The opening scene of the movie. Symbolizing the waves. Used for the original title sequence. The motion of waves is very relevant to the film.
Max entering evaluation to be drafted for the war. Draftees are on conveyor belts as if it is some kind of factory. Army sergeants have plastic faces like they are dolls for the government.
Prudence locks herself in a closet because she is heartbroken. Max, Jude, and Lucy sing to her to get her out. Clouds transition. Interesting motion idea.
After prudence comes out of the closet, they go outside and there is a parade protest revolving around the war. They end up watching a protester preach to the crowd about the mayhem and unjust of the war in Vietnam.
Sadie gets an offer from a businessman who takes the whole group to a party. They end us drinking “magic juice” that is drugged and they have a psychedelic experience. This is a visualization of the experience.
This is a visual representation of the after affect of their psychedelic experience. Relationship with the earth
Strawberry fields and red coloring relating directly to the war.
Interesting motion study of paint splatting. Could make a good video sequence.
Dripping strawberry/dripping paint could be interesting for motion exploration.
Television broadcasts of the war. Historical video footage from the time era.
The movie Across the Universe by Julie Taymore takes a different perspective into the world of cinematic romance. This jukebox musical love story drama is based in the 1960s and used an all-out Beatles based soundtrack with a constant interlude of what life consisted of in this era. During the Vietnam War, these two lovers, Jude and Lucy, meet after Jude comes to America in search of the father he never knew. Through the thick of the movie, these two come across many interactions of new friendships, connections, adventures, and hard life lessons. As the war in Vietnam unravels in chaos, as do the minds of these lover birds along with their relationship and the world around them.
The story begins with a flashback to the thick of the chaos that exists in the film with the war and the protesting. The producers seem to have used this flashback scene for their own title sequence. The two main characters are revealed in their everyday life, one in America and one in Liverpool England. Then as the first portion of this film proceeds, like takes a turn for both of them and a system of events ultimately end up with these two crossing paths in Boston Massachusetts.
The next chunk of the film takes place in new york with parties, music, a beautiful visual expression of the 1960’s psychedelic era, and many different forms of self-discovery and character development. This honeymoon phase, if you will, does not last very long on account of the Vietnam war. With Lucy's brother, Max, dropping out of college, he ended up qualifying for the draft of the war which not only caused serious stress on him but also on his sister and friends. Jude and Lucy experienced the most hardship of the effect of this war coming so close to their lives. So much so that their relationship ended and Jude ended up getting into some trouble concluding in his deportation out of the US.
The film concludes with Jude finding some way back into the states in order to reunite with his lover across his universe. Not only did their relationship rekindle but many of the other sub relationships in the story came back together. This was a very adequate representation of like in America after the war considering the fact that they ended with the musical number “All you need is love” by the Beatles. Expressing the theme that even when the world feels unbearable, in the 60’s the mindset way, if love was there, anything was possible.
Lovers from two different regions of the world must fight to stay together and are put to the test of determination through the trials of distance, trust, and war.
Words:
Love
Music
War
Anguish
Psychedelia
Film image mood board
Collected image mood board
