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Across the Universe (film)

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Across the Universe
File:Across the universe.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJulie Taymor
Written byDick Clement
Ian La Frenais
Produced byMatthew Gross
Jennifer Todd
Suzanne Todd
Derek Dauchy
Rudd Simmonds
Ben Haber
Charles Newirth
StarringEvan Rachel Wood
Jim Sturgess
Joe Anderson
Dana Fuchs
Martin Luther McCoy
T.V. Carpio
CinematographyBruce Delbonnel
Edited byFrancoise Bonnot
Music byJohn Lennon
Paul McCartney
George Harrison
Ringo Starr
Elliot Goldenthal (score)
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
September 14, 2007 (limited)
October 12, 2007 (wide)
Running time
131 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million+
Box office$22,404,372 (US only)

Across the Universe is a 2007 musical film directed by Julie Taymor and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. The script is based on an original story credited to Taymor, Clement and La Frenais that incorporates 34 compositions written by members of The Beatles.

There are cameo appearances by Bono as Dr. Robert (a counter-culture shaman), Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite (a circus ringmaster), Joe Cocker as three street characters and Salma Hayek who appears (through digital special effects) as five nurses.

Plot

The story starts in the mid 1960s with a young Liverpudlian ship builder named Jude (Jim Sturgess) who travels by ship to the United States in search of his American G.I. father, Wes (Robert Clohessy), whom he has never met and who does not know he exists. While searching for his father at Princeton, he befriends Max (Joe Anderson), a rebellious young man from a privileged background, and his sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). Max drops out of college and moves to New York City, accompanied by Jude. Max works as a taxi driver, while Jude pursues work as a freelance artist. They become roommates in a bohemian enclave where they share an apartment with other people, most notably Sadie (Dana Fuchs), their landlady who is an aspiring singer. Other residents include Jojo (Martin Luther McCoy), a guitarist who arrives from Detroit after the death of his younger brother during the 12th Street riot; and Prudence (T.V. Carpio), a Lesbian who hitchhikes to New York City from Dayton, Ohio. Lucy joins them in New York after her boyfriend is killed in the Vietnam War.

Romances develop between Lucy and Jude, and between Sadie and Jojo, which makes Prudence depressed. When Max is drafted and sent to Vietnam, Lucy becomes involved in a radical anti-war movement, which leads to strains with the comparatively apolitical Jude. He is unhappy with the amount of time she spends with the political group, suspecting that its leader, Paco (Logan Marshall-Green), is a lothario. Jude's art and his relationship both start to falter. Meanwhile, Sadie has formed a band, Sadie and the Po Boys, with Jojo as her lead guitarist. She gains the attention of a manager (James Urbaniak) who signs her to a record label, but he wants her to drop her backing band. This causes Sadie and Jojo to break up both musically and romantically.

The differences between Jude and Lucy escalate. One day, Jude storms into the offices of the political group where Lucy works and is kicked out after punching Paco. This leads to a fight between the couple, resulting in Lucy leaving Jude. Jude finds her at an anti-war demonstration at Columbia University during which many protesters, including Lucy, are arrested. In attempting to help her, Jude is also arrested. Though Wes convinces the police not to press charges for actions at the protest, he cannot prove that Jude is his son, and Jude is deported back to England. Max is wounded in Vietnam and is repatriated, emotionally and mentally shattered by his experiences, while Lucy remains involved in her anti-war faction that is becoming more and more violent. She finally leaves the group when she returns to their old headquarters and discovers Paco and some of his followers making bombs. One of their creations explodes, destroying the building. Jude reads about the explosion in a Liverpool newspaper and naturally assumes that Lucy is dead. Fortunately, he hears from Max that she is alive, and he arranges his legal return to the States. In the end, Jude finds Lucy, and serenades her on a rooftop after the police break up an illegal performance by Sadie, with Jojo and Prudence in her backup band. In the end, the six friends are back together.

