Across the Universe (film)

This article is about the film by Julie Taymor. For information about the song by The Beatles, see Across the Universe.

Across the Universe
File:Across The Universe.jpg
Directed by	Julie Taymor
Written by	Julie Taymor Dick Clement Ian La Frenais
Produced by	Matthew Gross Jennifer Todd Suzanne Todd
Starring	Jim Sturgess Evan Rachel Wood Joe Anderson
Music by	Elliot Goldenthal
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	September 28, 2007 (US) ?, ? (UK) ? (France) September 22, 2007 (Germany)
Language	English
Budget	$45,000,000

Across the Universe is a 2007 musical film directed by Julie Taymor and set for a US release on September 28, 2007. It is an original story which incorporates the songs of The Beatles. The film mixes live action with puppetry and animation. It stars Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess, from a screenplay by Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement.

Other notable members of the cast include Bono as Dr. Robert, Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite (a circus owner), Dana Fuchs as the musician Sexy Sadie, Halley Wegryn Gross as Max's Girl, and Salma Hayek as a nurse.

Plot summary

Liverpudlian dock worker Jude (Jim Sturgess) travels to America in the 1960s to find his estranged father. There he falls in love with sheltered American teenager Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). When her brother Max (Joe Anderson) is drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, they become involved in peace activism.

References to the Beatles and their works

Because the movie is inspired by the Beatles and their works, easily recognizable references are laced throughout the story. following are recognizable in the trailer.

• The title is a reference to the John Lennon song "Across the Universe", the "O" in "Across" is shown as a strawberry on the marketing pictures, which is a reference to Lennon's song "Strawberry Fields Forever".
• The names of the main characters Jude, Lucy, Max, Doctor Robert, Mr. Kite, Prudence, Jojo, Desmond & Molly, and Sexy Sadie are references to the Beatles songs: "Hey Jude", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", "Doctor Robert", "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", "Dear Prudence", "Get Back", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", and "Sexy Sadie" respectively.
• Jude is from Liverpool, as were all four Beatles.
• In the trailer, the songs used (in order of appearance) are "Girl", "With a Little Help from My Friends", "All You Need is Love", "Helter Skelter", "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "Hey Jude", and "Across the Universe".
• Lucy says that they're in the middle of a revolution. This refers to what the international community regarded the United States to be under between 1965 and 1971, a "Second American Revolution" or more commonly known as the Counter-Cultural Revolution.
• The main characters get involved with the Peace Movement which was followed by millions at the time and was at the core of the Counter-Cultural Revolution. This may be influenced by John Lennon's work for world peace. For example, his famous bed-ins for peace and his anti-war songs ("Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance").

External links

• Across the Universe at IMDb
• Across the Universe at Rotten Tomatoes
• Official website - with trailer
• Article on filming in the Lower East Side
• Promotional pictures
• Pictures from the shoot on Flickr.
• Next Subway Stop: Hollywood, New York Times, January 8, 2006
• Article about editing controversy New York Times, March 20, 2007