"Across the Universe"

"Across the Universe" is a musical made up entirely of Beatles tunes.  I remember before this film came out hearing interviews and reviews on NPR, and I remember being very sceptical.  I love the Beatles, and I love musicals, but did not think that the two would work well together.  I was wrong.  The arrangements, the choreography, and of course the story woven into the songs themselves are all simply amazing.

The evolution of the film itself reminds me somewhat of the evolution of the Beatles as a band.  The film starts with numbers like "Hold me Tight," and "I Wanna Hold your Hand."  It is lighthearted, and very well...popish.  Then, (like the band) the film, the characters, and the music matures.  The story delves deep into subjects including race, Vietnam, and many other things that are representative of the sixties.  Something that I appreciate about the film is that it does not portray one side or the other of the great social battle that went on in that decade as being right or wrong.  The film includes scenes of both police brutality, and needless rioting violence...and it all evokes great emotion. 

One of the most poignant scenes takes place during "Let it Be" where we see two funerals.  One representing the result of Vietnam (a soldier who was KIA) and another, a casualty of a race riot (a young black boy.)  The scene gives me chills no matter the number of times that I see it.

"Across the Universe" does have it's lighter side of course...usually involving some form of a drug trip, such as comedian Eddie Izzards scene and performance of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite"  But these scenes just help ground the film in the era in which it takes place...namely, the 60's.  This film is not for everyone and it has parts in it that can make you uncomfortable, but overall, I would say that it gives a great message, peace and love.  Hippie ideas?  Maybe...but I can think of someone else who talked about both peace and love quite a bit as well.

-David

I can't say that I thought too much about the Beatles before I saw this movie. Sure, I liked their music, but I don't recall giving them much thought. Then I saw this movie. And I LOVED it!! The way the director integrated each song with each scene, the piecing together of a story, using this music, and the new ways in which the songs were sung, I think they did a really nice job.

One thing that stands out to me is the synchronized choreography, such as with the song, "It won't be long" (or whatever the title is) where it cuts to a scene of girls playing basketball, dribbling and passing to the beat of the song. Or there's the bowling ally scene where Jude is singing, "I've just seen a face I can't forget the time or place where we just meant, she's just the girl for me..." and again, the artistic way everything is done is just fun and so creative. You have to see it to know what I mean.

Everything in this movie is very artistic, with bright colors, and twisted camera angles, especially during one "psychedelic" scene where Bono sings "I am the Walrus." We see much of the "free love" and "peace" concept with the hippies, as well as drug and alcohol use that accompanied the 60's. But we also see some images that are hard, that really make you think.

One scene that always brings tears to my eyes is the song, "Let it be." We basically see parallel funerals, one of a young American solider killed in Vietnam, the other of a young black boy killed during a race riot. So opposite are their situations, yet so similar. We see the pain of the young soldier's mother as she clutches the American flag, sobbing over the loss of her son. We see the mother of the young child killed, she too shedding tears, as she looks upon her child for the last time. We see the remaining brother, standing with his mother, who later mentions how music is the only thing that makes any sense anymore.

I think this movie gives us a good picture of what it might have been like back in the 60's. So much confusion, and desire to do good, like Lucy, who believes strongly in protesting peacefully, but finding herself dismayed when she sees her so called peaceful leader making a home-made bomb. I love the line she says, "I thought it was the other side who dropped bombs."

In the end we're left with the message of "All we need is love", a powerful message and not so unfamiliar to what another man said many years ago, "Love your neighbor." While we live in a complicated world, where the idealistic idea of "All we need is love" seems impractical and unattainable, it's good to remember that love is a very powerful thing, and that with love, anything is possible.

-Bethany