By Hannah Gill
For all you Beatles fans, imagine yourself as Lucy sitting in the sky with diamonds. Cellophane flowers and newspaper taxis surround you; are you anywhere near the multidimensional realm of the musical film, “Across the Universe”?
Based on the songbook of pop-culture icons, The Beatles, this concept combines dozens of their tunes to create nothing less than a work of art.
The film may be considered eccentric or just plain strange, but there is no denying the beauty and brilliance created by writer-director Julie Taymor (director of “Frida”). Set in the 1960s, she brings her most unconventional ideas to this tale of two young lovers.
Up-and-coming actress and songstress Evan Rachel Wood stars as Lucy, a clean-cut girl turned radical peace activist. In his big-screen debut, British actor/singer Jim Sturgess plays Lucy’s love, Jude.
The two meet in America when Jude migrates from England, looking for his estranged father. They join with Max, Lucy’s Princeton-dropout brother (played by fellow Brit, Joe Anderson).
The three travel to New York City hoping for a life of carefree independence. After finding a room with landlord and soul-singer Sadie (Dana Fuchs), they form a motley crew with the other tenants.
They take on the musical and artistic world of NYC during the drafting, fighting and protesting of the Vietnam War.
It starts with a few droning scenes while establishing the characters. Thankfully, several Beatles innuendos and a shock of musical numbers follow, featuring everything from stone-faced soldiers to an ice-skating pony.
The artistic interpretation of most of the songs is fine, offering exhilarating balance between dreams and reality. “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” features soldiers carrying a giant lady liberty on their soldiers, chanting the chorus as they march.
Be wary of passing Taymor’s creative juices off as drug-induced. Allow yourself to be completely immersed in the dream world of the film, because the experience is both original and stimulating
Actors ranging from undiscovered talent to musical legends were chosen to fill these Beatles-inspired roles. Sturgess gives a believable passion to Jude, and a natural conversational air to his songs.
Bono (of U2 fame) plays the quirky Dr. Robert, performing “I am the Walrus!” Dana Fuchs of the Dana Fuchs Band gives a dominating performance, reminiscent of Janis Joplin, particularly in “Oh Darling.” Comedian Eddie Izzard makes a psychedelic appearance as a circus ringleader for “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”
Beyond the characters, the musical format of “Across the Universe” is far from standard. Rather than featuring songs as emphasizing recaps, the songs tell the story themselves with only a little help from the dialogue.
“Revolution,” for instance, is perfectly delivered as Jude’s response to Lucy’s involvement with anti-war activists. The Beatles have created a soundtrack for a generation.
The film’s outlandishness may warrant comparisons to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” but the potential for Cult Movie status is probably their only similarity.