Cast

Star cameos

  • Bono as Dr. Robert
  • Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite
  • Salma Hayek as Bang Bang Shoot Shoot Nurses (by digital effects she appears as five separate nurses during the "Happiness is a Warm Gun" sequence)
  • Joe Cocker as Tramp, Pimp, Hippie (Cocker appears as three separate street characters during the "Come Together" sequence)

Other characters

  • Spencer Liff as Daniel, Lucy's previous boyfriend
  • Lisa Hogg as Molly, Jude's previous girlfriend (in Liverpool)
  • Angela Mounsey as Martha Feeny (Jude's mother)
  • Robert Clohessy as Wes Huber (Jude's father)
  • Nicholas Lumley as Cyril
  • Michael Ryan as Phil
  • Curtis Holbrook as Dorm Buddy
  • John Jeffrey Martin as Dorm Buddy
  • Matt Caplan as Dorm Buddy
  • Carol Woods as Gospel Singer
  • Ellen Hornberger as Julia Carrigan
  • Linda Emond as Mrs. Carrigan
  • Dylan Baker as Mr. Carrigan
  • Amanda Cole as Taylor
  • James Urbaniak as Sadie's manager
  • Timmy Mitchum as Jojo's brother
  • Elain R. Graham as Jojo's mother
  • Sarah Jayne Jensen as High school girlfriend
  • Harry Lennix as Army Sergeant
  • Matthew Lewis as a dock worker / Molly's new boyfriend
  • Logan Marshall-Green as Paco

Film soundtrack

The film's end credits identify a total of thirty-three separate Beatles compositions featured in the film, either in their entirety or in part. One of these songs ("All You Need Is Love") includes lyrics from the chorus of an earlier Lennon-McCartney song ("She Loves You") sung in the fade-out—just as in the Beatles' original recording—making the actual total of Beatles songs featured in the film (in some manner or other) to be thirty-four.

All of these songs were written between 1963 and 1969 by the members of The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) and recorded by The Beatles. Thirty of them are compositions that are officially credited to the songwriting partnership of Lennon-McCartney. Three are credited to George Harrison. One title ("Flying") is a 1967 composition credited to all four members of the Beatles (Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starkey).

Of the thirty songs that bear the official Lennon-McCartney credit, sixteen are customarily attributed primarily to Lennon as a writer, and ten are customarily attributed primarily to McCartney. The remaining four songs ("I Want to Hold Your Hand", "With a Little Help from My Friends", "A Day in the Life", and "She Loves You") are titles which both Lennon and McCartney have confirmed were written in collaboration.

Thirty-one of the soundtrack's songs feature vocals. Two of them ("And I Love Her" and "A Day in the Life") are brief instrumental versions of songs that were originally written with lyrics. One song ("Flying") was originally written as an instrumental.

Twenty-five of the vocal tracks are performed by one or more of the six lead cast members. Four of the songs are sung by stars with cameo roles (Bono, Eddie Izzard, and Joe Cocker). One song ("Let It Be") is sung by supporting members of the cast. One song ("Blue Jay Way") is sung by indie Texan trio The Secret Machines. In twenty-nine of the vocal tracks, the vocalists are singing on-screen. Two of the vocal tracks ("Blue Jay Way" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds") are sung by off-screen vocalists.

The remaining three of the thirty-four songs are rendered instrumentally. "Flying" is performed by The Secret Machines, "And I Love Her" is heard briefly as part of the orchestral score, and "A Day in the Life" is performed on guitar by Jeff Beck in a version recorded for Sir George Martin's 1998 album In My Life.

In addition to the thirty-four Beatles compositions, the soundtrack features an original score composed by Elliot Goldenthal. Goldenthal worked on Taymor's previous films Titus and Frida. (Goldenthal and director Taymor have also been partners since 1982.)

This is a listing of the thirty-four compositions written by members of The Beatles that are heard on the soundtrack, in the order featured in the film. This listing includes notation of three compositions that are heard twice in the course of the film, so there are a total of thirty-seven individual music cues.

