No Hamburg, No Beatles

The story

“We were born in Liverpool but grew up in Hamburg”, John Lennon once said. This feature documentary seeks to find the truth in those words. The long and winding road that the Beatles took to worldwide fame passed through Hamburg, Germany in the early 1960s. Only a couple of years before they became household names, the former Quarrymen were cutting their musical teeth on nightclub stages in the city. Hamburg had become the vice capital of Europe after World War Two, its neon-lit streets home to sailors, sex workers, drug dealers, gangs and low life. Meanwhile, the English band was still developing, still young and virtually unknown. By the time of their last German visit in 1966, the Beatles were an international phenomenon. 'No Hamburg, No Beatles' explains how learning their trade in this fascinating city helped propel them to global stardom.

Cast

P Paul McCartneySelf (archive footage) J John LennonSelf (archive footage) G George HarrisonSelf (archive footage) P Pete BestSelf S Stuart SutcliffeSelf (archive footage) R Ringo StarrSelf (archive footage) A Astrid KirchherrSelf K Klaus VoormannSelf T Tony SheridanSelf (archive footage) B Brian EpsteinSelf (archive footage) (voice) F Frank McDonoughSelf R Rosie McGinnitySelf

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C Carol PhillipsSelf A Allan WilliamsSelf U Ulf KrügerSelf H Howie CaseySelf I Ian HinesSelf (archive footage) B Barry ChangSelf S Stef HempelSelf H Horst FascherSelf B Bruno KoschmiderSelf (archive footage) G Gibson KempSelf J Jürgen VollmerSelf P Peter EckhornSelf (archive footage) T The ShadowsThemselves C Chas NewbySelf D Dave ForshawSelf D Debbie GreenbergSelf M Manfred WeisslederSelf (archive footage) L Little RichardSelf (archive footage) G George MartinSelf (voice) (archive footage) W Winston ChurchillSelf (archive footage)