Across the univers, an atypical musical from Julie Taymor

This Revolution Studios’ movie, premiered in 2007, (2008 in Spain) is an original musical springing from the imagination of renowned director Julie Taymor (Frida, Titus, and the Broadway smash hit musical “The Lion King”) and writers Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais (The Commitments).

Taymor decided to use Beatles music to create a love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s, where the turbulent years of anti-war protest, mind exploration and rock ‘n roll, have their place. Julie Taymor aim was to conceive a film that would “investigate the 60’s. It had to penetrate all levels of the Beatle’s songs”.

“I really want young people to see the passion in this movie – to see with what fervor these characters invested themselves into social movements as well as self-exploration; I hope it really speaks “across the universe” and across cultures… That anybody could identify with the situations and events that are happening in this movie.”

Mathew Gross produced this atypical musical, in which unlike other musicals, the songs created the story, and the characters were created for the songs: “…beginning with over 200 songs written by the Beatles, we eventually chose 33 that we felt best told the story of a generation and a time” says Taymor.

Composer Elliot Goldenthal helped the director in giving form to this musical in which Evan Rachel Woods (portraying Lucy) is the only cast member with major film experience. Jim Sturgess, who’s been in a rock band, was the chosen one for the role of Jude in the casting specifically made in England for that role, in which Joe Anderson participated and expressed that he was more of a Max character, which seemed to go pretty well for him, as he finally got the role. Dana Fuchs as the singer Sadie, Marthin Luther MaCoy -a singer and guitar player in New York without much acting experience- as Jo-Jo, and T.V. Carpio -a dancer and former ice skater- as Prudence complete the cast, together with the cameos of singers like Bono and Joe Cocker, actors like Salma Hayeck or the British standup comic Eddie Izzard who make their appearances in this psychedelic story.

To give the music authenticity, the team recorded many of the songs using period appropriate equipment, such as analog tape and vintage microphones, and they also decided to make the movie with as much live singing as possible. To complete the work, Daniel Ezralow was the chosen choreographer that managed to direct more than 350 dancing roles in the film; you can see her in her cameo as a possessed dancing priest in “Hapiness is a warm gun”.

On the other hand, two times Award Academy Bruno Delbonnel , (Amèlie) does a great work as a cinematographer, creating the perfect ambiance for this psychedelic musical experiment that wouldn’t be as good if it wasn’t for the work of Mark Friedberg ( Far from heaven, The live Aquatic, The Producers) as a production designer and Albert Wolsky, who had to dress nearly 5000 extras, as a costume designer. “I wanted to interpret the 60’s in a way that was relevant and interesting, I didn’t want to re-create it, I wanted to reinvent it”, says Friedberg.

The film was shot over 50 locations in 60 days, mostly in the New York City area, creating sets for such different places as Detroit, Vietnam, a 60’s Greenwich Village, and so many more.

But most of the neighborhoods were supportive and even some of them left some colorful paint and murals up after the shoot was already over. There is one anecdote, taking the comparison so far, that helps to understand the merge that was intended by Taymor when she created this artistic statement with social implications portraying a past epoch that’s not remotely too far from now: the Art department found that they did not have to create mock newspaper stories for set dressing; they just took current newspaper articles about Iraq and changed the names in the headlines.

This is a fine and original movie, with artistic passion in it, which reformulates the classic musical in style and art, and tells a love story using well known songs of the Beatles. You would like it or not, but I can assure you won’t stay indifferent.

If you want to get an idea of what I am talking about, you can see the trailer here.

Laia Vilaseca.