Across the Universe Screening

Our second unit of Year 9 focuses on Musicals. Musicals are films that involve singing, usually accompanied by dancing as well. Music plays a very important role in musicals, as they help with developing the story of the film. Lyrics in songs support the storyline of the film and gives the audience information. Some popular and well-known musical films include The Sound of Music (1965), Les Misérables (2012) and numerous Disney films such as The Lion King (1994) and The Little Mermaid (1989).

Across the Universe (2007) - directed by Julie Taymor 

Q. How does the mise en scene indicate the time period in the film? Give specific examples.

During class, our teacher showed us the first half of "Across the Universe", a musical film produced in 2007 and directed by Julie Taymor. One of the most significant features of "Across the Universe" is the powerful effect of its mise en scène. The costumes, props and setting gives the audience information about the time period in the film in an indirect way.

I would like to first talk about the the second scene, in which cross-cutting, an editing technique is applied, showing and comparing two couples dancing in two different locations. From observing what the first couple in a senior prom is wearing - the girl wearing a frilly, spaghetti-strap formal dress and white gloves, similar to what other girls in the area are wearing, and the guy wearing a tuxedo, the audience can tell that the film is set in the 1960s since the costumes that the girls are wearing were fashionable during that period of time. The film then moves to another location - an underground club, where the second couple is dancing. Again the costume of the girl gives us a clue about the time period. She is wearing a leopard-print top and in the 1960s, animal prints were popular for women. Another element in this scene tells us that the film is set in the 1960s as well - the props. The 1960s were considered to be the start of the muscle cars era, and in the film, the US couple leaves the prom and travels home in a muscle car.

The next scene that I would like to talk about is the cheerleading scene, where a girl is singing to express her feelings towards the head cheerleader. Her costume tells the audience that the film is situated in the 1960s as well. She is wearing a knee-length skirt and a long sleeve sweater which has the school letter "W" placed in the centre. We know that the letter placed in the centre is the school letter because in one of the shots, it shows the word "Wildcats" in the background. This was what the cheerleading uniforms were like in the 1960s. Shorter skirts became popular at that time, replacing the overly long skirts worn before for moving more easily.

Last but not least, in the scene where a bunch of guys are hanging out in the dorm, the set dressing gives a huge clue about the time period of the film as well. For example, there was a picture of Brigitte Bardot hung on the wall in the background. Brigitte Bardot was one of the most well-known sex symbols of the 1960s. With a picture of her in the background, it is very obvious that the film is set in the 1960s. 

In Across the Universe, each and every detail in the film gives information about the film. Some may not be very noticeable, but by paying close attention, the audience would be able to tell the time period of the film easily.