“Is there anybody going to listen to my story, the one about the girl who came to stay. She’s the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry, still you don’t regret a single day. Oh, girl. Oh, girl…”
If the performance of these opening lines doesn’t give you goosebumps, then you’re wrong. Fundamentally wrong in your psyche. People of a certain age, such as myself (not telling you what age!), grew up with parents who had at least one Beatles record (and this record was possibly a real, vinyl record). These songs are in your blood. Artists as diverse as Ozzy Osbourne and Missy Higgins cite the Beatles as one of their major inspirations. If Across The Universe only does one thing, it reaffirms the Beatles status as the voice of their generation, and every generation since.
Set in the US and the UK in the 1960s, it’s the story of a young ship builder named Jude and his relationship with Lucy, a young American girl from a well-to-do family. While living in New York their lives are forever changed by their love for another and the Vietnam War. To be honest, the story is a little fluffy. It’s lightweight material, even if it is based on a turbulent and emotional time in American (and world) history. It actually reminded your humble film cricket of a miniseries made quite some time ago simply called The 60’s, starring Leonard Roberts, Julia Stiles and Jerry O’ Connell. What makes this film so wonderful is not the story. It’s the musical sequences.
Two sequences that are particularly mind-blowing are ‘For the Benefit of Mr. Kite’, with Eddie Izzard in his element as the ringmaster Mr Kite, and ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. The musical sequences combine amazing photography with computer-generated effects, filters and animation. All of this works to make the experience of listening to the music a visual experience: You will ‘see’ the music.
The performances, too, are impressive. The cast perform the songs themselves, and they’re all talented in their own right. You simply have not heard ‘Across the Universe’ until you’ve heard it sung with a thick Northern accent. Evan Rachael Wood and Jim Sturgess play the young lovers, and their performances are natural and convincing. The rest of the cast are also brilliant, particularly Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther (as Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix doppelgangers respectively). Joe Cocker, Bono and Salma Hayek all appear in fantastic cameos. Joe Cocker is particularly admirable, playing three different characters during ‘Come Together’.
The song choice and visual representation of the music become the perfect articulation of the power of these songs in expressing the emotions of an era. For anyone who hates the Beatles, this film will be torture, but for the rest of us it’s sublime. Here’s some idea of the power of Across The Universe: the lady who runs the theatre I went to came in during the last few minutes and as I walked past I saw that she was watching the credits with a huge smile on her face.
If you like this film you should:
* Watch Blackpool
*Listen to the Beatles
* Allow Evan Rachel Wood to go up in your esteem even though she's still dating Marilyn Manson
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