Spring Break
Beatles Film Has 'Universal' Appeal
Ashley McGown
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Focus
"Across the Universe," directed by Julie Taymor, is a musical comprised solely of Beatles songs. The song selection for the film was superb. Whether you like the bubblegum-pop side of The Beatles, or prefer their later, transcendental rock sound, the soundtrack is sure to please. The movie opens with a detonating version of "Helter Skelter, while chaos ensues behind the opening credits.
The plot of the movie is relatively stereotypical. A young man named Jude (Jim Sturgess) travels to the United States to find his father, but is heartbroken when he discovers that his father has already settled down into a new life with a new family. While searching for someone to relate to, Jude runs into a Princeton student named Max (Joe Anderson).
A few scenes later, Jude falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), Max's younger sister, and the rest of the musical revolves around the threesome's move to New York City. The entire movie is set amidst the Vietnam War and the hippie revolution.
For those who aren't up to par with your Beatles trivia, the names Jude, Lucy and Max are taken from the popular Beatles songs "Hey Jude," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Most of the minor characters' names also come from Beatles songs. The cast includes a female rocker, modeled after Janis Joplin, named Sadie, a runaway lesbian teen named Prudence and a guitar player named JoJo, modeled after Jimi Hendrix.
Sturgess and Wood both held their own as the film's stars. The majority of the film's musical acts were recorded live on set, not dubbed afterward, which is especially impressive since Sturgess and Wood had no previous singing experience.
Although Wood has starred in a few movies in the past, this role proves that she is not a character actor who is only capable of playing a troubled, sexually promiscuous teen (think "Thirteen" or "Down in the Valley").
As for Sturgess, this is his breakout movie role, and he has many to come, including "The Other Boleyn Girl" with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. Although he played the role of Jude very well, it'll be interesting to see if he can carry a starring role in a movie that is not a musical.
The plot of the movie is relatively stereotypical. A young man named Jude (Jim Sturgess) travels to the United States to find his father, but is heartbroken when he discovers that his father has already settled down into a new life with a new family. While searching for someone to relate to, Jude runs into a Princeton student named Max (Joe Anderson).
A few scenes later, Jude falls in love with Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), Max's younger sister, and the rest of the musical revolves around the threesome's move to New York City. The entire movie is set amidst the Vietnam War and the hippie revolution.
For those who aren't up to par with your Beatles trivia, the names Jude, Lucy and Max are taken from the popular Beatles songs "Hey Jude," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Most of the minor characters' names also come from Beatles songs. The cast includes a female rocker, modeled after Janis Joplin, named Sadie, a runaway lesbian teen named Prudence and a guitar player named JoJo, modeled after Jimi Hendrix.
Sturgess and Wood both held their own as the film's stars. The majority of the film's musical acts were recorded live on set, not dubbed afterward, which is especially impressive since Sturgess and Wood had no previous singing experience.
Although Wood has starred in a few movies in the past, this role proves that she is not a character actor who is only capable of playing a troubled, sexually promiscuous teen (think "Thirteen" or "Down in the Valley").
As for Sturgess, this is his breakout movie role, and he has many to come, including "The Other Boleyn Girl" with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. Although he played the role of Jude very well, it'll be interesting to see if he can carry a starring role in a movie that is not a musical.
Be the first to comment on this story