BACKBEAT

BACKBEATis the true story of the birth of the Beatles and Stuart Sutcliffe's indeliable influence on the band that went on to change the world. Set between 1960 and 1962 in Liverpool and Hamburg, when postwar austerity was doing all it could to keep art at bay, the film masterully captures the mood and magic of the time. Painstakingly detailed, with an original sound track by the BACKBEAT band, an all-star lineup led by Soul Asylum's Dave Pimer, the film truly makes us believe that the guys on-screen are the real thing. Stuart Sutcliffe was John Lennon's best friend from childhood. The film begins in Liverpool when the boys are 17 and Stuart has become a talented painter. Not ready to commit himself to a career in art, he sells his first painting to buy a bass guitar. With no idea how to play the instrument, Stuart joins John and the rest of the band (Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best) for a few months of rocking in Hamburg. It's not long before the teeming decadence of the underground scene draws them in, and the band finds a niche performing in the seedy Kaiserkeller. One night Astrid Kirchher (Sheryl Lee), the beautiful photographer and leading light of Hamburg's existentialist scene, comes to hear them. When Stuart and Astrid set eyes on each other, their attraction is immediate and total. Soon Astrid takes the famous picture that epitomizes the Beatles' Hamburg years, and she introduces Sturat to her world, where sexual distinctions are blurred and art dictates the rules. Gradually the band loses Stuart to Astrid, and she draws the painter out of him. The Beatles finally start to make an impact on the music business. They take off on tour, but Stuart stays with Astrid, deeply in love but beginning to show signs of the mental turmoil and illness which finally overcome him. Iain Softley directs with style and commitment, and Stephen Dorff is stunning as Stuart. Gritty lensing by Ian Wilson adds to the film's impact-Catherine Schulman, Sundance Film Festival