The visual of the draftees literally carrying the Statue of Liberty into Vietnam while singing “She’s so Heavy” is, truly, one of the most powerful images ever put onto film.
For real! Like you can feel their struggle not wanting to be in this situation and the weight that’s on their shoulders as they crush through the forest. It’s super impactful
@@MrHoboman12 not just that, they were more or less indoctrinated in the idea that they were fighting to liberate the nation of vietnam at the expense of their own liberty. Hence lady liberty being heavy, as she asks a toll for said liberty
Having the Beatles' "I Want You" sung by the Uncle Sam poster is a stroke of genius. And then "She's So Heavy" while carrying the Statue of Liberty...brilliant. Julie Taylor is such an inventive director. An amazing, underrated movie.
@@koolkalamari - not sure if it's my affection for the song or that I was already a fan of Eddie Izard... But it works for me! It's fun and trippy and they emote the whole concept of the song into existence! Haha, I acknowledge the lines might all be personal ones!
"Any reason you shouldn't be in this man's Army, son?" "I'm a cross-dressing, homosexual pacifist with a spot on my lawn?" "As long as you don't have flat feet." Best lines EVER!!!
@@matis9118 But it's not praising army recruitment.....the interpretation is obviously critical. The imagery during the "she's so heavy" part alone. Also, who cares.
Are we sure The Beatles meant it as a lovey-dovey song anyways? They lived through this era and defined the hippie movement as a whole. This interpretation of the song makes a ton of sense to me.
I figure it’s most likely due to song rights, but it’s also a pretty tricky story to adapt visually with all the variety of locations and styles it goes through. I was thinking the same too, but the scale would have to be severely paired down unless they’re willing to invest millions into the production (which given Taymor’s history with Spider-Man…yeah….)
00:35-3:24. Easily my favorite scene in the entire film. The imagery, the instrumentation, the choreography with all the added percussion with the boot steps. Masterful.
That's the point. He was supposed to look like Kurt Cobain, Sadie was supposed to look like Janis Joplin, Jo-Jo like Jimi Hendrix, and Jude as Paul McCartney. =)
As a millenial, this movie (and this scene in particular) really made me realize/think about the unspoken burden of the Vietnam war and how so many lives were turned upside down; and the crazy part is, the generation of Americans who suffered from this war, domestically and abroad, are our grandparents. Yet you never hear them complain about it. It's like as a country everybody decided to never talk about it.
Man, sequence at 2:53 is still one of my favorite movie moments. It was especially powerful for me when I saw as a young man thinking about joining the military
I love when Max said that. Ray Manzarek from the Doors swallowed tin foil to avoid the draft so it would look like he had tumors. Morrison sat facing the wall silently to avoid the draft,he was a maniac
Absolutely everything about this sequence works so well! The visual effects/imagery, the moving set, the prosthetic make-up, the music and choreo... EVERYTHING! It's all so god damn effective. Edit to mention: Joe Anderson's face acting just showing how absolutely scared shitless Max is. Ugh. It's all so good. *chef's kiss*
No it isn't. It was a song John wrote about Yoko; he wanted her so bad and she was so "heavy" (intellectually challenging). Yoko and I are casual friends, and I can tell you she is VERY intellectually challenging...
According to Wikipedia, John Lennon said the second part was about Yoko Ono, but I think this is a case where the composer didn't actually understand his own song. The movie nails it, 100 percent!
The ending really hit home for me. I considered myself a pristine athlete that was more physically capable than most people I knew, but was almost rejected from the military because they claimed I had “nearly” flat feet. I thought that was a joke but now 25 years later my flat feet are causing me all kinds of issues!!
Why do we need to profit off of a movie portraying Kurt's life, we have books, and Kurt's own journals. Plus Joe is too old at this point, he could only play kurt from 1991 ish to his death, and those aren't very happy times.
"Across the Universe" the film is the best thing ever done with the Beatles catalog, that wasn't done by creators. This scene is the most intense in the film and shows the fate of many young Beatles fans who believed that All You Need is Love, but were sent off to kill their fellow man over politics, many never to return. In a way, all of America and the western world never return to the beauty and the hope we had before that cataclysm.
