Across the Universe features 33 Beatles songs that have been reworked and revamped for this modern tale of love in the tumultuous 1960's. Jude (Sturgess), a dock worker in Liverpool, England, travels to America to find his estranged father. Here he meets Lucy (Wood), a privileged, East Coast teenager, and embark on a romance highlighted by the Beatles' most romantic ditties. All is not well, however, as the Vietnam war and the social changes of the '60s threaten their relationship, especially when Lucy's brother, Max, is drafted, and Jude loses Lucy to militant anti-war protesters. This turmoil allows Taymor to explain the characters' anger and confusion visually, especially in the stunning scene featuring "Strawberry Fields," where the strawberries in Jude's artwork become bombs falling on Southeast Asia. The finale of the film echoes the famed rooftop last performance of the Beatles—the characters leave all of their anger and confusion below them, and Jude and Lucy realize that love is all they need. Taymor ups the star-factor with cameos from the likes of Bono, Salma Hayek, and Eddie Izzard. Truly, the Beatles' words and music drive the plot of this visually-stunning film, and Taymor deftly uses the songs to showcase the talent of her young stars, and the changing world around her characters. "Here is a bold, beautiful, visually enchanting musical where we walk into the theatre humming the songs." (Chicago Sun-Times) more at acrosstheuniverse.com 35mm Cinemascope
2007, color, 2 hours 11 minutes, USA