Day 39: Backbeat.

Day 39: Backbeat (1994, Dir. Iain Softley)

Everyone knows the legendary tale of the fab four – John, Paul, George and Ringo; but what about Stuart? This film explores the early days of the 5 Beatles as they travel to Germany at the beginning of their career and the emotionally charged circumstances they find themselves in.

The main attraction to this film is of course to see the early days of the band and to witness how they became the world renowned act they are remembered as. There is the raw musical talent and the surrounding excitement it created, of course there is the trademark humour too, however there is a dark side to these early days, from pub punch ups to sexual frustration. These elements fuse together to make a biopic which captures a great deal of the bands energy but also tells us the lesser known story of original member Stuart Sutcliffe.

Though the problem is that the film never quite seems to gel. Jumping from Stuarts friendship with John to his flourishing romance is interesting and entertaining but some times can feel as though it is not being used to its full potential to show what the character is feeling, letting us know what he has given up to be there and his conflicting feelings. Another issue is the supporting characters, they are often peculiar to watch in some ways just because we are so familiar with them. Whilst always feeling like John Lennon and Paul McCartney the characters are sometimes hard to stomach just because we are so used to seeing the real versions of them; at points these interpretations range from credible to jarring just because you can’t help but comparing them to the images of the band in your head.

However these faults don’t detract from this films charm and appeal to music fans. The film is certainly a unique one, telling a tale about popular music culture which can’t help but interest you, it’s the unusual perspective that’ll keep you hooked and the fantastic music that’ll win you over.

6/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275309/

Extra: Had Twist and Shout stuck in my head for ages after this…