Julie Taymor, Across The Universe

by Stephanie Allerdice
09/28/2007

Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you a love story about a girl named Lucy and a boy named Jude, appropriate for a movie based on the music of the Beatles.

Across the Universe weaves the tale of a generation of lost souls caught up in race riots, an unwanted war, and the protests that follow. The characters are deep, twisted, torn, and looking for something to believe in. In their search they turn to love and radicalism.

Jude is a British boy who never knew his father. Lucy and Maxwell are siblings caught in a family pressuring them to think about the future, when all they really want is to be free from obligation. Sadie is a free spirited singer who houses all of their wondering souls.

And then there is the most important, intricate character in the whole film: the music. The music of The Beatles is the narrator of the story. The action, the sorrow, the love, all are told through song. And it isn’t just the British pop that most love The Beatles for, it’s everything from “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” to “I am the Walrus.” Of course, “Hey Jude,” and, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” had to be included. All their happy songs and all their psychedelic tripping of acid songs mingle together for just the right blend on sweet violence and soft insanity.

When the lights dim, the first image on the screen is the conflict of the age, the war in Vietnam and the protests at home, being encompassed by waves in the ocean. It’s set to “Helter Skelter.” This is only the beginning - we travel through with Jude as he meets Maxwell, and they have crazy escapades to “With a Little Help From My Friends,” originally sung by Ringo Starr on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. From there, Maxwell gets drafted and helps the other draftees lug the Statue of Liberty. A mix-up-mash-up of, “Helter Skelter,” and “Across the Universe,” (the song to which the film owes it’s title) accompanies the climax in the movie where we see a disturbing parallel drawn between the brutality of the Vietnam War and the violence used against the anti-war protesters.

The cast is lead by Jim Sturgess, who is not only nice to look at but clearly a very talented actor/singer. I have to give him props for singing during a fist fit. Lucy is played by Evan Rachel Wood whose singing and performance will strum your heartstrings. And Joe Anderson plays Maxwell phenomenally through all his triumphs and tragedies. There were also unforgettable cameos by Bono as Dr. Robert and Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite.

Across the Universe was a unique moviegoing experience among all the explosive Middle Eastern conflict films and the teen romances. Do yourself a favor and see it when you can. It might not change your life, but it will certainly change the way you listen to The Beatles.