Birth of the Beatles (1979)

This dismal TV movie – a Dick Clark production made for ABC-TV but released in cinemas in Europe – covers the early days of The Beatles with Stuart Sutcliffe and original drummer Pete Best (who was a consultant on the film – one reason why every assertion the film makes should be regarded with scepticism) up until their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance.

Items including the band’s friendship with German photographer Astrid Kirchherr and Sutcliffe’s sudden death from a brain aneurysm are handled fairly well but, generally, Birth of the Beatles is full of inaccuracies – clothes, guitars, songs, events, locations, you name it – and contains much that is completely falsified.

All four members of The Beatles sued to stop the movie but lost. See Backbeat (1994) instead.

John Lennon
Stephen MacKenna
Paul McCartney
Rod Culbertson
George Harrison
John Altman
Ringo Starr
Ray Ashcroft
Pete Best
Michael Ryan
Stu Sutcliffe
David Wilkinson
Brian Epstein
Brian Jameson
Cynthia
Wendy Morgan
Rory Storm
Gary Olsen
Aunt Mimi
Eileen Kennally
Club Boss
Richard Marner
Astrid
Alyson Spiro
George Martin
Nigel Havers

Director
Richard Marquand