This has some crazy symbolism relating to the Vietnam War. The United States basically carried the French into that war because they didn't have the man power. Every man was stripped of his clothing (his individual identifyers) and made to carry the Statue of Liberty (the gift the French bestowed on us so many years ago) into war.
It’s called mass ornamentation. We see beauty and uncanniness in humans behaving mechanically in perfect synchronicity. You can trace a lot of it to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis or the Rockefeller Girls, which were the first filmed examples of this kind of effect.
I'm pretty sure he says "spot on my lung," instead of "lawn." That's why he swallowed the wad of cotton as he entered the recruitment facility, because it would show up as a spot on his lung on an xray. Still, it's an awesome quote. Poor bastard tried every trick in the book, too bad he didn't stay in college, students at that time we exempt from the draft.
God, everything about this scene is AMAZING. The unique interpretation, the symbolism, the choreography, the set design. I'm particularly fond of how the soldiers have those uncanny, perfectly chiseled faces, just like how they look on propaganda posters. So. Damn. Good!
I think it failed at the box office because it was ahead of its time. Now it's luckily gotten a cult following. It's my favorite musical of all time just because they did something different with the genre.
Unbelievable choreography. I remember seeing this for the first time and being blown away by it. This and 'Because' are my favourite parts of the film.
I saw this movie ages ago and for some reason totally forgot about this scene. What a brilliant interpretation of a song that was more than likely written about Yoko. So creative and powerful.
I haven't watched this movie in ages, and I should probably do that. This was definitely is one of my favorite scenes, having had friends who enlisted to fight the "war on terror" made this hit different for me when I first saw it, and it's such a powerful critique of the draft and the US military in general. Choreography is amazing!
This scene did something to me the first time I watched this film. Awakened a spark, the directing is unmatched no one can see a beetles song, and find the art and symbolism this movie had
I watched this movie for the first time today and I can't stop thinking about this scene, it was so awesome, so good, agh god! It's genially made, every aspect of it makes me even more amazed
13 years ago.. was in the 10th grade and just started smokin lol this came out and everyone I knew would smoke down and watch it. Was a Beatles fan my entire life before this, but it was kinda cool how this movie brought the Beatles to the forefront of my high school decades later in 2007.
My dad enlisted bc he knew his number was up soon. He chose the navy, and spent the war in a submarine in Spain. But he rarely talks about how the whole process was, knowing buddies who were shipped off to Vietnam. He wasn't nearly cut out for the service and never would have been in it without a draft.
One of the my favorite things about this movie is how they managed to recontextualize some songs and breathe new meaning into them. This one is probably the best example, along with Strawberry Fields Forever and Happiness is a Warm Gun.
I was unaware of the style of this movie and just thought this would be a regular scene scored to the song. Then Uncle Sam reached out and I knew I found a good video
I love this version so much. Makes me sad that the one on the actual soundtrack is different. Not that that version is worse, I just like this one more. :P
The visual of the draftees literally carrying the Statue of Liberty into Vietnam while singing “She’s so Heavy” is, truly, one of the most powerful images ever put onto film.
For real! Like you can feel their struggle not wanting to be in this situation and the weight that’s on their shoulders as they crush through the forest. It’s super impactful
@@MrHoboman12 not just that, they were more or less indoctrinated in the idea that they were fighting to liberate the nation of vietnam at the expense of their own liberty. Hence lady liberty being heavy, as she asks a toll for said liberty
Anyone who can watch that scene without having a profound emotional reaction is soulless.
That's the moment the movie went from a fun beatles movie to a great fil on its own.
Agreed very symbolic
This really has some amazing choreography.
+BeatlesEternally Are those real people with masks or something dancing as the soldiers?
I think its prosthetics. Easier and cheaper than CG. Especially since they are only used in this one scene.
Squad goals AF
Marie Usually better looking too, since prosthetics age better than cg.
Saurabh Narain facts
Having the Beatles' "I Want You" sung by the Uncle Sam poster is a stroke of genius. And then "She's So Heavy" while carrying the Statue of Liberty...brilliant. Julie Taylor is such an inventive director. An amazing, underrated movie.
It's just unfortunate that in my opinion the rest of this movie was nowhere close to as great as this scene.
@@brendanmilburn9067 yeah. It tries but though I love the film as a whole some of its elements don't work.
