| Across the Universe | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Julie Taymor |
| Produced by | Jennifer Todd Suzanne Todd Charles Newirth |
| Written by | Julie Taymor Dick Clement Ian La Frenais |
| Starring | Jim Sturgess Evan Rachel Wood Joe Anderson Dana Fuchs Martin Luther McCoy T. V. Carpio |
| Music by | The Beatles Elliot Goldenthal |
| Cinematography | Bruno Delbonnel |
| Editing by | Françoise Bonnot |
| Studio | Revolution Studios |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 12, 2007 |
| Running time | 133 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $45 million |
| Box office | $29,367,143 |
Across the Universe is a 2007 musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's plot is centered around songs by The Beatles. The script is based on an original story credited to Taymor, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. It incorporates 34 compositions originally written by members of The Beatles.
The film, directed by Taymor, stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson and T. V. Carpio, and introduces Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther McCoy as actors. Cameo appearances are made by Bono, Eddie Izzard, Joe Cocker, Salma Hayek amongst others.
Opening to mixed reviews, Across the Universe was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. Two members of the supporting cast, Carol Woods and Timothy T. Mitchum, performed as part of a special Beatles tribute at the 50th Grammy Awards.
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Jude (Jim Sturgess), a young shipyard worker from Liverpool, enlists in the Merchant Navy and jumps ship in New Jersey hoping to find his American G.I. father, whom he has never met ("Girl", "All My Loving"). Meanwhile, in Dayton, Ohio, Lucy Carrigan (Evan Rachel Wood) worries about her boyfriend Daniel (Spencer Liff) who is headed for service in the Vietnam War, while Prudence (T. V. Carpio) pines for a fellow female cheerleader ("I Want to Hold Your Hand"). Jude meets his father (Robert Clohessy), who is a janitor at Princeton University, and befriends Lucy's brother, the privileged and rebellious student Max (Joe Anderson) ("With a Little Help from My Friends"). Lucy receives a letter from Daniel ("It Won't Be Long"), but when Max brings Jude home with him for Thanksgiving Jude becomes attracted to Lucy ("I've Just Seen a Face").
Max drops out of school and he and Jude move into a bohemian enclave in Greenwich Village, living with aspiring singer Sadie (Dana Fuchs) and her guitarist Jojo (Martin Luther McCoy) ("Let It Be", "Come Together"). Max becomes a taxi driver while Jude finds work as a freelance artist. They are soon joined by Prudence, who has hitchhiked to New York and left an abusive boyfriend.
When Daniel is killed in Vietnam, Lucy decides to visit Max in New York before starting college ("Why Don't We Do It in the Road?"). She and Jude fall in love ("If I Fell"), while Max is drafted into the army ("I Want You (She's So Heavy)"). Prudence is attracted to Sadie, and becomes depressed when Sadie and Jojo begin a relationship. Prudence locks herself in a closet and has to be coaxed out by her friends, then disappears after wandering off during a peace rally ("Dear Prudence").
At a book function for existential drug guru Doctor Robert (Bono), Jude, Lucy, Jojo, and Max drink punch laced with LSD. They embark with Doctor Robert on his "Beyond" bus and end up stranded outside the compound of psychonaut Dr. Frank Geary ("I Am the Walrus"). They come across a strange circus led by Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard) and are reunited with Prudence, who has become a circus performer ("Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!", "Because").
Back in New York, Sadie reluctantly agrees to her manager's demand that she drop her backing band, leading to a bitter breakup and musical split between herself and Jojo ("Oh! Darling"). Max is deployed to Vietnam, leading Lucy to become increasingly involved in the anti-war movement. Jude remains comparatively apolitical but devoted to Lucy ("Something"), and dislikes the increasing amount of time that Lucy spends with the "Students for a Democratic Republic". Jude suspects that their leader Paco (Logan Marshall-Green) is attempting to seduce Lucy, and this puts a strain on their relationship and affects Jude's art ("Strawberry Fields Forever"). Finally, Jude storms into the SDR office and points out the hypocrisy of the group's actions ("Revolution"), leading to an argument with Lucy in which she leaves him ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps"). When the police arrest protestors at an anti-war demonstration at Columbia University, Jude tries to help Lucy but winds up arrested ("Across the Universe", "Helter Skelter").