  1. "Girl" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  2. "Helter Skelter" Performed by Dana Fuchs (brief extract over film montage - presaging later sequences in the film) Longer version performed later in film.
  3. "Hold Me Tight" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood and Lisa Hogg
  4. "All My Loving" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  5. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Performed by T.V. Carpio
  6. "With a Little Help from My Friends" Performed by Joe Anderson, Jim Sturgess, and "Dorm Buddies"
  7. "It Won't Be Long" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood and students
  8. "I've Just Seen a Face" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  9. "Let It Be" Performed by Carol Woods and Timothy T. Mitchum
  10. "Come Together" Performed by Joe Cocker with Martin Luther McCoy performing the final verse
  11. "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" Performed by Dana Fuchs
  12. "If I Fell" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  13. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" Performed by Joe Anderson, "Soldiers", Dana Fuchs, and T.V. Carpio
  14. "Dear Prudence" Performed by Dana Fuchs, Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, and Joe Anderson
  15. "Flying" Instrumental - brief extract performed by The Secret Machines (performers not seen on-screen)
  16. "Blue Jay Way" brief extract performed by The Secret Machines (performers not seen on-screen)
  17. "I Am the Walrus" Performed by Bono (accompanied by the Secret Machines - not seen on-screen)
  18. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" Performed by Eddie Izzard
  19. "Because" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, T. V. Carpio, and Martin Luther McCoy
  20. "Something" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  21. "Oh! Darling" Performed by Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther McCoy
  22. "Strawberry Fields Forever" Performed by Jim Sturgess and Joe Anderson
  23. "Revolution" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  24. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" Performed by Martin Luther McCoy (joined by Jim Sturgess for one verse)
  25. "Across the Universe" Performed by Jim Sturgess (the performance of this song is interwoven with the next song Helter Skelter)
  26. "Helter Skelter" Performed by Dana Fuchs (the performance of this song is interwoven with the preceding song Across the Universe)
  27. "And I Love Her" (brief extract incorporated into the orchestral score during the 'Across the Universe/Helter Skelter sequence)
  28. "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" Performed by Joe Anderson and Salma Hayek
  29. "Revolution" Brief extract performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  30. "A Day in the Life" Performed by Jeff Beck (instrumental version of the song recorded in 1998 for George Martin's In My Life album)
  31. "Blackbird" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  32. "Hey Jude" Performed by Joe Anderson (joined by Angela Mounsey for one verse)
  33. "Don't Let Me Down" Performed by Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther McCoy
  34. "All You Need is Love" Performed by Jim Sturgess, Dana Fuchs, T.V. Carpio, and Martin Luther McCoy
  35. "She Loves You" Performed by Joe Anderson (chorus sung during the last part of the "All You Need Is Love" sequence) (see note below)
  36. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" Performed by Bono (with backing vocals by The Edge. This song is played over the beginning of the end credit sequence. Performance not seen on-screen)
  37. "Flying" Instrumental - extended version performed by The Secret Machines played over the latter portion of the end credit sequence (performers not seen on-screen)

Additional Note

In the Beatles' 1967 recording of the song "All You Need Is Love", John Lennon briefly sings the chorus of their 1963 hit "She Loves You" in the fade-out, as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the band's earlier pop group incarnation. In the performance of "All You Need Is Love" in the film, the same "She Loves You" chorus is sung at the exact same point as in the Beatles' original version. Unlike the Beatles' rendition, where the reprise of the 1963 chorus is a light-hearted throwaway moment, the film version uses the "She Loves You" lyric at a pivotal moment as a commentary on the romance between the story's principal two characters. Because the chorus of "She Loves You" was incorporated into the Beatles recording of "All You Need Is Love", the words and melody are also considered part of the latter composition. There is no credit given for the extract from "She Loves You" on the film's end credit sequence.

Soundtrack albums

Interscope Records has released three variations of soundtrack albums from the film - a standard edition and two deluxe editions. The standard edition contains 16 tracks from the film soundtrack. The first version of the deluxe edition features 31 tracks - all of the vocal performances and one of the three instrumental tracks.[1] In the US this 31-track version is available solely at the Best Buy retail chain and in a digital version via iTunes, while in Europe it is available at other retail outlets. A second version of the deluxe edition is available at other retail outlets and digital download suppliers. The second version differs from the 31-track version in that it omits two tracks ("Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)").