@@brendanmilburn9067 - except for Mr. Kite! So good!
@@thomasmchugh1989 Really? I thought Mr. Kite was like...one of the worst parts of the movie.
@@koolkalamari - not sure if it's my affection for the song or that I was already a fan of Eddie Izard... But it works for me! It's fun and trippy and they emote the whole concept of the song into existence!
Haha, I acknowledge the lines might all be personal ones!
"Any reason you shouldn't be in this man's Army, son?"
"I'm a cross-dressing, homosexual pacifist with a spot on my lawn?"
"As long as you don't have flat feet." Best lines EVER!!!
Lung*
on my lung* not lawn haha
Lung. It's lung. Why should his lawn disqualify him?
@@janedoex1398 why would being homosexual disqualify him? The 60s worked in mysterious ways.
@@sekiro_the_one-armed_wolf because they knew about aids and how you get it back then
I think it's nice that they gave a whole different meaning to this song. Actually, that's my favourite thing about this performance.
Same! I always thought of it as a super romantic love song but this interpretation is better lol
Right? Solid song, using this as a concept fits perfectly.
Im not sure John Lennon would approve of his song been used for an army recruitment scene though
@@matis9118 But it's not praising army recruitment.....the interpretation is obviously critical. The imagery during the "she's so heavy" part alone. Also, who cares.
Are we sure The Beatles meant it as a lovey-dovey song anyways? They lived through this era and defined the hippie movement as a whole. This interpretation of the song makes a ton of sense to me.
if Joe Anderson doesn't play Kurt in a movie ones day before hes too old I'm gonna a be upset
IKR
Ikr
OH MY FUCKING GOD. I KNOW. HE LOOKS JUST LIKE HIM. BUT THEN AGAIN I DONT WANT HIM TO BLOW HIS BRAINS OUT IN A MOVIE 😂😭😭😭😭
yea they look like Twins !!!
he looks so much like him i cant believe it omg
There is a lot of good symbolism in this scene.
thanks captain obvious
Like being recruited to Viet nam
Gorrilla Grodd in viet nam,
About as subtle as a brick to the face.
@@jimdonny viet nam
The facial structure of the soldiers gives me the most horrid of night terrors.
Existential0w0 okay but same everytime i see them i lowkey shit my pants
They kinda look like Kryten.
And so they should.
LoL strong jaw
psyberfunk they are all Major Chip Hazard
Welcome to the Army. Here's your chin!
You are in the army now
and brows
@@citizenbane1991 Don't stand against your Uncle Sam ,son
@@marienemozzarella8502 uh?
Woah woah woah,
Would absolutely love to see them adapt this sequence on stage. Honestly how has this not been adapted to stage yet
I figure it’s most likely due to song rights, but it’s also a pretty tricky story to adapt visually with all the variety of locations and styles it goes through. I was thinking the same too, but the scale would have to be severely paired down unless they’re willing to invest millions into the production (which given Taymor’s history with Spider-Man…yeah….)
Heck even if they had the song rights it's gonna be hard recreating or outperforming the sequence of the original
Well the director the underrated Julie Taymor is known for her stage productions.
@@calsavestheworld I mean Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark was a smash hit for a reason 😂 sorry I had to make a spiderman musical joke there
@@klandgraf6956 Yeah that was... let's not mention that one.
This scene and the "Let It Be" scene really bring new meaning to the respective songs.
00:35-3:24. Easily my favorite scene in the entire film. The imagery, the instrumentation, the choreography with all the added percussion with the boot steps. Masterful.
Favorite scene in the movie. I just love how everything looks.
Same!
Some people see him as Max. All I see is Kurt Cobain.
I didn't see it the first time I saw the movie but I do now haha
That's the point. He was supposed to look like Kurt Cobain, Sadie was supposed to look like Janis Joplin, Jo-Jo like Jimi Hendrix, and Jude as Paul McCartney. =)
Haha I knew that...
yeah
same
2:18 the emotion on his face is absolutely amazing... such a powerful scene and song.
Will someone make the damn Kurt Cobain movie before he gets too old??
You're a waste of matter.
Claire Anne Well that's random...
Zikomo7 Kurt Cobain's been dead for a long, long time.
Form This Way Pretty sure she was referring to Joe Anderson growing old.
