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DVD Backbeat (Special Edition)
Ian Hart's second performance as John Lennon (the first was the little-seen The Hours and Times) commands attention in this marvelous musical bio of the Beatles in Hamburg directly before their stardom. The focus is on the "5th Beatle," Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff), a bluesy bass guitar player who finds Germany has more interesting things (art and a woman) than music. The woman, Astrid (Sheryl Lee), chronicles the early years of the Beatles, and she falls in love with Stuart, a move that would influence many aspects of the Fab Four. Nearly overpowering the film is Hart in a great, energized performance of an artist on fire. The music was adapted for the movie, rediscovering the raw sound and ballistic energy in the back street clubs. These scenes of rock and genius intermixed with a nervy lead singer evoke similarities to Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. Directed by Iain Softley. --Doug Thomas
There are a few films I watch over and over again -- not to look for anything new....just to enjoy it one more time. This is one of them [Hairspray being another, by the way]! You totally empathsize with each of the characters as they face the major decsions -- the turning points in their lives: from Lennon's choice for the "group" to let Stu go...to Klaus's choice to acknowledge the reality of Astrid's decision. Wrenching.....!
A raw look at the "fab 5"
Before The Beatles changed the world of music, they were a scruffy rock 'n' roll five piece. Lennon and McCartney were already writing music together but Lennon spent much of his time hanging with fellow artist Stu Sutcliffe. Lennon talked his pal into spending the money from the sale of a painting into buying a bass guitar and suddenly "The Silver Beatles" had a new bassist--albeit one that couldn't play any instrument but that soon changed.
This terrific film chronicles the early days of the band in Hamburg before they broke it big and the strong friendship of Lennon and Sutcliffe. Ian Hart virtually steals the film from Stephen Dorf (who's also quite good)capturing Lennon's swagger and sarcastic wit in full stride. Directly Ian Softley focuses more on the duo of Lennon and Sutcliffe than the rest of the band chronicling their friendship. Sutcliffe never lived to see Lennon and the rest of the band achieve their dreams of going to the top and conquer the world. It's a fascinating glimpse into the past and it's clear that Softley did quite a bit of research to make this marvelous film. Hart had played Lennon once before in "The House and Times" a film that portrayed a supposed homosexual fling between Lennon and the band's manager Brian Epstein.
Most of the performances capture the essence of the The Beatles even if they don't always look exactly like the people their playing. The duo Hart and Gary Bakewell at least resemble Lennon and McCartney. While Softley claims he was trying to capture the raw sound of the band in the beginning (which I'm sure he does), my only complaint is that the singers don't sound all that much like Lennon or McCartney. Still, the supporting musicians drawn from members of REM, Afgan Wigs, Nirvana and other groups do create quite a sound.
The big difference between this and the bare bones release of a couple of years ago are all the extras: We get Ian Softley's "Sundance Channel Interview"; an interview of Softley and Hart discussing the making of the film; an audio interview with Astrid Kirchherr (with old photos of her, Stu and others along with footage from the film to illustrate what she's saying); two deleted scenes; footage of "the band" of actors rehearshing; audition video shot for the movie; behind-the-scenes photos and an audio commentary from the director. Univeral has done an exceptional job in remastering the video and audio.
It's a terrific package. I'm glad that this drama has finally made it to DVD in such a deluxe presentation. Take a trip into the past and rediscover what made The Beatles so special to begin with in "Backbeat".
Fab, mostly
Universal released the title in summer 2003 and returns with a "collector's edition" at the same price. The main upgrades are Dolby 5.1 audio and an audio interview with Astrid Kirchherr, the German photographer who took the Beatles' first publicity shots. The anamorphic widescreen images (1.85:1) seem about the same as on the 2003 disc, good but sometimes grainy. Other extras, duped from the old DVD, include a director's commentary, a pair of deleted scenes and various interviews that tend to repeat material. Packaging is a lot classier than on the old DVD.
"Backbeat" takes the time to let its bogus Beatles perform entire numbers, mostly soul covers. The real music came from a "grunge" supergroup put together for the film by producer Don Was. The new 5.1 audio sounds sensational, with a vibrant and musical surround stage.
