April 10 - Backbeat

Today’s movie is a biography with a scene that happens on April 10. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

BACKBEAT    

In 1960 Liverpool after artist Stu Sutcliffe earns 50 guineas from selling a painting, he uses the money to buy a bass guitar so he can accompany the rock –n-roll band he’s in, the Beatles to Hamburg for an extended gig.  The Beatles, made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe arrive in Hamburg and begin playing at a dive called the Kaiserkeller between strippers. The music eventually attracts the attention of some of Hamburg’s existentialists, including Klaus Voormann. Tensions arise in the Beatles. Paul is upset that Stu really can’t play very well and the band starts taking speed to keep awake during the long hours they have to play. Then Stu meets Astrid Kirchherr, who takes a series of soon to be iconic photos of the group. Bert Kaempfert recruits them to sing backup on Tony Sheridan’s recording of “My Bonnie”. Stu does not play, because he chose to spend the day with Astrid, who dumps Klaus, her former boyfriend for Stu. The Beatles start playing at the more upscale Top Ten Club until George is deported for working while being underage.  After he turns 18 while the band is performing at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, the band returns to Hamburg. Stu and Astrid resume their relationship. Stu begins to have sudden debilitating headaches. He proposes to Astrid and gets accepted at the Hamburg College of Art. Stu leaves the band and stays in Hamburg when the other members return to England. He has a huge fight when he thinks Klaus is trying to move back in on Astrid, but Stu and Astrid reconcile. Then on April 10, 1962 [1:28:52 to 1:33:17] Stu has a massive brain hemorrhage and dies. The Beatles return to Hamburg the next day and all of the, especially John are devastated. The Beatles go on to superstardom.

An interesting biopic. Paul McCartney says it is not accurate, while Astrid Kirchherr says it is. Focuses on the relationship between John, Stu and Astrid and basically ignores the rest of the group.

The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz (Little, Brown and Company, New York, 2005) at pages 305-306 and the film at 1:35:20 gives Stu’s date of death.

Producers - Finola Dwyer and Stephen Woolley                   Director - Iain Softley

Screenplay - Iain Softley and Stephen Ward                          Runtime – 1 hour 40 minutes

Released - April 14, 1994

Cast - Stephen Dorff as Stuart Sutcliffe

Sheryl Lee as Astrid Kirchherr

Ian Hart as John Lennon

Gary Bakewell as Paul McCartney

Chris O'Neill as George Harrison

Paul Duckworth as Ringo Starr

Scot Williams as Pete Best

Kai Wiesinger as Klaus Voormann

Jennifer Ehle as Cynthia Lennon

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015