Zikomo7
I'm willing to sacrifice Justin Beiber to get Kurt back. Let's make a movie about that :D
As a millenial, this movie (and this scene in particular) really made me realize/think about the unspoken burden of the Vietnam war and how so many lives were turned upside down; and the crazy part is, the generation of Americans who suffered from this war, domestically and abroad, are our grandparents. Yet you never hear them complain about it. It's like as a country everybody decided to never talk about it.
Your heart should be bleeding for the Vietnamese not the Americans ffs
@@ericktellez7632 Bleed for both.
The draft is inhumane.
There’s literally a whole generation of homeless Vietnam vets, you don’t hear them complain because nobody listens to them
@@ericktellez7632Or stop drawing a line in the sand and feel for both. Everybody suffered, nobody won.
2:52 is so powerful for some reason. I haven't seen the movie or know anything about it, but that shot is incredible.
13 years later and this music video still gives me goosebumps
I really love Julie Taymor, I think she's a very underrated director
this is still the greatest interpretation of this song, gosh it gives me goosebumps
SO good!
Joe Anderson you are a perfect darling
Ap Selene he could be kurt cobain son.
@@Timmie999 Absolutely
@@Timmie999 he IS
Apart from being only 15 years younger than Kurt, ig so. Kurt's a bit more sensitive looking idk why. Smaller.@@Timmie999
Jim Sturgess as Jude looks an uncanny amount like Paul McCartney
oh my god, yes! My brother doesn't see it but I knew I couldn't be the only one
NintendoGuy 910 And Max look like Kurt Cobain
Paul and Kurt lol
I thought so too! And his relationship with Lucy reminds me of Paul and Linda’s relationship.
Sounds like him to!
I love how this is so perfectly coordinated choreographed
me when this scene started: what the fuck are they gonna do for "she's so heavy??"
me afterwards: *oh*
Man, sequence at 2:53 is still one of my favorite movie moments. It was especially powerful for me when I saw as a young man thinking about joining the military
The fact that "She" is the Statue of Liberty is perfect.
"i'm a crossdressing homosexual pacifist with a spot on my lung" same
I'm just flatfooted
+ECL28E nice.
I love when Max said that. Ray Manzarek from the Doors swallowed tin foil to avoid the draft so it would look like he had tumors. Morrison sat facing the wall silently to avoid the draft,he was a maniac
They didnt drug test back then dude. Thats why people were getting high as hell DURING the war while they were IN Nam!
ijustlovetea that is true.
Absolutely everything about this sequence works so well! The visual effects/imagery, the moving set, the prosthetic make-up, the music and choreo... EVERYTHING! It's all so god damn effective. Edit to mention: Joe Anderson's face acting just showing how absolutely scared shitless Max is. Ugh. It's all so good. *chef's kiss*
the soldiers kinda look like robbie rotten
PootieWienerfish this is my favorite comment
I honestly see an army of Handsome Jack.
Lazytown, the prequel
The U.S. Army: We are number one!
And now he's dead 😭
My grandpa said he just pretended he was deaf.
Jordan Pendarvis LOL does that work?
@@Puppy_Puppington actually it does BUT you need to provide solid evidence, like paperwork from a licensed doctor.
@@shadow4you don't you know, have to have a license to be a doctor?
@@delvynwilliams6951 not sure how tedious they were about legality but there was always bribery
@@shadow4you Good to know 🤣
Wow, what a creative take on this song. I wonder if this was the underlying theme of the song.
No it isn't. It was a song John wrote about Yoko; he wanted her so bad and she was so "heavy" (intellectually challenging). Yoko and I are casual friends, and I can tell you she is VERY intellectually challenging...
bckm54 casual friends?
Amy Wilks As opposed to formal friends, I suppose. Like, politicians talking to each-other and say "My friend here..." :P
That last scene is just pure genius. I love it!
this song fits this scene too perfectly as if the beatles made this song specifically just for this scene or vice versa (for sure)
According to Wikipedia, John Lennon said the second part was about Yoko Ono, but I think this is a case where the composer didn't actually understand his own song. The movie nails it, 100 percent!
