Julie Taymor directs this delightful work that is influenced heavily by the work of the Beatles.
It’s a treat for both the eyes and the ears as the camera flows through the lives of several youths as they make their way through the turbulent sixties.
A lad from Liverpool named Jude (Jim Sturgess) comes across the pond to Princeton College to find his long lost ex-GI dad. While he’s there he befriends Max (Joe Anderson), a rebel without a cause who has rich parents. He goes home with Max for Thanksgiving and meets Max’s sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) and it’s infatuation at first sight for Jude, but Lucy has a boyfriend who has just been sent to Vietnam.
Max decides to rebel even further and drop out of college and head for New York and the bohemian lifestyle and Jude comes along for the ride. They arrive in the Big Apple and find lodgings with landlady/aspiring singer Sadie (Dana Fuchs). Jojo (Martin Luther McCoy), a guitarist, comes to New York after the Detroit riots and moves into the apartment as well.
When Lucy’s boyfriend is killed in Vietnam she also moves into the flat and a girl named Prudence (T.V. Carpio) comes in through the bathroom window. Soon Jude and Lucy are hooking up as well as Sadie and Jojo. However, the war intrudes into their happy existence, as Uncle Sam wants to hook up with Max when he gets a love letter, which says that he’s drafted.
Lucy joins the protest effort and Jude is jealous of the group’s leader Paco (Logan Marshall-Green) so they soon break up. Max finds himself mentally damaged from the war and Jude is deported. Jude returns to the states when he thinks that Lucy may have been injured in a bombing, but can the two find their love again?
First off, Across the Universe is a treat for both the eyes and the ears. Director Julie Taymor has crafted a delicious concoction that I gobbled up with glee.
Not only does she have the fabulous music of the Beatles but has some star cameos by U2’s Bono (“Dr. Robert”), Joe Cocker (“Tramp, Pimp, Hippie”), Salma Hayek (digitally playing five nurses), and the delightful Eddie Izzard (“Mr. Kite”).
I have to express a great fondness for Izzard’s turn as Mr. Kite, which is probably my favorite part of the movie, with the always in motion Joe Cocker and Bono tying for second.
The Beatle’s tunes are just used masterfully even though some of the performers aren’t really professional singers but it’s the emotion behind some of them that make the stand out. Not only are there the songs but also they’ve choreographed some great set pieces to go along with the tunes and some mind-bending visual effects sequences (you’ll have to supply your own joint, one is not included in the DVD case).
The young stars of the piece are also wonderful. It’s a work of art, that’s all there is to it. If you’re a fan of musicals or the Beatles then this will be nirvana. I am the walrus, or at least shaped like one.
Across the Universe is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Disc one boasts a commentary by director Julie Taymor and composer/music producer Elliot Goldenthal. Next is the one minute deleted scene “And I Love Her.”
A wonderful bit is next in two takes (5 minutes total) of Eddie Izzard performing “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.” Henry the horse dances a waltz, watch this one it’ll be great – the Henderson loved it. Finally there’s a photo gallery and previews for other Sony DVDs (but sadly no trailer for Across the Universe!).
Disc two starts off with the 29 minute “Creating the Universe” which tells you how the made the movie. The 27-minute “Stars of Tomorrow” focuses on the largely unknown cast. The 15 minute “All about the Music” which is about the music that forms the backbone of the picture.
The 9-minute “Moving Across the Universe” is about the dancing and choreography. The 6-minute “FX on the Universe” is about the visual effects used to create the grand visions. Last, but definitely not least there are 35 minutes of extended musical performances.
Hey Jude, you need to pick up this DVD if you love musicals, the Beatles, or both. What’s a damn shame is that this beautiful work was not exactly a box office hit and it damn well should’ve been.
Across the Universe is a wonderful film that should be discovered and savored on DVD. For the benefit of Mr. Kite, we will rent this DVD tonight…. Bring your own trampoline.
Across the Universe (Two-Disc Special Edition) is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 11th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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