Further Details

Title: Across the Universe
Format: DVD
Condition: New
Number Of Discs: 2
Release Date: 11/02/2008
Actors: Evan Rachel Wood, Bono, Jim Sturgess, Salma Hayek, Eddie Izzard
Director: Julie Taymor
Audio Language: English
Runtime: 2 hours and 8 minutes
Region Code: DVD: 2 (Europe, Japan, Middle East...)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Subtitle Language: English
Certificate: BBFC 12
Description: PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Romantic drama set in the 1960s. Amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, mind exploration and rock 'n roll, the film moves from the dockyards of Liverpool to the creative psychedelia of Greenwich Village, from the riot-torn streets of Detroit to the killing fields of Vietnam. The star-crossed lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), along with a small group of friends and musicians, are swept up into the emerging anti-war and counterculture movements, with 'Dr. Robert' (Bono) and 'Mr. Kite' (Eddie Izzard) as their guides. Tumultuous forces outside their control ultimately tear the young lovers apart, forcing Jude and Lucy - against all odds - to find their own way back to each other.

FROM AMAZON.CO.UK
Something a little different to the norm, Across The Universe is, in its simplest form, a collection of Beatles songs that have been strung together into a musical. But what a musical, and ultimately, what a fascinating film too.

Across The Universe follows Jude, played by Jim Sturgess, who travels from Britain to America in the 1960s, and eventually meets Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). The film then picks up the story of their romance, with the likes of Vietnam war protests sitting in the background, along with a strong-yet-unknown supporting cast who more than hold their own.

Across The Universe progresses its narrative through a mix of Beatles numbers, and its a method that sometimes works exceptionally well, and at other times feels a little bit shoehorned. Nonetheless, more of it succeeds than fails, and theres no denying the quality of the musical work, even though its not the Fab Four whose vocal talents are used.

Sometimes a bit uneven, Across The Universe is nonetheless a brave and bold screen musical, with a striking visual style. Director Julie Taymor--who previously directed the musical of The Lion King on Broadway--has fashioned a gleefully unusual movie, thats a bit risky, sometimes a bit stretched, but very, very watchable. One of the most interesting little gems of 2007. --Jon Foster







SYNOPSIS
The Beatles' songs may have provided the soundtrack for the lives of those coming of age in the 1960s, but their extensive catalogue acts as the literal soundtrack in this romantic musical from visionary director Julie Taymor. Newcomer Jim Sturgess stars as Jude, a young man working on the docks in Liverpool. Eager to escape, he travels to Princeton where he meets Max (Joe Anderson). But it's his meeting with Max's younger sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) that changes him. They quickly fall in love, but their relationship is tested by the chaos of the late 1960s and Max's unwilling tour in Vietnam. Throughout the film, characters burst into classics from The Beatles: students sing 'With a Little Help from My Friends', while Uncle Sam bursts from a recruitment poster with strains of 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'. U2's Bono makes a cameo as a counterculture leader and croons 'I Am the Walrus', and Eddie Izzard provides a trippy rendition of 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'.
Sturgess puts in a charming and earnest performance as Jude and is certainly capable of carrying the film. Wood capably balances Lucy's naivete and knowledge, easily moving between her love for Jude and her passion for her cause. Though the performances are strong, it's Taymor's gifted direction that makes Across the Universe so fascinating to watch. As in Frida and Broadway's ,The Lion King, she proves herself an artist with creativity few can match. Director of photography Bruno Delbonnel also deserves praise for his contribution to the striking visuals. He has worked with Jean-Pierre Jeunet on Amelie and A Very Long Engagement, and he brings the same sense of romance and whimsy to this unique musical.

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DVDs ARE REGION 2 UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

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