![]() John (to Astrid, about Astrid): “She was the girl I always wanted. He’s all I ever wanted,”Īstrid (to Cynthia): “John wants the world” The dialogue between the four on holiday was particularly poignant and revealing:Ĭynthia (to Astrid): “All I ever wanted is John. At this point, it’s cemented that Stu will stay in Hamburg to marry Astrid while Paul would replace him on bass in the band. John, Cynthia, Astrid, and Stuart go on a beach holiday together. John’s girlfriend, Cynthia Powell (soon to be Lennon), visits. ![]() When The Beatles get back (I know, I’ll stop it) to Hamburg and the lovers are reunited, the pull away from The Beatles seems inevitable for Stu. ![]() Stu corrects him by explaining that she just knows that they love each other. John informs Stu that she thinks that the two friends fancy each other in a homosexual way. Back in Liverpool, Lennon and Sutcliffe discuss Astrid. The love story between Astrid and Stu is put on temporary hold when German officials deported the band back to Liverpool because George was just 17 (you know what I mean- sorry, I couldn’t resist). Eventually, all of The Beatles would have that haircut at the beginning of their fame and the look became iconic. John sees Stuart’s new look and scoffs at it. Stu (Dorff) and Astrid (Sheryl Lee)Īstrid combs forward Stuart’s pompadour into bangs in what essentially becomes The Beatles mop-top hairdo. John threatens that if Stu goes, he goes, but they all know that he won’t because they feel at the time that they can be big. This causes problems between John and The Beatles, in particular Paul, because they want him out. They hang out together at times when Stu is supposed to be with the band. When Astrid does a private photo session with Stu, the two realize they are falling in love. They highlighted the boys’ growing confidence as a group and the photos represent them perfectly in their Hamburg era. She photographs them in black and white, her preferred style, and brings out quite a cool image for the band. Paul (Gary Bakewell), John (Hart), and George (Chris O’Neill)Īstrid becomes integral to Stu pursuing his painting and while her influence on him and the band become a vital part of The Beatles’ early days. It is determined that he is not jealous of Stuart, but of Astrid taking him away. The question of Lennon’s jealousy is an intricate part of the story-line. John is also attracted to Astrid but becomes jealous because she’s into Stuart. Stuart feels like he belongs, while Lennon seems intimidated because he doesn’t quite fit into it or understand the scene, though he definitely wants to. She introduces the band to a bohemian artist scene. There is an instant spark between Stuart and Astrid. She is introduced to The Beatles when her lifelong friend/lover, Klaus Voormann, brings her the club to see them. Tensions begin to come between Sutcliffe and Lennon when the band meets photographer, Astrid Kirchherr (the divine Sheryl Lee). Instead of sound-a-likes, the audio of the musical numbers consisted of various members of the bands of the early ’90s including Dave Grohl, David Pirner, Thurston Moore, and Mike Mills jamming on rock songs that The Beatles cut their teeth to in the early days. Their musicianship is dynamic, with the occasional exception of Stuart, who sometimes turned his back to the audience. The musical performances of the film are exciting to behold. At this point, The Beatles are a five-piece consisting of Lennon, Sutcliffe, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and drummer, Pete Best. The boys go to a particularly seedy part of Hamburg called the Reeperbahn District for a regular gig at a club featuring strippers. Lennon convinces Stu, whose real love is painting, to buy a bass guitar and join his band. John Lennon (Ian Hart) and Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) This head injury will have an enduring effect on Sutcliffe’s life. Her boyfriend and his mates discover that Stu has drawn a nude portrait of her and proceed to fight them, leaving Stu bloodied and in horrible shape after being repeatedly kicked in the head. The story starts with Lennon (Ian Hart) and Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) hanging out at a Liverpool pub being obnoxious while a singer is demurely performing on stage. The main focus of the film is the triangle between best friends John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe, and Stu’s paramour, Astrid Kirchherr. In Backbeat, Iain Softley gives us an effective, affectionate portrait of The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany before they became the most famous rock group in the world.
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