Directed by:
Iain SoftleyScreenplay:
Michael ThomasCinematography:
Ian WilsonComposer:
Don WasCast:
Stephen Dorff, Sheryl Lee, Ian Hart, Gary Bakewell, Jennifer Ehle, Scot Williams, Kai Wiesinger, Chris O'Neill, James Doherty, Galit Hershkovitz (more)Plots(1)
In 1960, a group of five young English musicians travelled to Hamburg to join the lively local rock scene. They were The Beatles - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best ... and John's best friend, Stuart Sutcliffe. Performing in seedy night clubs on the infamous Reeperbahn, they soon acquired a local reputation for their raw, energetic, irreverent style. One of the leading lights of Hamburg's artistic community, photographer Astrid Kirchnerr, is taken to hear The Beatles by her boyfriend and falls immediately for fthe one who looks like James Dean. Bass player Stuart Sutcliffe, himself a highly promising painter, is equally bowled over by Astrid. The two grow ever closer, linked by love and art, Astrid becoming the model for Stuart's paintings - he for her photographs. John, however, is consumed with envy as he sees his friend drifting away. As fame approaches for The Beatles, Stuart is forced to decide between his deep loyalty to John and his love for Astrid, between rock 'n' roll and art, Liverpool and Hamburg. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Stephen Dorff
USA
Best movies:
Aerosmith: Big Ones You Can Look at (1994) (music video)
Felon (2008)
Blade (1998)
Sheryl Lee
West Germany
Best movies:
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
Wild at Heart (1990)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014)
Ian Hart
UK
Best movies:
Enemy of the State (1998)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Vinyl (2016) (series)
Gary Bakewell
Best movies:
Backbeat (1994)
Taggart (1983) (series)
Man and Boy (2002) (TV movie)
Jennifer Ehle
USA
Best movies:
The King's Speech (2010)
The Comey Rule (2020) (series)
Sunshine (1999)
Scot Williams
UK
Best movies:
Just Charlie (2017)
Clubbed (2008)
Hillsborough (1996) (TV movie)
Kai Wiesinger
West Germany
Best movies:
Comedian Harmonists (1997)
Wunderkinder (2011)
Nichts als die Wahrheit (1999)
Chris O'Neill
Best movies:
Backbeat (1994)
James Doherty
UK
Best movies:
Endeavour (2012) (series)
House of the Dragon (2022) (series)
Backbeat (1994)
Galit Hershkovitz
Best movies:
Backbeat (1994)
Albert Welling
UK
Best movies:
Endeavour (2012) (series)
Agatha Christie: Poirot (1989) (series)
Wire in the Blood (2002) (series)
Rob Spendlove
UK
Best movies:
In the Name of the Father (1993)
War and Remembrance (1988) (series)
Backbeat (1994)
Gertan Klauber
UK
Best movies:
Top Secret (1984)
The Hands of Orlac (1960)
Octopussy (1983)
Wolf Kahler
German Empire
Best movies:
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
The Remains of the Day (1993)
Freda Kelly
Ireland
Best movies:
Backbeat (1994)
The Dressmaker (1988)
Finola Geraghty
Best movies:
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Backbeat (1994)
The Investigator (1997) (TV movie)
Joerg Stadler
Best movies:
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Spy Game (2001)