Across the Universe
Directed by Julie Taymor
- drama
- romance
- fantasy
The story
When young dockworker Jude leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in the United States, he is swept up by the waves of change that are re-shaping the nation. Jude falls in love with Lucy, who joins the growing anti-war movement. As the body count in Vietnam rises, political tensions at home spiral out of control and the star-crossed lovers find themselves in a psychedelic world gone mad.
What it’s like
Saturated, dreamlike colour throughout: sun-washed Liverpool docks in bruised greys, then a vivid American summer of hot pinks, deep blues and flashing Technicolor, with Julie Taymor's expressionist staging turning whole scenes into painted tableaux and surreal fantasy set-pieces. The sound is the Beatles catalogue reworked into full-throated musical numbers, sung by the cast with a sweeping, bright energy that sometimes swells into rock-anthem spectacle and sometimes drops into tender, close-up quiet. The vibe is wistful, exuberant and politically charged, a sixties-nostalgia dream that flips into unease as the war and street violence press in. Pacing is loose and episodic, moving between ballads, protest marches and psychedelic interludes with little regard for realism. Emotionally it is romantic and idealistic, following a young couple whose love is tested against a country coming apart. Intensity is moderate: there are riots, police clashes, scenes of wartime death and a few harsh, brief images of violence and drug-fuelled hallucination, plus some sensuality, but it stays more stylised than gory. It suits fans of big, colourful musicals and sixties music who want romance with a political edge, and viewers who enjoy visually bold, unconventional filmmaking.
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