On Across the Universe Musings

I stopped by Best Buy yesterday afternoon. I saw online that they had special swag for the DVD release of Across the Universe. Naturally, I was interested.

It’s a good week for Across the Universe. Monday was Across the Univere Day — NASA beamed the song, “Across the Universe” at Polaris. Tuesday, the DVD hit shops.

I liked the film when I saw it, back in October. It wasn’t perfect. There were things I’d have done differently. I might’ve picked other songs at certain junctures. There’s a scene where “Two of Us” would have been entirely appropriate. And the middle section was… well, it was hard to grasp emotionally.

But when the film worked, the film worked gang-busters.

Enough about the film, though. Which I will probably watch later this week. I’d have watched it last night, but House was on, and it was the strike-shortened-season finale. And unlike other shows and their strike-shortened-season finales — Pushing Daisies, I’m looking at you — this episode felt like it could conceivably be a season finale.

Enough about House.

I did spend some time last night with the special features of the Across the Universe DVD. A couple of documentaries — I’m especially looking forward to seeing how the script was shaped around the Beatles’ music and other aspects of the creative process on this film. Some extended song performances. Alternate takes of Eddie Izzard. One deleted scene.

And zero trailers for the film.

Oh, there are trailers for other films. The trailer for The Other Boleyn Girl looks awesome. And maybe only slightly more historically accurate than The Tudors.

But the trailer for Across the Universe? The television spots?

Not here.

Now, not every DVD release comes with the film’s trailer. One could question the utility of including the trailer. I mean, the person can just watch the film. Why watch the trailer?

And television spots? Maybe if there’s some historical interest.

But!

Across the Universe was different. The trailer had a magic of its own. The trailer made me feel something. Shouldn’t it be immortalized?

I don’t think Sony was lacking for space; they released the film and the five documentaries on a two-disc set. If the five documentaries total more than an hour in length, I’d be shocked. I won’t say it’s not impossible, but I’d still be shocked.

Trailers are sometimes mini-movies in themselves. Like the V For Vendetta trailer — the use of a voice-over there was a bit of a misdirect for the film. (And there’s another trailer that wasn’t on the DVD release. And there certainly was room on that two-disc set.)

Maybe it’s difficult to clear trailers for release as a DVD extra. I’ve heard that, so it’s possible, I’ll grant.

Still, at least as for archival purposes, you’d think studios would go to greater lengths. It’s just data.

Which is why I’m a writer, not a studio exec. The big picture? I sometimes miss that.

Best Buy’s special Across the Universe swag, by the way, was a red CD wallet with the film’s strawberry logo stamped on the front.

And since it’s Ash Wednesday, Praise Odin!