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Movies / On DVD / Backbeat
Backbeat

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Backbeat (1994)

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Reviews Counted:34

Fresh:25

Rotten:9

Average Rating:6.1/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 20 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: A reconstruction of the legendary British rock group's early days, before the advent of Beatlemania and world-wide fame. The story focuses on the turbulent and exciting period that the Beatles'... A reconstruction of the legendary British rock group's early days, before the advent of Beatlemania and world-wide fame. The story focuses on the turbulent and exciting period that the Beatles' spent in Hamburg, Germany in 1960-62, when they played in a series of rough-and-tumble dives and came into contact with cutting-edge artists. Among them was photographer Astrid Kirchherr, who helped shape the group's image, and with whom both John Lennon and former Beatle Stu Sutcliffe fell in love. Ultimately, Sutcliffe left the group, making way for the success of one of the greatest phenomena in rock music history. [More]

Starring: Sheryl Lee, Stephen Dorff, Ian Hart

Starring: Sheryl Lee, Stephen Dorff, Ian Hart

Director: Iain Softley

Director: Iain Softley
Screenwriter: Iain Softley, Michael Thomas, Stephen Ward
Producer: Finola Dwyer, Stephen Woolley

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 12, 2003

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Backbeat

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

Jonathan Rosenbaum

There's nothing very profound here, but we do at least get a nice handling of period and milieu, and pretty good performances of the songs.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 10 2007 10:49 PM

Chicago Reader

tomato

Peter Travers

What pulls you over the bum spots is the electrifying immediacy.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 10 2007 10:48 PM

Rolling Stone

tomato
3/4

First-time director Iain Softley makes the film more visually distinctive than most music bios.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 10 2007 10:47 PM

TV Guide's Movie Guide

splat

Todd McCarthy

The early, pre-fame days of the Beatles are a great subject for a film, but the potential has been only partly realized in Backbeat.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 10 2007 10:45 PM

Variety

tomato
B-

Emanuel Levy

The film tells the story of the original, little-known fifth Beatle, Stuart Sutcliffe, a young painter with rock n' roll sensibility who in 1960 forgoes his promising art career to join his best friend John Lennon (nicely played by Ian Hart) in Berlin

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 12 2006 02:40 PM

EmanuelLevy.Com

tomato

Mark Bourne

You can't miss the affection and sincerity Backbeat carries from start to finish.... Softley bottles the attitude and energy, the excitement of the new, that were as integral to the Beatles' success as their songs.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 09 2006 05:55 PM

DVDJournal.com

tomato

Geoff Andrew

The music is loud and raw, but nevertheless evokes the excitement it generated.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 26 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato
4/5

Brad Laidman

The music, done here by a group of grunge all-stars, doesn't even attempt to sound dead-on, but remains mostly true to the raucous spirit of the time.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 07:42 PM

Film Threat

splat
2/5

Cole Smithey

No review available.

comment Comment | Nov., 14 2005 09:30 PM

ColeSmithey.com

splat
2/5

Chuck O'Leary

No review available.

comment Comment | Oct., 09 2005 05:15 PM

Fantastica Daily

tomato
6/10

Dragan Antulov

points to the tragic irony of immortality being achieved through early death

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 17 2005 02:32 PM

Draxblog Movie Reviews

tomato
4/5

Angie Errigo

Iain Softley directs his feature debut with simplicity and feeling, and you don't have to have been a Beatles fan to get with the beat. Gives you hope for the British film industry.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 22 2005 03:15 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato

All the cast give credible performances.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 04 2003 08:08 AM

Channel 4 Film

tomato

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

A raucous film about the Beatles before they made it big

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 18 2003 10:23 AM

Spirituality and Practice

tomato
3/5

Walter Chaw

No review available.

comment Comment | Jun., 25 2003 03:24 AM

Film Freak Central

tomato
3/5

Janet Maslin

Backbeat, which for all its pretensions can often be impressively canny and affectionate about its subject, is helped enormously by newly recorded versions of Beatle records.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:05 PM

New York Times

tomato
4/5

Luke Y. Thompson

Even non-Beatles fans -- myself included -- should give this one a try.

comment Comment | Mar., 14 2003 03:41 PM

New Times

tomato
3/5

Rob Vaux

An engaging look at fifth Beatle Stuart Sutclife and his relationship with John Lennon.

comment Comment | Dec., 30 2002 08:12 AM

Flipside Movie Emporium

tomato
3/5

Bob Bloom

Nice look at the early life of the Beatles.

comment Comment | Sep., 08 2002 09:12 PM

Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

tomato
4/5

Ken Hanke

Very good biopic about the early days of the Beatles

comment Comment | Aug., 21 2002 01:54 PM

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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all

Latest News for Backbeat

September 12, 2007: Total Recall: Across the Universe And The Beatles On Film
This week, Across the Universe hits theaters. Julie Taymor's film, starring Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess as a young couple in the midst of the heady, chaotic 1960s,... More...

August 24, 2006: New Line Signs Bettany & Fraser for "Inkheart"
New Line's just getting the ball rolling on their highly-anticipated "His Dark Materials" series -- and now they have an all-new potential trilogy to worry about.... More...

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