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Across the Universe
Revolution Studios
Directed By: Julie Taymor
Written By: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
Produced By: Matthew Gross, Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther, T.V. Caprio, Bono, Joe Cocker, Eddie Izzard
Review Date: October 28, 2007
Alex's Rating: B+ Discuss this Review on the Blog
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As a musical theatre buff, generally I scoff at musicals that are made from previously recorded songs by one particular artist. I've found most of them to be overly contrived with certain formulaic plots that you know were never the intention of the artist who originally recorded the songs. Thus my initial feelings about the new film Across the Universe, a movie-musical featuring the works of the Beatles, were generally negative.
However, once I learned that brilliant auteur Julie Taymor (known best for her films Frida and Titus, and her Broadway work on the hit show The Lion King) was holding the reigns I was all for it. Taymor has a directing style unlike one that I have ever seen before, usually combining realistic and abstract elements along with theatrical styles from a plethora of global cultures into something truly moving. Having made the rare transition from designer to director she goes into each project with a perspective unlike any other, and her projects benefit greatly.
Across the Universe does have many of the elements that make songbook musicals cheesy. There are characters named after songs (i.e. Jude), lyrics spoken as out of context dialogue (i.e. she came in through the bathroom window), and way too literal interpretations of song lyrics (i.e. "one and one and one is three" sung as the pimp adds up his prostitutes). However, thanks to the amazing music of the Beatles and Julie Taymor's eclectic visual style I was able to overlook most of these details and get lost in the magic of the film.
The story of Across the Universe surrounds an English dock-worker named Jude (Jim Sturgess) and the characters he meets when he travels to America to seek out his long lost father. He befriends and American collegiate named Max (Joe Anderson) and quickly develops an infatuation for Max's sister, Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). The three embark on an adventure to make a difference in the big city of New York and partake in the bohemian free love lifestyle.
There are two stories that the music of the Beatles is used to tell: the story of Jude, Lucy, Max and their friends, and the story of the turbulent 60s. The music of the Beatles was clearly the most appropriate for the task and the cast of amazing vocal talent brought everything to life wonderfully.
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The film had an episodic feel as each song told its own story and was followed by a fade to black and a fade in to the next segment. Many of the songs featured cameo performances by some of entertainment's greats including Joe Cocker, Bono, and Eddie Izzard. One of the greatest scenes in the film featured Cocker as three different characters singing the classic "Come Together."
Julie Taymor's background in mime and Asian puppet theatre was quite evident throughout the film, and despite the exaggerated puppet-like costumes, I never felt like Taymor was overdoing it. I've always thought that directors must love having an "LSD scene" because it essentially gives them the creative license to do whatever the hell they want. The scene in which Bono, as Dr. Robert, takes the gang on a drug-infected cross-country road trip uses an editing style that creates a psychedelic look, which I thought was really too silly looking. However, the circus scene with Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite that followed made up for everything and really allowed for Taymor to show off her talent.
The fundamental problem with a film like Across the Universe seems to be in the marketing. Baby-boomers and hardcore Beatles fans may feel alienated as the film only runs a little over 2 hours, barely enough to pay tribute to the greatest rock band of all time. Judging by the theatre I was at, it seems to have found an audience amongst high school girls, which is really too bad because the film is thematically complex with a lot of deep moments that could be appreciated by an adult audience.
Whoever sees it, the movie will continue to come alive in so many ways from the brilliant vocal cast, to the classic songs, with a beautiful, yet simplistic love story at its heart.
Bottom Line: No matter who you are, Across the Universe is worth giving a chance.
Memorable Quote:
"You can burn that paper man, but you still gotta show."
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