The song "It Won't Be Long" was released as a single on iTunes on September 11, 2007. On October 15-17, 2007, and again on October 22-23, 2007, the 31-track deluxe edition was the #1 downloaded album on iTunes.

Across the Universe: Music from the Motion Picture

  1. "All My Loving" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  2. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" Performed by T. V. Carpio
  3. "It Won't Be Long" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  4. "I've Just Seen a Face" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  5. "Let It Be" Performed by Carol Woods and Timothy T. Mitchum
  6. "Come Together" Performed by Joe Cocker
  7. "I Am the Walrus" Performed by Bono and Secret Machines
  8. "Something" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  9. "Oh! Darling" Performed by Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther McCoy
  10. "Strawberry Fields Forever" Performed by Jim Sturgess and Joe Anderson
  11. "Across the Universe" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  12. "Helter Skelter" Performed by Dana Fuchs
  13. "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" Performed by Joe Anderson
  14. "Blackbird" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  15. "Hey Jude" Performed by Joe Anderson
  16. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" Performed by Bono (Background Vocals by The Edge)

Across the Universe: Music from the Motion Picture (Deluxe Edition)

  1. "Girl" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  2. ’’Hold Me Tight" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  3. ’’All My Loving" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  4. ’’I Want to Hold Your Hand" Performed by T.V. Carpio
  5. ’’With a Little Help from My Friends" Performed by Jim Sturgess & Joe Anderson
  6. ’’It Won't Be Long" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  7. ’’I've Just Seen a Face" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  8. "Let It Be (Long Version)" Performed by Carol Woods & Timothy T. Mitchum
  9. ’’Come Together" Performed by Joe Cocker
  10. "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" Performed by Dana Fuchs (omitted from 29 track version)
  11. ’’If I Fell" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  12. ’’I Want You (She's So Heavy)" Performed by Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs & T.V. Carpio (omitted from 29 track version)
  13. ’’Dear Prudence" Performed by Dana Fuchs, Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess & Joe Anderson
  14. "Flying" Performed by Secret Machines
  15. ’’Blue Jay Way" Performed by Secret Machines
  16. ’’I Am the Walrus" Performed by Bono & Secret Machines
  17. ’’Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" Performed by Eddie Izzard
  18. "Because" Performed by Dana Fuchs, Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Martin Luther McCoy & T.V. Carpio
  19. ’’Something" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  20. ’’Oh! Darling" Performed by Dana Fuchs & Martin Luther McCoy
  21. ’’Strawberry Fields Forever" Performed by Jim Sturgess & Joe Anderson
  22. "Revolution" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  23. ’’While My Guitar Gently Weeps" Performed by Martin Luther McCoy
  24. ’’Across the Universe" Performed by Jim Sturgess
  25. ’’Helter Skelter" Performed by Dana Fuchs
  26. ’’Happiness Is a Warm Gun" Performed by Joe Anderson and Salma Hayek
  27. "Blackbird" Performed by Evan Rachel Wood
  28. ’’Hey Jude" Performed by Joe Anderson
  29. "Don't Let Me Down" Performed by Dana Fuchs & Martin Luther McCoy
  30. ’’All You Need Is Love" Performed by Jim Sturgess, Dana Fuchs, T.V. Carpio & Martin Luther McCoy
  31. ’’Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" Performed by Bono (Background Vocals by The Edge)

Beatles references

In addition to the 34 Beatles compositions used in the movie, there are multiple references in the film to Beatles lyrics and folklore.

Character Names

The names of the principal characters - and several of the secondary roles - are derived from names in the titles or lyrics of Beatles compositions.

Other

When Jude, Lucy, and Max are at the party for Doctor Robert (played by Bono) they are seen drinking from a bowl of unknown liquid. This is a direct reference to the line, "Take a drink from his special cup, Doctor Robert" from the Beatles song "Doctor Robert."

In the scene showing the alley in which Jude and Molly are seen kissing as well as in the scene in front of the shipyard, the same setting and camera angle is used as in the music video for the Beatles' "Free as a Bird".

