Across the Universe Film Analysis
Alisha Liboma
English 225: Intro to Film
Professor Denise Orpustan-Love
July 30, 2012

The Beatles were one of the worlds most influential and iconic bands who evolved in the 1960’s from Liverpool, England. For years people have found refuge in their lyrics that calm, inspire, and awe us to this day. Across the Universe not only provides the audience with a more in-depth look at the Beatles’ lyrical explorations, but also incorporates the use of filming techniques such as, cinematography, editing and sound techniques. It also gives us a closer look at the Vietnam War, struggling singers, love and life during a revolutionary period in U.S history that would prove to be unforgettable. This review will encompass topics such as “mise en scène,” (Goodykoontz, 2011), storytelling, cinematography techniques and the meanings behind the directors actions in a film.
The names of the characters in Across the Universe, with the exception of the character “Max,” played by Joe Anderson, were all derived from original Beatles songs. For example there is a character named “Jude,” from the song, “Hey Jude,” who’s character is played by Jim Sturgess, as well as a character named “Lucie,” played by Evan Rachel Wood, and, “Prudence”, played by T.V Carpio. In any part of the movie you see, you can find a character of a Beatle’s song. Using the Beatles’ music to create a flow to the movie allows for all types of audience members to connect to the film. While some may have grown up listening to the Beatles when the band was still together, others may still connect today as the Beatles still remain popular throughout the ages. This can be referred to as the “Universal truths” technique. Universal truths are “experiences we can all relate to…we should be able to recognize what [the actor/actress] is going through, to feel empathy for his situation, even if the specifics are foreign to us, because the story contains elements that are universal, or familiar to all of us” (Goodykoontz, 2011). By using the Beatles as the current of the film, audiences of all ages are able to relate quickly to the film, as it provides more of a familiarity and comfort while watching the film.
As for the types of actors we find in Across the Universe, we can narrow down the categories to Impersonators and Character Actors. An “impersonator actor” is explained in our text as “the actor has simply copied the manner, dialect, and behavior of a character, instead of creating the character” (Goodykoontz, 2011). An example of an impersonator actress in Across the Universe would be Dona Fuchs, who plays Sadie, an upcoming musician looking for a guitarist, representing the famous Janis Joplin. Martin Luther McCoy, who plays the part of “JoJo,” represents the famous artist Jimi Hendrix. Max, who is played by Joe Anderson, became a character actor because of his role in Across the Universe. A “character actor” is described as an actor who is “not immediately recognized by the public and may take years to achieve "star" status, even though they are constantly in demand” (Goodykoontz, 2011). Joe Anderson was virtually unknown by the American public, and now we can find him in many more shows and movies such as the soon to be released “Breaking Dawn, part 2.” Then we have Jude, played by Jim Sturgess who has become quite the familiar face playing in newer movies such as “21.” Actors are merely one part of a film. One major aspect to the “feel” of a film relies heavily on the lighting used in the production of the film.
Lighting is one of the concepts encompassed by the term, “mise en scène.” Mise en scène is a French term meaning “put in scene” (Goodykoontz, 2011). This term also incorporates elements such as “settings and sets, colors, props, costume, makeup and even the actors cast in a film (Goodykoontz, 2011). Across the Universe is mainly set in outside scenes from close to the beginning, and ending in a harmonious outside scene in the end. And so, much natural light, and the manipulation of that natural lighting is used along with high key lighting, which is higher saturated lighting, to create psychedelic colors in both normal scenes where everyday life is portrayed, and in scenes where the illusion of a world on drugs is portrayed. By using natural lighting and high key lighting, the emphasis of out of this world experiences are more easily portrayed to the audience. We don’t see colors such as neon pinks, purples and yellows everyday while on a bus or in a club. During a scene with the famous song, “I am the walrus,” lighting is the primary mood setter. In this scene, we begin a “trip” on drugs from drinking mushroom juice, which makes the room turn color after color, producing psychedelic effects that wouldn’t be made possible without the manipulation of the lighting. Mise en scène is only one aspect of making a film. Another huge part of creating a film is editing.
