Visual Design Analysis-Across the Universe
Every scene in Julie Taymor's, Across the Universe is a visual spectacle. The film is set in 1966, an appropriate year for a movie in tribute to The Beatles. Although the movie is not directly about the oh-so-famous band, it captures the essence of the band through the lives and historical relevancy of its characters. The plot revolves around siblings Maxwell (Joe Anderson) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), their alien friend Jude (Jim Sturgess), and a host of other characters that project the subculture of the 60s. The film deals with the Vietnam war; both those fighting on the front and at home. Max is drafted, and along with his emotional journey, we watch the reactions of both his best friend and sister, who take two very different stands about how citizens should deal with problems they find with their government. Across the Universe is thick with the issues of racism, sexual discovery, drug use, and injustice. Although the movie is long, it delightfully captures your attention through insightful word play within its musical score of purely Beatles music.
A specific scene in Across the Universe that is strong with imagery is when Max has to go to the military entrance process station (MEPS), is one where Julie Taymor's artistic flair is evident. We enter a daunting building to find a talking Uncle Sam poster beaconing Max. He is then pulled into the poster to be analyzed by a set of identical soldiers who intend to bring Max into their ranks. We see Max, along with other men, being poked, prodded, and tested through tiny boxes that portray the men more as specimens than humans. The scene continues with the men being shipped off into Vietnam, their giant boots crushing tiny palm trees as they carry Lady Liberty on their bare backs. It all ends with an officer asking if there is any reason Max should not be in the army. Max insists that he is a, "cross-dressing, homosexual, pacifist with a spot on his lung." The officer responds with, "Well, as long as you don't have flat feet." Max's chest is stamped, like a package, and he is deployed soon after. All of this goes on while the song “I Want You” by The Beatles is being sung out by the choir of officers.
The setting changes between the MEPS, and the terrain of Vietnam. In the MEPS the walls are metallic, and much of the building seems to be mechanical. This makes a statement about how the military operates. Everything is boxed, orderly, and done to the beat of the music. Order, strictness, and precision are important within the army, and these things are only more evident when juxtaposed with Max’s off-beat, rebellious personality. When the setting switches to Vietnam, it is swampy and covered in palm trees, an accurate representation of the country’s landscape. However, when Max's enormous boot falls down upon the trees, crushing the foliage, it is clearly a symbol for how the American government felt entering this war. The United States aims to control, and it is a very powerful image seeing one of our boots demolish a palm trees that resembles Vietnamese terrain.
Taymor is famous for her use of masks, and the way she incorporates them into this scene is brilliant. All of the officers are identical, and are in turn, creating more clones of themselves. It makes a statement to be looking at thirty of the same faces. This is a strong opinion about what the army aims to do to you. Soldiers are conditioned to be like everybody else, so that they are more interested in the good of the whole as opposed to their own individual needs. Taymor shows this concept clearly and in a artistic way. Not only are the enlisted soldiers identical, but the new recruits have been disrobed down to their underwear. All of the garments are white, the color of innocence and purity. The draft pushes men, and in some cases, boys, into war without them having any say in the matter. These clueless young people are being forced into combat, thus they are stripped of their individuality, vulnerable, and ignorant to what is going on around them.
The lighting in this scene is also very deliberate. It is meant to convey a serious and intense mood, since Max is being forced to go to war. There are parts of the scene that use very harsh lighting, for example, when the men are carrying the Statue of Liberty across the swamp. The light is meant to imitate a harsh sun beating down on them, as it is very warm where they are being deployed. However, the scene also utilizes low key lighting whenever Max is speaking with an officer. The low lighting plays with the dark colors of the metal rooms, making the scene seem much colder. The contrast between the heavy and subtle light shows the two extremes of hot and cold, neither of which are appealing to Max. Max is a free thinker, and both lights are forceful, something he does not appreciate.
All of Across the Universe is exotic in the creative risks it takes to convey a time period so deeply affected by the tragedies of that era. If you are craving a film that is unique and significant, or
if you just enjoy The Beatles, watch this movie the next time you get the chance.
Watch the Scene Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSnw1JaL2uA
