For me, seeing Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe truly was the first time I heard the Beatles. After seeing it, not only did my obsession with the Beatles’ music begin but also my appreciation for the creative genius and process that any movie production requires.
I have seen a lot of movies, but have always concentrated my attention on the plot and the characters-the black and white of the story-instead of anything that might be going on underneath the surface. With all of its hidden meanings, elaborate choreography and parallels drawn between the Beatles’ songs and the Vietnam War, Across the Universe struck me with awe for everything the movie stood for. For once in my life, I didn’t care about who was dating who or what the characters were wearing. I was enthralled by the intensity and creativity of the movie as a whole.
I found myself thinking, “How did anybody think of this stuff?”
As the protagonist, Jude (Jim Sturgess, 21), realizes he is in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood, Thirteen), he belts out the song “I’ve Just Seen a Face” while sliding down bowling alley lanes. It is a magical scene, and I found myself thinking that it looked fun.
I did end up trying the whole sliding-down-the-bowling-lane thing. I discovered that bowling lanes are not as slippery as they appear. I just ended up skidding and falling over.
The part in which the Beatles’ song “I Want You” is presented is, by far, one of the most attention-grabbing scenes I have seen.
As Max (Joe Anderson, Becoming Jane), Jude’s best friend, first enters an army recruitment center, Uncle Sam pokes his head out of a poster for the U.S. Army and begins singing along. Next, after a series of choreographed dances performed by soldiers, the men in army recruitment are shown carrying the Statue of Liberty across a miniaturized forest.
The movie represents the Vietnam War in a remarkable way. “Strawberry Fields” is sung while displaying a direct correlation between the juice of strawberries and bloodshed of the war itself. The song definitely evokes strong emotion, bringing art and history together.
So much art is put into the movie. It’s hard to express in words.
Across the Universe is the god of all films. I will never watch a movie with the same eyes, nor will I slide down a bowling alley lane again.
