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> « The Red and Black « Monday. April 25, 1994
A&E
‘Backbeat’ can’t keep the pace
By SCOTT TOBIAS
Staff Writer
“Backbeat" - The new Beailes docudrama starring
Sheryl Lee, Stephen Dortf and Ian Hart. Directed by
lain Softley. GRADE: C
Before going on to become the most influential
band in rock history, The Beatles were poor, scrap
py musicians struggling to survive. Night after
night, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George
Harrison ar.d Pete Best played for peanuts at a
small club in Hamburg, Germany, waiting for their
big break.
Their early days could be the subject of a great
movie. It’s too bad that “Backbeat,” a new docudra
ma, chooses to tell the story of The Beatles first
bassist, Stu Sutcliffe.
The film begins in Liverpool in 1960, as art-school
buddies John (Ian Hart) and Stu (Stephen Dorff) are
getting their newly formed band ready for a long
stay at the Cavern Club in Hamburg. Once there,
they belt out cover songs night after night until they
gain somewhat of a following. While the rest of the
band enjoys their small success, Stu’s interests wan
der elsewhere, namely, to beautiful photographer
Astrid Kirchherr (Sheryl Lee). Their relationship
and his painting causes him to eventually leave the
group and miss out on their fame.
“Backbeat” gets off to a promising start. The di
rector, Iain Softley, gives the film the perfect tone,
showing the early Beatles as modest, funny young
men just looking for a good time. The music, provid
ed by such alternative rock musicians as Thurston
Moore (Sonic Youth), Greg
Dulli (Afghan Whigs), Dave
Grohl (Nirvana) and Mike
Mills (R.E.M.), is almost too
good, driving the film along at
a solid pace. The actors, partic
ularly Ian Hart as John, attack
their roles with real verve. For
a while, it delivers an infec
tious musical along the lines of
“The Commitments.”
But as all the advertising
and publicity has told us, it’s
the story of Stu Sutcliffe, a
painter who was never into
rock ’n roll to begin with.
There’s a certain sense of
dread while watching the early
scenes that we will eventually
have to see more of his story.
Though well-played by
Stephen Dorff, his scenes slow
the proceedings to a halt. We
see him more as a pretentious,
self-important “artist” than the
sympathetic character the
filmmakers were intending.
Stu’s affair with Astrid, played
with a shaky German accent by
Sheryl Lee, is never convincing
and often silly - there’s one
love scene involving paint
that’s especially ridiculous.
In it’s dogged refusal to give
us the story of the early
Beatles and look at the life of
one of its unknown founders,
“Backbeat” is tough to dislike.
Every moment is recreated
with great sympathy and lov
ing detail. We want the movie
to succeed as badly as the film
makers do.
Heartbreakingly, it doesn’t.
FI*
Chris O'Neill, Steven Dorff, and Ian Hart portray the young
Beatles in “Backbeat.'
SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING
Aliens and The Terminator
ynrw
RfPVPMI
FREE MOVIE POSTERS
Tuesday, April 26
7:00 PM
Tate Student
Center Theater
Passes Available At
Tate Cashier Window
At 9:00 AM, Day of Show
For some unusual and free musical entertainment, stop by the
University Chapel for saxophonist Rhett Bender's Graduate
Solo Recital at 8 p.m. These programs run daily through Spring
quarter and a calendar is available from the School of Music.
Elvis returns to rock ’n’ roll
By JOHN EDWARDS
Staff Writer
Elvis Costello “Brutal Youth" Warner Brothers
Liverpool’s fifth favorite son, Elvis Costello has
managed to survive far past the late ’70s rebel resur
rection from which his career spawned. As one of
rock’s best songwriters and worst singers, his modest
cult following has created a steady demand for record
ings which has seen a Dylanesque tapering off of qual
ity in later recordings.
“Brutal Youth,” Costello’s most recent Warner
Brothers release, finds the raspy crooner returning to
his roots with the re-addition of The Attractions and
a cameo appearance by former producer Nick Lowe.
Taking a hint from the failures of his highly orches
trated past few efforts, he seems to have realized that
what he does best is also what his fans want to hear
from him: unadulterated rock ’n’ roll.
As an album, “Youth” works well as a much-need
ed revitalization in Costello’s discography. Although
nowhere near the quality of such earlier works as
“This Year’s Model” and “Armed Forces,” it’s definite
ly the best thing he’s done since the McCartney col
laborations on 1989’s “Spike.”
