Across the Universe (2007)

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445922/

Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43aLbo-Y_W0

BEFORE THE VIEWING

This movie came out during my sophomore year in college. It wasn't a movie that had captured a whole lot of attention from my peers, but the Beatles music featured throughout, the 60's-era setting, and with Julie Taymor's distinctive style appealed directly to my budding, faux-artistic leanings, there was no way I was going to skip it.

I saw "Across the Universe" in an almost-empty theater with my sister up in Lansing, Michigan (the closest theater showing it near her home in northern Indiana). I considered the first half of the film far superior to the second half, because ugh, revolution and acid trips are so. not. fun. But I truly admired how the movie translated old Beatles tunes into lively, artistic moments of storytelling.

Favorite things in this movie include:
- the movie poster, which I still have (a splashed depiction of a juicy strawberry floating in the middle of a dark, starry sky)
- the "I've just seen a face" number, which makes me smile no matter what mood I'm in
- the sudden appearances of Salma Hayek and Eddie Izzard
- the music! I can't even remember how often I listened to this soundtrack!

If memory serves, this was one of the DVDs I sought out the moment it was released at my local Walmart, which was the only place that carried DVDs in my tiny Alabama college town. Although I couldn't say that I watched it religiously, I watched it often; however, it's been at least 5 years since I've seen it (as of June 2016).

AFTER THE VIEWING

I think I love this movie more than I did as a college kid. The social issues displayed in this picture - race riots, in particular, and the lingering war in Vietnam - are a bitter reminder that, although 50 years have passed, American culture is still grappling with some of the same issues it dealt with in the 60s. I'm not afraid to admit that I wept during "Let it be", especially during the funeral of the young, nameless, black boy.

And my appreciation for good, sometimes complex, music has only improved in the 9 years since I first listened to the soundtrack. Some of the Beatles songs I learned to love as a result of this film:
- Happiness is a warm gun (What a dance sequence!)
- While my guitar gently weeps (What an emotional vocal performance for the two men involved)
- Come together (Pimps and whores and vagabonds turning nonsense lyrics into a gritty welcome to the chaotic system that was NYC)
- Blackbird (How lovely and poignant as a slowed-down tune)

I'd almost forgotten that I once read in Entertainment Weekly (or something) that the performers kept as much of the singing live as possible - very little lip syncing took place during filming. I think it helps make the performances crackle with emotion. Not to mention that even the who-oh-ohs ("With a little help from my friends") and the yeah yeah yeahs ("It won't be long") tell a story. The interpretations of the songs remain sublime.

When I was a teenager, I volunteered at my local library, and I ended up seeking out a lot of literature I might not have been exposed to otherwise - like one about fierce women throughout history. One of the passages that stuck with me was a description of Janis Joplin, and the contents of her purse. Even though the Janis-esque character, Sadie, never dumps her purse on a limousine floor, I'm always reminded of the picture that passage painted when I watch Sadie in this movie.

And I'd like to close out this set of observations by talking a bit about the final message of "Across the Universe", which is ripped straight from the lyrics of one of the Beatles' most classic songs: "All you need is love, love. Love is all you need." I used to think that the message here was all about romantic love; some boy and some girl finding each other and never wanting to part. But in the intervening years since my last viewing, I've embraced a truth that love is only occasionally romantic. It is sometimes familial, it is sometimes platonic, it is sometimes vicious or impulsive or unhealthy. And for me, love is spending time with nearly 300 films I've elected to own and keep; it's with love that I share my experiences with all of you.

If that message appeals to you, then here's what I think you should do: find a copy of "Across the Universe", tune in, turn off, drop out, drop in, switch off, switch on, and explode. :)

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

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