The Arts in New York City

What could be more enjoyable than some Beatles music, crazy 1960’s artwork, and a love story all fused together into a film? After seeing “Across the Universe” at the movies, I’m personally having a hard time thinking of a better way to spend ten dollars. This film is unlike any other movie I have seen before and it can be considered a work of art in many different ways. “Across the Universe” was released in mid-September and by the looks of the full theater on a Saturday afternoon, it will probably stay in theaters for as long as possible. The movie revolves around a fictional love story between two teenagers who come from completely opposite lifestyles. Jude is a young man from Liverpool, England who comes to Princeton University not for an education, but in search of his father. At the university he befriends a group of “badasses” who quickly become his close friends and encourage him to stay in America without a visa. Jude soon meets Lucy, who is the sister of his close friend, Max. Jude and Lucy quickly develop a powerful romance, however each of the three main characters experiences their own ups and downs due to the Vietnam War’s effects on their lives.

The reason why this movie is so powerful is due to the various artistic media that help tell its story. “Across the Universe” can be considered a dramatic musical because every scene contains a perfectly selected Beatles song which was redone by the actors. The songs completely tie into the movie’s story line; for example, Jude sings “Revolution” when he notices all of the anti-war protests going on around him in New York City. Also, a very powerful scene in the film is when Jude sings “Strawberry Fields”. When I first heard the original Beatles version of the song, I thought that since it had a mellow and pleasant melody, it must have referred to something positive. However, Jude sings this song while simultaneously throwing strawberries onto an empty canvas in order to signify the bloody battles and wounded soldiers in the Vietnam war. Each song contains its own special meaning in the film and also helps reveal the inner emotions of the characters.
“Across the Universe” is very unique in that it contains abstract and colorful artwork and graphics that were very typical of the 1960’s. During some parts of the film, the scenes are edited and it appears as if the whole scene was just dyed a different color. Also, some scenes contain flowing movement of color which really gives the audience a feel of 1960’s hippie art. The distorted images and graphics are very effective in that they really put you in the atmosphere that the people of the 60’s experienced. Almost every time the characters sing a song, the intense visuals on the screen match the song which helps get its message across to the audience. While listening to the music and looking at the artwork on the screen, I felt like I was completely in the world of the film.
I consider “Across the Universe” as a whole to be an incredible work of art especially due to its musical and aesthetic elements. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to watch a movie that will actually keep them awake and engaged for over two hours.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 at 8:03 pm and is filed under Anna Cymerman, WRITING ASSIGNMENTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.