Reunited with the old band, Costello’s knack for be
ing simultaneously audience-cautious and self-pleas
ing once again emerges. When he rips into “Kinder
Murder” after the first track, he sets a bouncy tone
which fortunately remains intact throughout the rest
of the disc. When he sings the title verse with such
convincing emotion, we remember that Costello has
never been one to take songwriting lightly.
The solid ballad “This Is Hell,” a country-Western
song in spirit, shows Costello as the storyteller he was
meant to be. His musical ranges are taken to every
extreme within a few stanzas, resulting in a compre
hensive, swooning melody.
In some instances, however, he does fall flat on his
shifty face when he makes the same mistakes he made
on most of his mid-80s albums. “Still Too Soon To
Know” contains vocal pitches far from Costello’s reach,
a mistake that fellow non-singers Tom Petty and Bob
Dylan know better than to commit. Until the Quick
stimuli of “20% Amnesia,” the listener may wonder if
Costello has learned anything in his 17 year career.
Nevertheless, “Brutal Youth” contains about 90
percent high-quality music. True, some of its best
tracks may be for Costello fans only, and the prospects
of any of these numbers climbing the charts is very
dim.
But, as the second to last track “All The Rage”
proves, Elvis Costello will never bend to top 40 de
mands and as long as he’s capable, hell never stop
making records. His career may very well stretch far
into the next century.
In fact, I’m willing to bet that the legend of Costello
will outlast that of another, undead Elvis who haunts
us.
‘Hauser’ returns to Archie Bunker's old haunt
By GRANT GOGGANS
Staff Writer
“704 Hauser” (Mondays 8.30 p.m.
CBS)
The latest series from former sit
com wunderkind Norman Lear sees
familiar ground being tread over
again, in this case the former resi
dence of Archie Bunker, the main
character of Lear’s first and finest
hit, “All in the Family.”
Lear’s intention with this series
was to show the family that cur
rently lives in this Queens neigh
borhood. He’s come up with the
Cumberbatches - Ernie, Rose and
their son Goodie. The kink in the
tale is that Ernie (played by the ex
cellent John Amos) is a black liberal
and his son is a conservative. He’s
also got a white girlfriend. She’s also
Jewish. Arguments ensue.
That’s all there really is to say
about the plot of “Hauser.” It’s an
other loudmouthed family express
ing their political views at every out
let and it works like a charm. What
elevates it beyond the simple
premise is the staggering ease in
which it takes concepts from “All in
the Family” and subverts them into
something determinedly different.
The first episode of “Family” sees
Mike and Gloria getting the house
together for the Bunkers’ anniver
sary party while Archie and Edith
are at church. It’s Archie’s third vis
it in a great many years because he
hates the preacher, and he comes
home to catch Mike and Gloria in
each other’s arms on their way up
stairs to do something Archie
doesn’t believe should be done on the
Sabbath.
“704 Hauser” sees a very similar
scenario - in fact Ernie’s dialogue
bears more than a shade of similar
ity with Archie’s 23 years earlier -
but Goodie’s not about to go upstairs
with his girlfriend because he
doesn’t believe in premarital sex.
A note to all of you who accuse
TV of perpetuating stereotypes:
Goodie doesn’t even seem to be from
the same planet as Fox’s “Martin.”
In fact, Goodie is a very well-drawn
character, and audience sympathy
is strangely drawn to him - odd as
creator Lear is a liberal and sides
with Ernie’s blustery bravado.
It may well be high time that
Lear strikes gold with a series
again. The last time he had a new
hit series was “Gloria” ten years ago
and that was axed by CBS over a
dispute with Lear’s company. His
last two shows, “Sunday Dinner”
and “The Powers That Be,” were
flops despite being excellent and
very funny respectively. In fact,
“Dinner,” which featured Teri
Hatcher of “Lois & Clark,” was
paired with “All in the Family” re
peats and it was the older series that
got the sizeable audience.
“704 Hauser” looks to be a mild
hit in its comfortable Monday time
slot, and I certainly would like to see
it renewed after its initial six
episodes. The show itself is, too fre
quently, not very funny; but it’s com
pelling, interesting and well-made.
Their address is, Tike it or not, an
American institution, so tune in and
see who’s living there now.
Because this
"It'S a free country”
stuff only
goes So far.
VISA
Ms
ypius ^ ‘
It's everywhere
-you want to be
© Vi** U S A. Inc. 199*
