Sunday, September 23, 2007

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE




Musical

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jim Sturgess: Jude, a Liverpool ship welder
Joe Anderson: Princeton college student Maxwell aka Max
Evan Rachel Wood: his sister Lucy
Dana Fuchs: up-and-coming singer Sadie
Martin Luther McCoy: Jo-Jo, a guitarist and singer
Bono: Doctor Robert

REVIEW
Few will have the patience to sit through the 2 hours and 15 minutes of this movie unless you are a big fan (I mean really big fan) of the Beatles music. The simplistic plot serves only to provide an opportunity to fit in another song, even if it is out of place and/or inappropriate to the situation. Consequently every 10 minutes or so the story is put on hold while another song is sung and frequently the lip-synching is poorly done.

The acting is only so-so: Jude in particular seems to have been selected more for his singing ability than his other thespian talents. And Maxwell’s father is almost ludicrous.

There are several rather innovative visual elements and some of the dance numbers are well done. It is also a bit of a historical overview of the Vietnam era but there are far better sources of history than this somewhat distorted view.

CLASSIFICATION
for some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
With the introduction of Tide detergent in 1949 sales of Rinso brand soap-powder plummeted so it was revamped and reintroduced as Sunshine Rinso. Consequently when Jude and Lucy are in a laudromat, the shelves would not be stocked with boxes of Rinso since the product had been off the market for years.

While Jude is walking in the Stanley Docks area of Liverpool, a yellow and white commuter train can be seen passing by on the other side of the canal. These British Rail Class 507 trains were not put into service until 1978, some 12 years after his walkabout.

A shot of a newspaper dated April 28, 1968 shows it to be a Friday. In fact that was a Sunday.

The first outdoor CCTV surveillance camera was not installed in the United Kingdom until 1985 but we can see an orange one above the door when Jude leaves the Shipper’s bar, some 20 years before its time.

As Jude stands on the rooftop contemplating the situation the long shadows would be consistent with late afternoon, early evening. He then approaches the microphone and begins singing but now the shadows are those seen at noon with the sun almost directly overhead.

P.S.
The principal cast members are named after some Beatles songs which is most appropriate. But what’s with this Jo-Jo when Mr. Mustard or even better, Rocky Racoon could be used instead?

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