Across the Universe

Movie Music Review

Many years ago when I first saw Across the Universe I was instantly drawn to it. The movie is set in the 60’s in Liverpool, America, and Vietnam. A majority of the movies’ plot consists of parts of songs originally done by The Beatles. From what I have gathered it seems like people either love this movie or they hate it. I definitely am in the category of loving it. The originality of putting the songs that were already done by one single group together in a way that tells a story is amazing to me.

The opening starts off in minor with “Girl” the gentleman singing on the beach, we come to find out this is Jude, is accompanied by just string instruments. This changes very dramatically though just a moment later with a rock type piece “Helter Skelter”, while showing clips of Vietnam and anti-war protests. It’s a perfect two minutes that shows just how much things changed in the 60s.

The first true scene we see cuts back and forth during the song “Hold me Tight”. The first cut is a girl named Lucy and her boyfriend dancing at their senior prom. We see here that the people who are playing the song at the prom are a band with a piano and brass and have more of a ‘big band’ type feel. The second cut is Jude and his girlfriend, in England, in what looks to be more of an underground club playing rock music. The band in England has all electric instruments and a drummer. “All my Loving” also cuts back and forth between Jude and Lucy. Jude is singing about how his love is for his girlfriend in Liverpool and even though he’s going to be leaving for America. As is Lucy whistles along while writing letters for her boyfriend who is going to basic training for the Army. At first Jude is singing with no instruments but then a guitar cuts in, the song sounds very sweet and is pretty romantic.

Intro to new character, Prudence is a cheerleader from the Midwest who we meet for the first time while she sings “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. At first you think...