@Brendan Milburn how can you not like the movie though? For it being in 2003, it's pretty damn good
Yeah there are definitely a few individual scenes th at I absolutely adore, but the entire movie is kind of a drag tbh
@@redheadwannabe it was 2007
The ending really hit home for me. I considered myself a pristine athlete that was more physically capable than most people I knew, but was almost rejected from the military because they claimed I had “nearly” flat feet. I thought that was a joke but now 25 years later my flat feet are causing me all kinds of issues!!
Joe Anderson is getting older, and we will forever regret not having the Kurt Cobain movie. Hollywood what are you waiting for!!!!?
Why do we need to profit off of a movie portraying Kurt's life, we have books, and Kurt's own journals. Plus Joe is too old at this point, he could only play kurt from 1991 ish to his death, and those aren't very happy times.
Start a Subreddit or MGM petition or something.
If that movie were to be as disrespectful as this one then it should never be made
@@pidza_hub7532 since when is Across The Universe disrespectful? It's literally a fiction with Beatles songs
@@Henrique-iy2lk it don't respect the context of the original songs
"Across the Universe" the film is the best thing ever done with the Beatles catalog, that wasn't done by creators. This scene is the most intense in the film and shows the fate of many young Beatles fans who believed that All You Need is Love, but were sent off to kill their fellow man over politics, many never to return.
In a way, all of America and the western world never return to the beauty and the hope we had before that cataclysm.
This has some crazy symbolism relating to the Vietnam War. The United States basically carried the French into that war because they didn't have the man power. Every man was stripped of his clothing (his individual identifyers) and made to carry the Statue of Liberty (the gift the French bestowed on us so many years ago) into war.
Wrong. The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu came before the Americans.
@@carolynzaremba5469 lol op doesn't know history ^p^
For some reason this scene makes me think of the scene from Polar Express where the guys are serving hot chocolate. Don't ask why.
Beyond The Infinite 3061 strangely i can sort of see that too
The rhythm and togetherness?
Brick Window why?
It’s called mass ornamentation. We see beauty and uncanniness in humans behaving mechanically in perfect synchronicity. You can trace a lot of it to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis or the Rockefeller Girls, which were the first filmed examples of this kind of effect.
Why?
Weird... When I went to MEPs, the dance number was to the tune of "Living in America." Guess each station does it a little differently.
We didn't get to do a dance number, we just walked around in our underwear and got yelled at by a bunch of overweight civilians
Does Uncle Sam still try to grab you and every station?
I'm pretty sure he says "spot on my lung," instead of "lawn." That's why he swallowed the wad of cotton as he entered the recruitment facility, because it would show up as a spot on his lung on an xray. Still, it's an awesome quote. Poor bastard tried every trick in the book, too bad he didn't stay in college, students at that time we exempt from the draft.
God, everything about this scene is AMAZING. The unique interpretation, the symbolism, the choreography, the set design. I'm particularly fond of how the soldiers have those uncanny, perfectly chiseled faces, just like how they look on propaganda posters. So. Damn. Good!
I know, right?! It saddens me that I can only hit tie 'Like' button once!
No. I find it impossible to believe that all of those men were wearing white boxers.
a few were wearing white briefs
And some will have brown ones by the end
I saw this movie when I was 12 or 13 and this scene has stuck with me all these years later. It's what I think of every time I hear I Want You
I've seen this film a million times and the tango with the sergeants still feels literally..so heavy.
too bad this movie wasn't so successful. I really like it.with the drugs and the songs .
Cristian Luna it's SO underrated
Yessss
gotta love drugs
Yes
I think it failed at the box office because it was ahead of its time. Now it's luckily gotten a cult following. It's my favorite musical of all time just because they did something different with the genre.
wow! Never saw this before. This is brilliant cinema!!!
There should be a movie with just Queen songs now. (i must be in it)
Yes
YESSS
OH GOD YESS
+Riley Larkin
YAS
While I agree, I just don't know if there is anyone out there who could really do justice to Mercury's voice. Ya know?
This part used to scare me as a kid, but its by far the best interpretation of this song I've seen
Unbelievable choreography. I remember seeing this for the first time and being blown away by it. This and 'Because' are my favourite parts of the film.
My favorite sequence :)
The imagery in this movie is superb. Beautifully summing up the Times.
I saw this movie ages ago and for some reason totally forgot about this scene. What a brilliant interpretation of a song that was more than likely written about Yoko. So creative and powerful.
