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The next minutes of the film are a surreal view of the physical and induction process. As the scene begins we view Max entering the Induction Center. The camera angle makes the building more imposing as it appears to loom over Max. As he enters the building the opening phrases of “I Want You” begin as an Uncle Sam poster on the wall comes to life reciting the words to the newly arrived Max. As the camera pans from left to right along with Max point of view we feel his impending sense of panic. The hand of Uncle Sam reaches towards Max as he is grabbed two soldiers and moved along into a corridor.

The corridor is filled with other soldiers complete with grotesque masks and military uniforms. The camera movement is smooth as it follows Max down a moving ramp as he is methodically stripped down to his boxers by the malevolently costumed guards. As Max exits the corridor he enters a large room filled with other Army recruits also stripped to their boxers. The guards begin a staccato recitation of the words being sung in the song. “I want you, I want you so bad” is repeated and accentuated by the movement of guards as they perform a choreographed routine while the recruits are moved into rows with the guards.

During this shot sound and camera angle evoke stark emotions which are evident in the faces of both Max and the other recruits. They guards or Army officers seem to be brainwashed as they move in time to the pounding rhythm of the song. As large boxes are dropped down from the ceiling each recruit is enclosed with a guard who stamps off on what one can assume are the results of their physicals. The boxes create long rows down which guards march at low then high angles which invoke a sense of unease and fear. Suddenly the camera cuts away to crates which are stamped as ammunition in which the recruits are processed by medical personal.

We see close up shots of various body parts and of Max’s face as a variety of physical tests are carried out. This is all done in via disorientated editing which cuts from one shot to another in fast sequence. Abruptly, the doors of the crates are slammed shut as we are transported into another room where the recruits are held in the grips of the grotesque looking guards. As the guards stare blankly ahead they proceed to forcibly subject the recruits to a series of exaggerated calisthenics. The recruits are forced to the ground and made to perform push-ups as the guards step over them without emotion.

They are then grabbed to their feet as they perform a jagged dance with the guards who then throw them back to their feet. This sequence is carried out to the drum beats of the song making the entire sequence seem brutal and calculated. As they are thrown on their backs the floor begins to move again carrying the recruits out of the room. The scene continues for a few additional shots which finalize Max’s induction into the army. However, during these first few minutes, the movies anti-war theme if effectively portrayed.

The guards, with the expressionless faces and staccato movements impose a variety of humiliating and de-humanizing tasks on the young recruits. The recruits are stripped down to their boxers and carry expressions of confusion and fear which makes them appear innocent and afraid. Added to all of this is the soundtrack which turns what was most likely intended to be a song about romantic longing to something much darker. It turns it into a commentary on the aggression of the draft system and makes the US Army appear to be a sinister and vicious.

Although Across the Universe does follow a fictional love story set in the 1960’s, at its core is what I believe to be the main theme which is one of anti-government and anti-war. The soundtrack used provides an interesting correlation between these two themes as many of the songs are used more than once during the movie to convey both messages. Later in the movie “I Want You” is sung again by another character named Prudence who sings the song in the vein of extreme longing with which it was most likely intended when first penned by The Beatles.

However, in this scene the song is used to invoke extreme emotion and feelings of unease. The entire film is threaded with the idealism and rage against the government which was prevalent during this time. At its core Across the Universe is a rant against the ongoing Vietnam War, the social unease of the era and what many believed was an unjust draft. In conveys these ideas effectively which the powerful and at many times moving soundtrack provided by the music from the greatest rock band of time; music which still seems relevant and moving many years later.