, so BACKBEAT never becomes simply an "early years" bio-pic. It does boast some clever music numbers which highlight the band's frustration with their seedy environs, and an exciting sense of place. However, it's primarily the story of two friends divided by their different passions, and the woman who brings those passions into focus. This theme is highlighted in one of the film's best sequences, when Stu plays hooky from a recording session to spend the day with Astrid, as Softley cross-cuts between the ever rowdier session and Stu's idyllic encounter. Both parties are exactly where they want to be, and much of the conflict in BACKBEAT comes from John's frustration that for Stu, The Beatles are not that place.
Still, BACKBEAT could have been much, much stronger with some better acting in two of the three lead performances. It's certainly not the fault of Ian Hart, who has cornered the market on playing a homoeroticized Lennon after this film and 1991's THE HOURS AND TIMES. He seethes as a young man filled with anger and confusion and determination which can only find an acceptable outlet on stage. Whereas in most films a line like, "We're going to be too big for our own bloody good" would come off as silly historical revisionism, it seems plausible coming from Hart's cynical visionary. His brilliance is emphasized, unfortunately, by the blandness of co-stars Stephen Dorff and Sheryl Lee. Dorff's Stu is always a bit too low-key, even when he's doing his painting, so as a dramatic character he never becomes all that interesting. Lee is appropriately mysterious, but her vampish persona goes overboard on occasion. She doesn't inject enough life into her performance to make it clear why everyone seems so fascinated by her. And sadly, Americans Dorff and Lee are both saddled with uncomfortable accents. BACKBEAT needs to feed off the conflict in this central triangle, but there's not enough spark to their interaction, and the film often plays like THE COMMITMENTS on quaaludes.
As long as the music is playing, BACKBEAT is quite good. The rest of The Beatles are played by great physical matches, particularly Gary Bakewell as a dead ringer for the young Paul. The songs are performed by an all-star band (including REM's Mike Mills, Soul Asylum's David Pirner and Nirvana's Dave Grohl) with an unrehearsed edge, and the appeal of the energetic Beatles is obvious. If only more of that energy could have carried off stage.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 gigs: 6.
-- Scott Renshaw Stanford University Office of the General Counsel
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