The movies been very good at capturing the spinit of rock and roll, and that's one of the reasons that Backbeat is such a welcome surprise. It doesn't glamorize The Beatles, but it doesn't demythologize them, either. Focusing on their early years in Hamburg, Germany, it manages the trickiest task of all- it humanizes them. Certainly, it gives a better picture of the band than any of their own films, with the possible exception of the documentary Let it Be, which captured their "final days" (metaphorically, if not actually) with an appropriate despondency.

The early (BackBeat) Beatles: Hot dogs in Hamburg

The focus of Backbeat is, of course, John Lennon- or more accurately, John's relationship with the onetime "Fifth Beatle," Stuart Sutcliffe, an art school friend who joined the band on their journey to Hamburg, Germany, in 1960. One of the reasons the film works as well as it does is the dark and edgy performance of Ian Hart, who previously played Lennon in the lowbudget 1992 indie, The Hours and Times. As with John's relationship to gay manager Brian Epstein in that film, there is a homoerotic vagueness in Backbeat as to John's relationship with Stu, without the Hours-like implication that the relationship was ever consummated.

But what Backbeat has that Hours didn't is the music. While Hours and Times avoided playing any Beatles-related music, Backbeat features a remarkable recreation of the Beatles's Hamburg repertoire of rock oldies that is more raw and energetic (though far less sophisticated) than anything the actual Beatles ever put on record. Indeed, the Beatles's own Hamburg performance, at least as captured on the bootleg Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, Germany, 1962, doesn't come close to this frenetic energy. This grittiness is matched by director lain Softley's recreation of the decadent Hamburg of the early `60s, where The Beatles got their start playing backup band to strippers.

The film is less satisfying, however, in its portrayal of Paul McCartney as a petty, whining foil to Lennon. Although Paul and John generally split vocal chores 50-50, here John does almost all the singing, leaving one with the untrue impression that he was the sole creative force behind the band's success. One wonders, if Paul had really died in the late 60's as was widely rumored, what The Beatles myth would be like today. If Paul was the martyr and John the survivor, would John's contributions to the band have been dismissed the way Paul's have been? At any rate, Gary Bakewell, who plays McCartney here, captures none of Paul's wit or charm. Even in appearance, he's a caricature of McCartney- tall, gawky, a cartoon figure in whose face you see Paul's features subtly distorted into awkwardness. The other Beatles, George and Pete Best (Bingo joined in 1962, after Best was fired) are likewise given perfunctory treatment, but they played a far less integral role in the band's rise than McCartney.

That quibble aside, this is one of the few dramatic films ever to capture the rebellious spirit of rock and roll in an intelligent way. The Beatles's own films, discussed below, never tried.

A Hard Day's Night (1964): The Beatles's first movie was an instant classic, though it had about as much in common with the real world as a Marx Brothers film. Directed with zany energy by Richard Lester, it followed the band through a day in the life, and was one of the funniest films of the `60s, thanks to the inspired script by Alun Owen. Among the many musical numbers included are the title song, Can't Buy Me Love, And I Love Her, and I Should Have Known Better.

Help! (1965): Lester again, but this time the formula doesn't work quite as well. Lennon said in interviews that the Fab Four were stoned throughout the making of this one; perhaps that's why there's a hazy silliness to much of this movie, which involves a bizarre religious sect's efforts to recover a sacred ring from Ringo. Despite its flaws, Help! manages to entertain. In addition to the title song, this one featured the gorgeous Ticket to Ride and the Dylanesque You've Got to Hide Your Love Away.

How I Won the War (1967): Not a Beatles film, but a reunion for Lennon and Lester, who fashioned a dark, disjointed anti-war statement. The big question when this came out was, 'can Lennon act?' The answer was a guarded yes, though that ultimately turned out to be irrelevant; this turned out to be his only screen performance.

Magical Mystery Tour (1968):   If Help! was a bit hazy, this one was downright hallucinogenic. Ironically, Paul- then thought to be the cleanest of The Beatles- was the mastermind behind this acid-tinged, incoherent mess. Googoo-ga-joob.

Yellow Submarine (1968): The moptops didn't have much to do with this animated classic, but it's a wonderful relic of sixties idealism, featuring wonderfully psychadelic animation as The Beatles try to save a group of hippie innocents living in Pepperland from the Blue Meanies. Songs include numbers from several Beatles albums, including Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Nowhere Man, and All You Need is Love.

Let it Be (1969): A depressing finale in which we're invited to watch The Beatles disintegrate before our eyes. Still, the music is wonderful, especially the final rooftop concert, featuring Get Back and Don't Let Me Down.

Caveman (1981):   Ringo has made several appearances since The Beatles split, but this was most notable, an almost silent spoof of prehistoric times that featured some hilarious dinosaur effects. Kids who like Barney should love it.

The Rutles (1983): Check this one out- it's a hilarious spoof of The Beatles by Monty Python's Eric Idle that features some marvelous musical sendups. And look for George Harrison in a cute cameo appearance as a TV newscaster.

Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984): Paul's one attempt at solo film stardom is an unqualified disaster- an attempt to capture the spirit of A Hard Day's Night that falls completely flat. The plot has something to do with Paul's efforts to recover stolen master tapes for a new album. There are, however, a few good new songs, including the lovely ballad No More Lonely Nights, as well as recreations of Beatles classics like Yesterday, and Here, There and Everywhere. But all and all, this one's for diehard fans only. MM