“Across The Universe” is described like this: “At once gritty, whimsical and highly theatrical, Revolution Studios’ Across the Universe is an original movie musical springing from the imagination of The Beatles, acclaimed director Julie Taymor and Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.” It is what can only be called a tribute musical, which uses the Beatles original music, and reinterpretations to tell a tale as old as time of love, loss and Mr Kite.
Yes. Bishmillah strikes again. Here are the character names in “Across The Universe”:
Jude. Sadie. Prudence. Maxwell. JoJo. Lucy. Dr Robert. Molly. Mr Kite. DESMOND.
Look here is a still from the film.
Mr Kite is played by Eddie Izzard. One assumes not for the benefit of the audience.
Dr Robert is played by Bono.
Maxwell has a silver hammer.
The line “We’re in the middle of a Revolution, JUDE” is said with all seriousness.
Here is a review of the film what calls it not very good.
Here is the trailer which makes it look terrible.
I CAN’T WAIT!
That does look like quite the worst movie ever made…
Another review calls it the bastard child of Hair and Moulin Rouge.
But to be fair, neither of those musicals are the marryin’ kind.
it looks awful…those who do not remember the film version of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” are doomed to repeat it…
then again, the upcoming Bob Dylan flick (in which 6 different actors, from Christian Bale to Cate Blanchett play Dylan) doesn’t exactly give me the warm-and-fuzzies, but I’ll trust Todd Haynes’ judgment…
I thought the Dylan film sounded a) incomprehensible (even after I’d heard Haynes himself talking about it at Tate Modern a couple of years ago) and b) rotten. Now I’ve seen the trailer and the pics of the various Dylans, I’m rather excited by the whole thing.
See I would rather trust Taymor over Haynes (those who haven’t seen Vevet Goldmine are doomed to repeat it), but in this case I think you’re right.
Part of me really wants to see Sgt Pepper, despite all I have heard about it (and acting Bee Gees), and perhaps Across The Universe finally gives me the excuse. Its certainly key in my thesis on the death of the musical.
Cate Blanchett’s Dylan does seem quite astonishing.
At least the seventies film has got one fun thing, Frankie Howerd’s version of Mean Mr. Mustard, in it.
Has anyone here seen ‘All This and World War Two’, by the way? It was a combination of forties newsreels and Beatles covers, and sounds to me as though it may have been one of the most stupid ideas of its time.
Pete, do not, under any circumstances, attempt to watch Sgt. Pepper. It’s terrible, and not really in a fun way.
This new one, it’s like Forrest Gump without the jokes, then?
oh yeah, Velvet Goldmine…well, when I said I trusted Todd Haynes’ judgment, I had confused him with the “other” Todd (Solondz), who employed the same multiple-actors-playing-same-character technique in the rather wonderful Palindromes…still, I will probably see the Haynes film, if only to purge Hayden Christensen’s recent (thoroughly awful) Dylan turn from my memory banks…
At this rate, “All this and world war 2” may end up being the best “Movie with beatles songs without beatles involvement” made.