Director Iain Softley ("K-PAX") tells how he spent six years researching and writing the project, inspired by stylish photos he saw of Kirchherr and her lover Stu Sutcliffe, the Beatles' first bass player. The "Backbeat" script was based on her recollections; it focuses on the couple and jealous guy John Lennon.
This might not be a Beatles film, but there's an undeniable thrill when, late in the story, the Paul McCartney character switches to his trademark German bass and the fabled front three wails on "Please Mr. Postman." The film's downer ending gets drowned out by the joys of "Twist and Shout" and the promise of Beatlemania.
Despite the description, this film is not at all sensationalistic or exploitive. It's very sensitive and arty and very in-keeping with both Lennon's and Epstein's personalities. You really feel both characters' frustration: Lennon's at being at a confusing crossroad of oncoming fame and unwanted fatherhood and Epstein's at desparately wanting someone he can never have. It's more a dual character study than anything else. Lennon was fascinating in his angry young man stage and Epstein was hopelessly, pitifully attracted to people and circumstances that could only bring him pain. Lennon was not gay (in fact by all accounts he was downright homophobic at that age) but his empathy for Epstein's plight was so strong. He was torn between his heterosexuality and wanting to ease Epstein's... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Christopher Munch DVD Release Date: Released the 29 October 2002 Usually ships within 24 hours
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The happy hysteria--or total insanity--that was Beatlemania is brilliantly evoked in this charming, entertaining 1978 movie from director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) and executive producer Steven Spielberg. It's February 1964. The Fab Four are making their first trip to America, and four Jersey girls (plus a couple of reluctant boys) are determined to get face to face with them--at their hotel, at their historic appearance on Ed Sullivan's TV show, or otherwise. They do so with varying degrees of success, and in ways that are amusing and clever, as are the depictions of the Beatles themselves (the real Fabs appear only in archival footage; in the film, their stand-ins are seen only from the back, from the waist down, and so on). Best of all,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Nancy Allen - Bobby Di Cicco Director(s): Robert Zemeckis DVD Release Date: Released the 28 September 2004 Usually ships in 6 to 8 days
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Since many movie depictions of famous figures are cringe-worthy, it is pleasant to report that Two of Us creates a smart, informed, and intimate portrait of two music gods. This made-for-TV feature is a fictional speculation about a day in 1976 when Paul McCartney popped into John Lennon's New York apartment by surprise. With Yoko away on business, it's just the two giants spending a day together--bickering, goofing, toking, and eventually coming to a bittersweet reconciliation. There are awkward TV-movie moments, and some psychobabble, but the film respects its characters too much to round them off into simpletons. Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg made Let It Be, so he could draw on first-hand experience, and Jared Harris and Aidan Quinn are totally committed to their roles.... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Michael Lindsay-Hogg DVD Release Date: Released the 21 January 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The Pre-Fab Four are back, and severely earnest television journalist S.J. Krammerhead (Eric Idle) is hot on their story once again in The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch. A welcome sequel to Monty Python star Idle's 1978 mockumentary The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, Can't Buy Me Lunch looks back on the mythical Liverpool quartet's long and winding road. Meet anew the group's caustic leader Ron Nasty (Neil Innes), cute bassist Dirk McQuickley (Idle), quiet guitarist Stig O'Hara (Rikki Fataar), and lovable drummer Barry Womble (John Halsey) as they sprint from the Cavern Club through "A Hard Day's Rut," "Tragical History Tour" and beyond. Krammerhead combines new celebrity interviews (Conan O'Brien, Tom Hanks, Bonnie Raitt) with re-edited footage and outtakes from the... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Eric Idle DVD Release Date: Released the 01 March 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Originally hatched in 1978 as a short film parody for Saturday Night Live, this expanded, 70-minute mockumentary on a trend-setting quartet of British mop-tops bloomed into one of Eric Idle's better projects outside Monty Python. Taking the career (and hagiography) of the Beatles and inverting them quite nicely, Idle conjures up four doppelgangers who offer the familiar mannerisms but practically none of the intelligence of their models. If that sounds like the same gag that powered This Is Spinal Tap (which emerged six years later), it is, with the crucial difference that Idle's lampoon is precise where Tap was consciously generic.
In telling the saga of the Rutles, Idle (who doubles as earnest narrator and McCartney-esque Rutle Dirk McQuigley) works from a rich... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Gary Weis - Eric Idle DVD Release Date: Released the 13 March 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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