Across The Universe
Beautiful, fascinating and relevant, this
is an excellent movie - a tribute to Beatles music and the
1960s.
The imagery was haunting, and the interpretations
of each song performed were weird, soulful and haunting. Intertwined with
quintessential 1960s themes - urban riots, the draft, war, and drugs, it all
ends kind of ... well, let's say, perhaps a bit sappy: "all we need is
love."
After the movie, my daughter asked, "why don't youth protest today?". She answered her own question: "because they're scared". Well yes, that, and complacent.
If the draft were to be introduced today, could it last??
My son asked, "were the riots then really that bad?" Yes, they were. The Detroit riot referenced in the movie was one of the worst riots in U.S. history, leaving 43 dead and 2000 burnt-down buildings. There were scores of other deadly and destructive riots in the 1960s. News stories of these events were seared in my youthful mind -- I could only see them on TV, as Houston managed to avoid all of this chaos.
The movie alludes to several other historic events and characters from the 60s, so it's more than just a Beatles love-fest. The most obvious references are to Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, but more obscure references were just as important to the decade: Ken Kesey (Bono), the Merry Pranksters (the bus trip), and the Weathermen (bomb-making toward the end of the movie). I think the raw relevance of the 60s are lost upon our youth today - its hard for them to realize how much sacrifice, how much chaos, how much change, occurred in just one decade.
Not to completely idolize the decade, though: I never fell for the whole drug scene. That, sadly, is one everlasting negative carryover from this period - a scourge for many brilliant minds, and a hellhole for the mediocre rest. The Beatles fell for the psychedelic trap too, and while it led to some colorful tunes, it's sad to see the damaging effects it made on so many people - probably nearly as high as the casualties of the Vietnam war. Alas.
At the least, this movie should receive an Oscar nomination for costume design: the clothing, from all walks of life, from the rockers and mods of England, to 50s suburbia in America and the hippies, was dead-on accurate and colorful. Perhaps more awards and nominations are in the works.
See it!
After the movie, my daughter asked, "why don't youth protest today?". She answered her own question: "because they're scared". Well yes, that, and complacent.
If the draft were to be introduced today, could it last??
My son asked, "were the riots then really that bad?" Yes, they were. The Detroit riot referenced in the movie was one of the worst riots in U.S. history, leaving 43 dead and 2000 burnt-down buildings. There were scores of other deadly and destructive riots in the 1960s. News stories of these events were seared in my youthful mind -- I could only see them on TV, as Houston managed to avoid all of this chaos.
The movie alludes to several other historic events and characters from the 60s, so it's more than just a Beatles love-fest. The most obvious references are to Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, but more obscure references were just as important to the decade: Ken Kesey (Bono), the Merry Pranksters (the bus trip), and the Weathermen (bomb-making toward the end of the movie). I think the raw relevance of the 60s are lost upon our youth today - its hard for them to realize how much sacrifice, how much chaos, how much change, occurred in just one decade.
Not to completely idolize the decade, though: I never fell for the whole drug scene. That, sadly, is one everlasting negative carryover from this period - a scourge for many brilliant minds, and a hellhole for the mediocre rest. The Beatles fell for the psychedelic trap too, and while it led to some colorful tunes, it's sad to see the damaging effects it made on so many people - probably nearly as high as the casualties of the Vietnam war. Alas.
At the least, this movie should receive an Oscar nomination for costume design: the clothing, from all walks of life, from the rockers and mods of England, to 50s suburbia in America and the hippies, was dead-on accurate and colorful. Perhaps more awards and nominations are in the works.
See it!
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Posted: Sun - October 14, 2007 at 04:31 PM
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Published On: Oct 15, 2007 06:51 AM
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Published On: Oct 15, 2007 06:51 AM