An elderly shipyard employee who gives Jude his paycheck says, "I told myself, 'When I'm sixty-four'..." an allusion to the song "When I'm Sixty-Four".

An older woman at the dinner table scene (possibly Lucy's grandmother) comments on the "cranberry sauce", which is quietly said by John Lennon during the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever". This was originally believed by Beatle fanatics to have been John saying 'I buried Paul'.

When Lucy leaves her parents for New York, this might be a possible reference to the song "She's Leaving Home," with her parents portrayed as people who gave their daughter everything, but she still leaves.

Also at the dinner table, Max's Uncle Teddy says to Max, "It's what you do that defines who you are." Max then replies claiming that it's who you are that defines what you do, and then he asks Jude if he agrees and Jude tells both of them, "Surely it's not who you are or what you do, but how you do it." This may be referring to the Beatles' movie Yellow Submarine.

When Max and Jude first see their new apartment, Sadie comments that Max seems harmless, but could have murdered his grandmother with a hammer, and in another scene Max is shown holding a hammer, both none-too-subtle references to the song that inspired Max's name, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer."

The Liverpool club seen during the UK part of the Hold Me Tight sequence was filmed in the reconstituted Cavern Club in Liverpool. The band are in similar positions to how they performed a live version of "Some Other Guy", which can be seen in The Beatles Anthology.

Apple Records, the company founded by the Beatles in 1968, is obliquely referenced when Jude is trying to draw a green apple, then slices it in half and tries to draw it again, thus producing the two images used for that company's record labels.

The rooftop concert toward the end of the film, when they sing "Don't Let Me Down", references the Beatles' famous impromptu rooftop concert Let It Be (film)#The rooftop performance atop their Apple offices in January 1969 - their final live performance in which they also performed that song. The cops appearing on the scene are also a reference to the proceedings, who didn't arrest The Beatles, but told them to turn the music down.

The people in blue during the Mr. Kite sequence resemble the Blue Meanies from Yellow Submarine.

The apartment that Paco is using as his headquarters is apartment number 9. When Jude and Lucy go outside for fresh air during Sadie's show at Cafe Huh? (an obvious reference to Cafe Wha), there is a number 9 behind them in the background. When Prudence locks herself in the closet, the number 9 is fixed to the closet door. At the end of the movie, when Lucy tries to get to Jude on the rooftop, the door that she's standing in front of when she rings the buzzer has a number 9 on it. These may be minor allusions to the avant-garde Beatles recording Revolution 9.

The bus trip with Dr. Robert appears to reference the 1967 Beatles production Magical Mystery Tour - a project that had itself been inspired by the 1964-1965 bus trips of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters - also referenced in Across The Universe. There is even a brief appearance by the bus driver who resembles the real Pranksters driver, beat icon Neal Cassady. Further evidence that Dr. Robert references Kesey is the style of the party with Kool-Aid spiked with L.S.D. and Dr. Robert holding forth with an Ampex tape delay echo machine is on the signatures of the Merry Pranksters's "Acid Tests".

At college Max generally goofs off and causes trouble. This is a reference to the song lyric, "Back in school again/Maxwell plays the fool again", from the song which gives Max his name "Maxwell's Silver Hammer".

There is a band dressed in Sgt. Pepper-style costumes before and during the "Mr. Kite" scene.

Sadie's record company is called "Strawberry Jamz". This is a play on the Beatles company "Apple Corps".

During Sadie's performance of Why Don't We Do It in the Road?, Jude shouts out, "Sexy, Sadie!", the title of the song from which her name is taken.

When Prudence climbs in through the window into the apartment, Jude says to her, "Hello, hello", a reference to the song “Hello Goodbye". A short time later, Sadie asks where she came from. Jude replies, "She came in through the bathroom window." This is a reference to another Beatles song, "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window".

Later in the film, Prudence locks herself in the closet and has to be serenaded out by the other cast members. This is a reference to a real occurrence in 1968 at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India where the Beatles, Mia Farrow, Donovan, and others were studying. Mia Farrow's sister Prudence shut herself in her room and refused to come out, inspiring John Lennon to write the song "Dear Prudence". The film also uses the song as a subtle reference to the fictional Prudence character's reluctance to 'come out of the closet' in relation to her sexual orientation.