I haven't watched this movie in ages, and I should probably do that. This was definitely is one of my favorite scenes, having had friends who enlisted to fight the "war on terror" made this hit different for me when I first saw it, and it's such a powerful critique of the draft and the US military in general. Choreography is amazing!
FAVOURITE SCENE! CHRIST
Across The Universe remains one of the most visually interesting films I've ever seen and I think it's underrated as hell
This scene did something to me the first time I watched this film. Awakened a spark, the directing is unmatched no one can see a beetles song, and find the art and symbolism this movie had
My favorite scene. so perfectly choreographed
I watched this movie for the first time today and I can't stop thinking about this scene, it was so awesome, so good, agh god! It's genially made, every aspect of it makes me even more amazed
One of the coolest scenes ever. The imagery is stunning. The way all the soldiers have the exact same gi joe face is scary as hell
A co-worker told me to watch this movie. She has earned my trust.
I wish my MEPS screening had been this efficient.
I'm proud to own this movie. They did a kick ass job with this movie- telling a story with the Beatles catolog
13 years ago.. was in the 10th grade and just started smokin lol this came out and everyone I knew would smoke down and watch it. Was a Beatles fan my entire life before this, but it was kinda cool how this movie brought the Beatles to the forefront of my high school decades later in 2007.
THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!
¡Ufff! ¡Qué rápido han pasado 14 años! La película es una joya y esta escena es una obra de arte.
When I first saw this I was 7 and it gave me nightmares for a month 😣
This is the best scene in the movie.
I can't say enough how incredibly cool this scene is- just STELLAR PERFECTION....it saddens me that I can only hit the 'Like' button once!
My entire life I’ve been a Beatles fan. I remember this movie coming out and buying it. I enjoyed it, but this was the best part imo honestly.
He's so cute. He looks just like Kurt.
Genius reinterpretation of this song
Joe Anderson is such my adolescence crush. And this movie is a masterpiece
I've never seen this movie before but damn, that video really put a new meaning on the song in this context
i loved the symbolism in this movie. my all-time favorite :)
this movie was ahead of it's time
I must watch this every once in awhile because it's genius
Most original and well done sketch I've seen of an old Beatles song.
I keep replaying 3:06. God the harmonies 😍😍😍
Shes so
HEAVYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
So many young men of my generation were lost to death, devastating injuries, drugs and PTSD.
love the symbolism
The crimson chin origin story
I’d like to imagine they made this entire film just to have him join the army for this song. Best number
This film is art.
I LOVE THIS
My dad enlisted bc he knew his number was up soon. He chose the navy, and spent the war in a submarine in Spain. But he rarely talks about how the whole process was, knowing buddies who were shipped off to Vietnam. He wasn't nearly cut out for the service and never would have been in it without a draft.
Wow this was so well done
One of the my favorite things about this movie is how they managed to recontextualize some songs and breathe new meaning into them. This one is probably the best example, along with Strawberry Fields Forever and Happiness is a Warm Gun.
the choreography is beyond real!!!
Such an awesome scene that is.
Can we pls appreciate the choreography?? It's so awesome!!
I was unaware of the style of this movie and just thought this would be a regular scene scored to the song. Then Uncle Sam reached out and I knew I found a good video
Such a metaphoric scene: those guys carrying the Statue of Liberty, while destroying everything on their way...
Liberty is heavy.
The choreography in this is beautiful
im so irritated that this isn't on even the deluxe soundtrack it was one of my favorite songs fml
Ironhide you can Still purchase it but Sorry I've forgotten what you need to look for separately
I love the symbolism
Probably one of the best scenes in the movie. It's so well done.
Im a cross dressing homosexual pacifist with a spot on my lung
As long as you don't have flat feet.
Avery Gay person As long as you don't have flat feet
In the army there is no discrimination against any form of cannon fodder.
Unless, of course, you have "bone spurs."
Me too thanks
I wonder how awkward it was to film a dance number in just underwear lol
lol right
Not for professionals. Professionals even dance naked.
Didn’t really like this movie, but this scene always stuck out to me as punching well above it’s weight compared to other songs in the movie
I love this version so much. Makes me sad that the one on the actual soundtrack is different. Not that that version is worse, I just like this one more. :P