The artistry and inventive genius of Julie Taymor is sublime

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2011)

As a Brit whose 1960s childhood was immersed in Beatlemania (I even saw the Beatles in the flesh from afar, as I watched from the top of the control tower at London airport as the Fab Four were being driven in their limousine to their waiting plane to transport them to America in 1966), I at first felt a slight irritation at the start of the movie, when the "Paul-lookalike" boy from Liverpool started to sing "Girl" (one of my many favourite Beatles' song). I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this "Americanization" of MY All-British Beatles. I mean, how would the Yanks like it if we made a British based movie, set in London with characters singing Elvis songs or a movie set in Birmingham and Buddy Holly songs?
However, I have to say, that after 10 minutes, Julie Taymor, the director completely won me over, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of her unique, highly original, creative exuberant film.
"Across the Universe" is absolutely fabulous, with great performances, superb capturing of the times. And I concluded that, in fact, the Yanks had a right to own a piece of the Beatles, because, first, the Beatles were originally inspired by American Rock and Roll. Without the import American popular music culture, the Beatles would probably have never existed. Secondly, the Beatles visits to the States, introduced them to psychedelic LSD experience and the whole counter-culture of the Ken Kesey and Timothy Leary that was part of it, which had a fantastic influence on their subsequent music (that was when I started really enjoy the Beatles "Sgt Pepper", "Magical Mystery Tour" and "The White Album"). Then there was the effect of the anti-Vietnam war protests on the Beatles, especially John Lennon, my hero, who was murdered by an American. So the destiny of America and the Beatles was inextricably intertwined. Julie Taymor, as an American was perfectly entitled to make such a film homage to the music of the Beatles.
If you want a visual and musical feast that gives you an impression of what it was like to live in the 1960s, then watch "Across the Universe".
For me,the big message of the movie, with its depiction of the anti- Vietnam war protests, is that nothing has really changed. America and Britain have not learnt from the disastrous experience of the Vietnam war. We are still making war in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, soon to be Iran, when we should be making love. America still feels the need to wage war in foreign lands in an attempt to exorcise the shame of having been defeated in Vietnam. Watch out for the Janis Joplin / Tina Turner character, as well Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters' Magic Bus.
I would say, Julie Taymor is the closest American counterpart to our Ken Russell in his prime. Also her work reminds me of Alan Parker's excellent movies "Bugsy Malone", and "Pink Floyd: The Wall".
"Across the Universe" is a "must see and hear" movie.