Also, when Prudence comes in through the bathroom window, she claims to be from "Nowhere" which could refer to "Nowhere Man".

Another possible reference is when Jude sees Lucy on the rooftop standing there, which might refer to "I Saw Her Standing There".

The instrumental for "A Day in the Life" is playing as Jude, in Liverpool, reads the newspaper article about the bomb blast, thus referencing the line, "I read the news today, oh, boy".

The poster of French actress/model Brigitte Bardot in Max's dorm room is identical to one owned by and displayed in one of the homes of John Lennon.

In the background of Jude's studio, seen during or directly after Strawberry Fields Forever, is a sketch of Adam- and Eve-like characters, a reference to the famous nude picture of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Someone is screaming "Get Back" when Sadie leaves the stage during "Oh! Darling".

There were several musical sequences cut from the final production: a rendition of "Drive My Car", sung by Max, Lucy, and Jude after picking her up from high school; a rendition of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" sung by Prudence, which was ultimately replaced with the ending of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"; a rendition of "We Can Work It Out" between Jude and Lucy right before Lucy goes to work and Jude sings "Revolution"; a rendition of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", sung by Jude's fellow prisoners after the riot at Columbia University; a rendition of "Yesterday" which was replaced entirely by "Blackbird"; and a clip of the final stanza of "The End" sung by The Beatles themselves directly after "All You Need Is Love".

Another cut concept from the movie was the idea of Sadie owning a cat with a "raccoon-like tail" named Rocky, an obvious reference to the song "Rocky Raccoon".

Other period allusions

The film contains many allusions and analogs to people and events of the era.

The anti-war group Lucy joins, the Students for a Democratic Revolution, is clearly the Students for a Democratic Society -- the logos of the two groups are even similar. And just as the real-world Weather Underground split off from the SDS and accidentally blew up a Greenwich Village townhouse, so do the heads of the SDR.

Jojo is an analog of Jimi Hendrix, and Sadie of Janis Joplin. The club that Sadie and JoJo play in is named Cafe Huh?, an allusion to Cafe Wha? a Greenwich Village club in which Hendrix, Joplin, and many other legendary performers got their start.

Doctor Robert is a representation of Ken Kesey, who established the group the Merry Pranksters. The group took a trip to New York to promote Kesey's new book "Sometimes a Great Notion", just as Doctor Robert is promoting "I Am The Walrus" in the movie. The mystery drink that Jude, Lucy, and Max drink out of is a direct reference to the "Electric Kool-Aid" that the Merry Pranksters are famous for. While Doctor Robert is performing at the party one of the party goers in the front row resembles Acid Test performer Jerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead. The psychedelic bus the group rides on, named "Beyond" is a reference to an extremely similar bus used by the pranksters named "Furthur". Like Furthur, the back of Doctor Robert's bus says "Weird Load", and he utters the words made famous in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test: "You're either on the bus, or off the bus." Frank Geery, an unseen transcendental counterculture figure who refuses to meet Doctor Robert at his upstate cottage, is a reference to Dr. Timothy Leary, who also refused to meet with Kesey at his Millbrook estate.

Sadie owns a psychedelic painted Porsche. This is another allusion to Janis Joplin, as Joplin famously owned a similar Porsche.[2]

The dance scene associated with "Come Together", when Jojo first arrives in the NYC, has allusions to the film of the musical Hair. Both in the movements of Jojo and the pedestrians, seen in the Hair number "Where Do I Go?" and in the crazy twisting dancing man, a similar man is seen in Hair's acid-induced wedding scene.

After being thrown out of the offices of the Students for a Democratic Revolution, Jude pauses in front of a store that contains many TV sets, all of which are broadcasting news of Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination, which occurred on April 4, 1968.

When Max returns from Vietnam and is in recovery, during the song "Happiness is a Warm Gun," the nurses use needles to inject the recovering vets. This is a reference to the fact that many returning Vietnam vets found themselves heroin addicts to deal with the memories, trauma, and pain they felt during and after the war.