When we look at the editing of this film, we see two different types prominent throughout. We start off with discontinuity editing. “Discontinuity editing is a style of editing that does just this; it intentionally violates the principles of continuity editing, making no attempt to disguise the fact that viewers are watching a movie or to create the illusion of continuous time and space” (Goodykoontz, 2011). The film begins by zooming in on a male figure setting on the beach, singing a cover version of the beginning of the famous Beatles song, “Girl.” Once he finishes the first chorus, and his face is revealed, the song “Helter Skelter” begins playing, and the camera pans over to the waves coming ashore. In the waves, we begin to see CGI, or computer generated images of what is to come, showing us the nature of the discontinuous film. Discontinuity editing works well in the beginning of this film. In a way, it almost produces a captivating effect on the audience. It shows us what we are about to see, but not too much as to spoil the movie. It is comparable to the table of contents in a book; we see brief statements of the book, but we don’t’ know what they mean until we read the chapter. Once the visions in the waves disappear and slowly dissolve into the title of the movie, the film follows continuity editing by telling the story all the way through without interruption. Editing has many different aspects such as lighting, which we’ve discussed. Another part of a film that can have major impact on our senses is the sounds used during a movie.
They types of sound used in Across the Universe are dialogue, much more than normal musicals, special sound effects, and of course music sung by the actors and actresses themselves.
All of the songs are obviously derived from the Beatles, which brings us back to the feeling of community, that you have something in common with this film to keep the audience captivated. The dialogue helps to give us a feel as to what’s really going on in the story, but the music is really what pulls the film along. “What makes the musical a genre in itself is that the songs do not just accompany the action shown on–screen as they do in most other genres but are actually a part of it” (Goodykoontz, 2011) We start out with the song, “Hold me tight,” where we are introduced to two couples on completely opposite sides of the world. One couple is in the U.S, singing along, and the other in the U.K singing along as well, but to a different style of the same song. This brings a happy feeling to start out with, but ends on a lower note when dialogue takes place, letting us know that the couple in the U.S will be split by war, and the U.K couple will be split by a boy on a mission to find his father in the U.S. We move through the movies with songs of happiness, that then turn to struggle, hared times, and revolution, and end on a harmonious note of, “All you need is love,” which is the entire theme of the movie.
The only type of music present throughout the entire film is that of the Beatles, and while this may sound disastrous, it actually works well with the actors and the people’s lives their actions could have belonged to. We start with being in love, then travel to unknown places with new experiences with love, lust, drugs, and hope of a better nation. Movies like this are normally driven by historical facts, and in this case the lyrics of the Beatles themselves, but do movies like this also have an impact on society?
The term escapism refers to “using entertainment to escape the realities of daily life” (Goodykoontz, 2011). It takes artistic talent, a good director and so much more including good actors and a good art director to produce a movie that will provide a temporary escape from life, and leave you feeling in a certain mood when you’re done with the movie. Across the Universe provides this escape to a world unexplored by some.
The movie also addresses historical views on the war showing both the ‘peace and love’ side and the soldier’s point of view as well. The director used symbolism, also referred to as “implicit content” to get points across. Implicit content is described as, “meanings that are implied rather than revealed directly” (Goodykoontz, 2011). We see expressions of feelings through the art of Jude, who never really says what he’s feeling, but expresses it in his many paintings and drawings. Across the Universe has a satirical viewpoint on the drafting of the war, suggesting that our soldiers were tested in every way and on every part of their body before they were stamped for approval, which was an actual “Approved” stamp in the movie and shipped off overseas to serve our country. Later we see Max and a few of his soldiers actually carrying the statue of liberty singing a song that says, “She’s so heavy.” There are many other political suggestions throughout the movie from the way a scene is put together, to the dialogue spoken and lastly the songs sung during the scene.
In reviewing the use of “mise en scène,” storytelling, cinematography techniques and the meanings behind the directors actions in Across the Universe, we see that there can be so much more to a film than what we see while watching. The mise en scene is the mechanics behind a flim, while the cinematography is the editing procedures and determines the feel of the film.
As simply stated on the back cover of the actual DVD of Across the Universe, “Within the lyrics of the world’s most famous songs, lives a story that has never been told…until now” (Taymore, 2008). Across the Universe is a film that has drawn a wide array of audiences from young to old due to its graphic design, and other elements.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA:
Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu

Taymore, J. (Director). (2008). Across the Universe [Motion picture]. United States: Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment Inc.