Backbeat (film)
| Backbeat | |
|---|---|
British theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Iain Softley |
| Written by | Iain Softley Michael Thomas Stephen Ward |
| Produced by | Finola Dwyer Stephen Woolley |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ian Wilson |
| Edited by | Martin Walsh |
| Music by | Don Was |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors (UK) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $5.5 million (US/UK/Australia) |
Backbeat is a 1994 British biographical drama film directed and co-written by Iain Softley in his feature directorial debut. It chronicles the early days of the Beatles in Hamburg, West Germany, focusing primarily on the relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) and John Lennon (Ian Hart), and also with Sutcliffe's German girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr (Sheryl Lee).
The film was produced by Channel Four Films and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, and was released in the UK on 1 April 1994. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, though was well-received by the real-life Beatles and Kirchherr. The score by Don Was earned a BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, and the film was nominated for Outstanding British Film and Best Sound.