As Sadie shows the apartment to Jude and Max, she mentions that her previous tenant stayed out all night at the Gaslight and slept all day, sometimes until two. This references Bob Dylan's early start at Greenwich Village's Gaslight folk club in 1962.

As Sadie exits her big concert where Jojo takes over, there is a red, white, and blue poster. This poster was in reference to "The Jimi Hendrix Experience." Also, when Sadie goes back stage, she takes a big drink of Jack Daniels. This represents the real life alcohol addiction Janis Joplin had.

Production dispute

In March 2007, the media reported a dispute over the final cut of the film. Concerned with the length of director Julie Taymor's cut of the film, Revolution Studios (production studio) chairman Joe Roth tested a sneak preview of a shortened version without first informing Taymor. The incident sparked some heat between the two, later involving Sony Pictures (distributor) Amy Pascal urging Taymor to agree to the shorter version.[3][4] After several months of dispute, Taymor's version was eventually reinstated, as was the theatrically released version.[5]

Release history

The film's release date and release pattern became the subject of some media and public discussion. The film had been originally scheduled for release in 2006. The release was postponed as the editing process became extended and then the subject of internal disputes. The film was subsequently scheduled for a wide release on approximately 1,000 US screens on September 28, 2007. In early September 2007, Sony Pictures announced that the release would be brought forward to September 14, with a "platform release" pattern starting on a small number of screens - with additional screens to be added in subequent weeks.

The film received its world premiere on Monday September 10, 2007 at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was then given a very limited "platform release" on 27 screens in the US on Friday September 14. The film had the second-highest "per-screen" average on its opening weekend. In the following three weeks, the release was gradually expanded to select regions.[6] After four weeks in limited release, the film was elevated to a comparatively broader release on 954 U.S. screens on October 12, breaking into the U.S. box office top ten at number 8.[7][8][6]

The DVD, UMD, and Blu-Ray formats will be released on February 5, 2008.[9]

US box office performance

Weekend Number of Screens Weekend Gross Weekend Per-Screen Average Cumulative Gross[8]
Sept 14-16 2007 27 $667,784 $29,034 $667,784
Sept 21-23 2007 276 $1,950,871 $7,068 $2,896,771
Sept 28-30 2007 339 $2,016,224 $5,947 $5,476,433
Oct 05-07 2007 364 $1,945,219 $5,344 $8,078,951
Oct 12-14 2007 954 $3,824,988 $4,009 $12,734,454
Oct 19-21 2007 960 $2,653,475 $2,764 $16,720,931
Oct 26–28 2007 964 $1,687,341 $1,750 $19,296,796
Nov 2-4 2007 822 $1,207,449 $1,468 $21,051,977
Nov 9-11 2007 582 $901,303 $1,548 $22,404,372
Nov 16–18 2007 464 $565,548 $1,218 $23,317,663
Nov 23–25 2007 214 $302,854 $1,415 $23,901,110

Awards and nominations

Nominations

References

  1. ^ "Across the Universe Soundtrack : News : Across The Universe Soundtrack available 9/14!". Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  2. ^ "The Porsche", Janis Joplin official website.
  3. ^ IMDb "A Revolt at Revolution?" 20 March 2007 and "More Details of Taymor-Roth Feud" 21 March 2007
  4. ^ NYTimes "Film Has Two Versions; Only One Is Julie Taymor's" 20 March 2007
  5. ^ Comingsoon.net interview with Taymor, Sept 18, 2007
  6. ^ a b "Friday Box Office: Resident Evil $22M 3-day; Eastern Promises strong; Into The Wild huge". Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Text "/Film" ignored (help)
  7. ^ "Game Plan conquers Kingdom at box office". Retrieved 2007-10-23. {{cite web}}: Text "Entertainment" ignored (help); Text "Reuters" ignored (help)
  8. ^ a b "Across the Universe (2007) - Weekend Box Office". Retrieved 2007-10-23.
  9. ^ Amazon.com SearchRetrieved Dec. 27, 2007
  10. ^ "HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007". goldenglobes.org. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2007-12-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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