Seed NewsvineNothing's Gonna Change My World
If you look at "what's hot" on today's billboard charts, you'll find such forgetful tunes as "Low" by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain and "Sensual Seduction" by Snoop Dogg (I know, the artists' names alone would make for more interesting songs). It's sad really, that my kid sister can listen to an artist who is her age (16) and dance to lyrics of 'baby mamas' and 'text messaging your bitch.' Radio stations have discovered the repeat button on their modules and play the same 'hit' song on an hourly basis; MTV still does not air complete music videos.
We live in a time where I am terrified to grow any older. What am I going to brag to my grandkids about my music era? Oh, you should have been there for Janet Jackson's nipple-exposé! The group New Found Glory put the Chipmunks' winy voices to shame! Yes, I am aware of some great talent we currently have. The Killers are sublime. The Strokes (sure they peaked a bit too early) are unmatched in their distinct scratchy sound. Norah Jones has the voice of an angel. Thank God we had Outkast, still giving rap that much-needed savvy edge. But no current groups have carried century-changing music that has been accepted by the masses. Nothing like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and say, The Beatles.
A movie like Director Julie Taymor's "Across The Universe" is a treasure to behold. Musicals, in general, are usually structured around a handful of heartless scenes that countdown to choreographed musical numbers. The funny thing is that the actors in standard fare Hollywood musicals usually sound very different when they sing (from their normal voices).
That was then.
Taymor's "Universe," is revolutionary in its execution of music and story. This is not a Beatles biopic. It's the story of Jude, a Liverpool native who comes to the States looking for his biological father. It's the 1960s, and America is going through a revolution: the Vietnam draft, the psychedelic orgy of drugs and sex, race riots and a radical celebration of music and art. What better soundtrack to build a story like that around than The Beatles? The opening chapters of the film use select tunes from the albums "A Hard Day's Night," "With The Beatles," and "Help!" while the closing chapters find their inspriations from "The White Album," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club" and "Abbey Road" (among others).
And here the actors' dialogue voices actually sound like their singing voices and that's because Taymor had the actors sing their songs live on the spot (with an earpiece in their ears playing the actual Beatles songs). Thus the result isn't a movie full of watered-down scenes broken up by extravagant Broadwayesque stage numbers; rather the music and songs serve as an extension of the dialougue. It is at once nostalgic to watch and dazzling to discover.
I admire the film very much (it tied for no. 2 on my top ten list for 2007). Even now, with the film on DVD, there are still idiots that come up to me and say, "How can you like "Across The Universe"?" I usually ask then, "Well, what about it didn't you like?" There answers varied from "I don't think Evan Rachel Wood is that pretty," to "They didn't sing "Eleanor Rigby"!" Oh brother.
Stephen Holden, of the New York Times, perhaps best justified overlooking snippets of "Universe" that aren't perfect: "Somewhere around its midpoint, “Across the Universe” captured my heart, and I realized that falling in love with a movie is like falling in love with another person. Imperfections, however glaring, become endearing quirks once you’ve tumbled."
Now do yourself a favor, and turn off that garbage on your iPod and go watch "Across The Universe." You'll find yourself downloading a whole new slew of tunes. Good ones.
Comments
ironically, i think u just proved your own point about the disconnect of todays youth with great music of the past. It is unfortunate that Across the Universe will become the definition of The Beatles to a younger generation who are completely ignorant to the beatles superb "original" musical catalogue. u know the ones played by paul, john, george, and ringo? The beatles to them will be nothing more then second rate covers sung by pretty actors in a pretty movie which managed to squeeze the cultural and political revolutions of a decade into a polished soundbite. but i guess thats what today's attention-deficit generation needs: quick, simple, pretty, & digestable. was it an enjoyable film? Sure. i'm not disputing that. and also kudos to the films un-formulaic take on the musical, but it doesn't do the beatles music justice. On a side note, most of this commentary is based upon an extremely inebriated viewing of the film, i think i passed out somewhere between the first and second chorus of 'let it be,' so my memory may be a little hazy. But a beatles cover is still better than Nelly right?
Posted by: gildog | February 11, 2008 05:42 PM
In today's society, with our ever-complicating lifestyles, music has become little more than mere side-note. Sure it compliments the party-scene nicely, and it covers up the sounds of the neighbors yelling at each other, but rarely does today's music provide more. The days of poetic meaningful songs, which actually inspired thought, have been long expired. Pop-culture needs another "o" between the p's. Radio stations need to get real. It's bad enough my generation has to put up with this bull-shit.
Posted by: Bryan | February 13, 2008 01:43 PM
A recent review in "Rolling Stone" suggested fast-forwarding through the slow scenes to get to your favorite "music video". This is a notion that not only caters to the dumb, but one that also facilitates the dumbing down of an already "misinformed" audience. More importantly (and more disconcerting for that matter), is RS's reluctance to accept the movie in its entirety; this certainly undermines Julie Taymor's capabilities as a director.
The movie isn't just a presentation of "montages set to Beatles' covers,"; it is also a cultural study, albeit a very aesthetic one. Taymor goes as far to connect actual events and figures of the 1960s to the lives of her main characters; however, most of these allusions go under the viewers' radars, due to the pseudonyms that Taymor assigns them.
For instance, Dr. Roberts (portrayed by Bono) actually represents Ken Kesey, author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", who toured across the U.S. with his team of Merry Pranksters in 1964, in a "psychedelic" school bus (which was also portrayed in the film). They are shout-outs like these that add wit and depth to Taymor's vision, at least for those who catch on to the parallels.
Other notable references in the film include, but are not limited to: Timothy Leary, Abbie Hoffman, Allan Ginsberg and The Weather Underground.
Although many of these particular characters did not have significant roles in the film, their inclusion is indicative of Taymor's decision to make a movie that is as culturally relevant as it is colorful and imaginary.
My hat goes off to Taymor for making "Across the Universe" work on so many levels. First off, she had to narrow down a catalogue of 200+ songs to an exclusive 37 that could effectively transform a wild vision into a multi-faceted story. Secondly, she had to cast actors and actresses who could "sell" these songs to the audience. At the same time, each song had to be presented as an instrument that could advance the story without sounding too manufactured.
In short: the songs were performed well; the choreography was equally as impressive; the allusions to 60's pop and sub-culture were a pleasant surprise; and fuck Roling Stone for overlooking Taymor's ability as a director.
Posted by: Dustin Friedman | March 3, 2008 04:08 PM
amen to that dustin. i agree with you entirely. this movie was amazing. im only 16 but my parents exposed to me to the good stuff like the beatles when i was 2 or 3. ive always loved their music and when i heard they were doing this musical i thought it was gonna be a musical that would do no justice to the beatles music. i was dead wrong. the way they sang the songs was amazing, they made it so it didnt always seem like it was set off from everything else like most musicals make it. i like all the allusions to things that people barely caught but if you have the knowledge it makes the movie make more sense to you.this movie made me appreciate the music even more and appreciate the actors in the film.
Posted by: Dean Meyers | April 2, 2008 10:04 PM
Hi there...I was wondering if you have more pictures of the film... i'm working o a project for my art school... and it is about that movie, but i have surfed around the net and found nothing really interesting, could you help me? I need pictures of the scene in which they arrive to a circus, and the blue people come out... i would really appreciate if you could find them and send them to me...I really need them for tomorrow wenesday... thank you!
Posted by: Christel | April 22, 2008 11:20 PM