Having been in the United States illegally, Jude is deported back to England. Max is wounded in Vietnam and sent home, psychologically scarred and dependent on morphine ("Happiness Is a Warm Gun"). Lucy leaves the SDR when she discovers that Paco is making bombs; one of them explodes, killing Paco and destroying the SDR offices ("Blackbird"). On hearing this news Jude thinks that Lucy is dead, but upon learning from Max that she is alive he arranges to return to New York legally ("Hey Jude").
Jojo and Sadie reconcile and put on a rooftop concert, with Prudence as a member of their band ("Don't Let Me Down"). The police arrive to break up the concert, and Lucy cannot get through them. Jude manages to remain on the roof and sings "All You Need Is Love", and the police allow the band to accompany him. Lucy and Jude gaze at each other across opposite rooftops as the performance concludes ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds").
The names of the six main characters (and most minor characters) were inspired by Beatles song titles and lyrics.
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 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' Amy Pascal urging Taymor to agree to the shorter version.[1][2][3] After several months of dispute, Taymor's version was eventually reinstated as the theatrically released version.[4]
Follows is a listing of the thirty-three 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-four individual music cues.
There is extra music, such as in "Hold Me Tight", to have more opportunity for things such as dance solos. In "Come Together" on the special features there is extra music for a dance solo and a well-planned "Six Degrees of Separation" which connects the main characters as they enter New York lifestyle. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is also extended to add time for Max's medical check-up that is shown and for the dialogue about Max eating cotton balls and other theories to get out of the draft. The extended music is used as undertone during dialogue like after "Dear Prudence", "Something", and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Some songs are not extended, but also have dialogue, such as "Revolution" and "All My Loving." Other extended songs include "I Am the Walrus", "Oh! Darling", "Across the Universe", "Helter Skelter".
The film's end credits identify 33 Beatles compositions featured in the film, either in their entirety or in part. All of these songs were written from 1962 to 1969 by the members of The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) and recorded by The Beatles. Twenty-nine 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).
Thirty 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, although "And I Love Her" is sung in a deleted scene. 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, Salma Hayek and Joe Cocker). One song ("Let It Be") is sung by supporting members of the cast. Another song ("Blue Jay Way") is sung by indie Texan trio The Secret Machines. In 29 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 33 songs are instrumentals. "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 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 been partners since 1982.)
Interscope Records has released three variations of soundtrack from the film — a standard edition and two deluxe editions. The standard edition contains 16 tracks from the film soundtrack, although "Let It Be" is shortened, missing the third verse. The first version of the deluxe edition features 31 tracks — all of the vocal performances and one of the three instrumental tracks.[5] In the US, this 31-track version is available solely at Best Buy stores and in a digital version from 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. From October 15–17, 2007, and again from October 22–23, 2007, the 31-track deluxe edition was the #1 downloaded album on iTunes.
The soundtrack includes seven songs from The Beatles (also known as The White Album), five from Magical Mystery Tour, five from Abbey Road, four from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, three from With The Beatles, two from A Hard Day's Night, two from Let It Be, one from Help!, one from Rubber Soul, and three other non-album singles.
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 internal disputes arose. The film was subsequently scheduled for a wide release on approximately 1,000 U.S. screens on September 28, 2007. In early September 2007, Sony Pictures announced that the release would be brought forward to September 14, 2007, with a "platform release" pattern starting on a small number of screens — with additional screens to be added in subsequent 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 U.S. 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, on October 12, the film was elevated to a comparatively broader release on 954 U.S. screens, breaking into the U.S. box office top ten at number 8.[6][7][8]
The DVD, UMD, and Blu-ray formats were released on February 5, 2008.
Financially the film was a failure, recouping only $29 million of its $45 million budget.
The film received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 54% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 151 reviews.[9] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 56/100, based on 29 reviews.[10] However, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was extremely positive towards the film, giving it four stars, calling it "an audacious marriage of cutting-edge visual techniques, heart-warming performances, 1960s to 1970 history and the Beatles songbook" and calling Julie Taymor an "inventive choreographer". Negative reviews criticized a lack of coherence in plot and an overtly-literal interpretation of The Beatles catalogue of songs. The film did appear on a few notable critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007:[11]
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