Stuart Sutcliffe The Lost Beatle Part 1/4

Stuart Sutcliffe: The Lost Beatle explores the mystique surrounding the Beatles' original bassist, who left the band to follow a different muse and died from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 22. Told via interviews with an impressive array of Sutcliffe's family and friends--and through uniquely descriptive quotes from his letters--this hour-long documentary reveals a lot of intimate detail about Sutcliffe's transition from promising art-school student in Liverpool (and best friend of John Lennon) to reluctant musician (pressed into service by Lennon) to determined painter within the German avant-garde scene. A lot of Stu's story, as Beatles fans know, is set in Hamburg, during and after the days the group was a house band in the city's red-light district. Familiar tales of friction between Sutcliffe and Paul McCartney abound. But these are offset by a tremendous amount of fresh insight and detail offered by such important Beatles-saga figures as rocker Tony Sheridan, Klaus Voormann and--most crucially--Astrid Kirchherr, the photographer who influenced the Beatles' look and who became Sutcliffe's lover until his death.

At art college in Liverpool in 1959, Stuart Sutcliffe met John Lennon and they soon became close -with Lennon persuading Sutcliffe to use the proceeds of a painting he had sold to buy a bass guitar and join his band, along with Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Before long, with drummer Pete Best in the line-up, they won a contract in Hamburg playing sleazy clubs in the seedy Reeperbahn area of the city, amidst the casual sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll of the era. The newly-christened Beatles were on their way.
With the band on the brink of success, Sutcliffe left the group to concentrate on his first love, art, and his new love, German photographer Astrid Kirchherr. But Stuart's health soon began to decline. On the 10th of April 1962, Stuart suffered a seizure and slipped into a coma. As Astrid cradled his head in her hands, Stuart died of a cerebral hemorrhage, cutting short the life of the promising young artist.
Interviewees include Stuart's fiancée and Beatles stylist/photographer Astrid Kirchherr, early Beatles manager Allan Williams, Stuart's sister Pauline Sutcliffe, Liverpool flatmate to Sutcliffe and Lennon, Rod Murray and esteemed American art historian and writer Donald Kuspit.

Category:

Music

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• beatles
• john lennon
• paul mccartney
• george harrison
• ringo starr
• documentary
• music documentary
• best documentary
• beatlemania
• back in the ussr
• russia
• sixties
• retro
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• mod
• yoko ono
• rock 'n' roll
• best video ever
• john paul george ringo
• best band ever
• dick cavett show
• interview
• john lennon interview

[bodyandcola]

I just love this documentary so mush, its a great companion piece to the Backbeat film. Stuart Sutcliffe was such a talented painter, amazing to think what he might have achieved if he had lived.

[carlinj832000]

stu and i share the same birthday; so it's no wonder i like the beatles so much!

[DomRendell]

I so badly want that guitar.

[DavidGLudwig]

his sister pauline, the old blonde woman is quite hot for an old bird

[DavidGLudwig]

he was the oldest of all 6 beatles which yes im including pete best aswell as the other 4. though sutcliffe was a month older than ringo. sutcliffe died at 21 not 22

[KevinRexrod]

If Stuart persued to play bass, I think he would have been a great Beatle. But he chose to be a paint artist.

[TheColts99]

I like Stu he was a great beatle!

[gratefulwalrus]

I would agree, a very fine documentary. For all the fame The Beatles achieved it is a wonderful story of a man who understood at a very early age that love and a belief in his own convictions led to too achieve happiness. More importantly, he was able to find love, for to know true love is the greatest feeling a human can feel. Astrid was a very lucky woman to have shared this with him. I would hope the rest of them John Paul George Ringo and Pete have been able to find this love in there lives

[60tdogg60]

rip stu

[BeatleJim55]

Stu joined The Beatles in January of 1960..and left for good in July 1961 to study art again at art school in Hamburg Germany.He died on April 10,1962 at the age of 21.Stu gave them their name...their early look...he was the 1st to wear what became known as the Beatle hair cut..he was a very impotant part of the early Beatles...he has been refered to as the "cool" Beatle...