FEATURE:
Lines, Crosses and Curves
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
Kate Bush and the Filmic Possibilities
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SHE did release a short film…
PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
in 1993 called The Line, the Cross and the Curve. That was a selection of her songs set to film. The material appeared on The Red Shoes, yet Bush wanted to do something a bit more filmic. She loves cinema, and she had directed some of her music videos up until that point. I really like the film, though Bush directed, wrote and starred in it. Taking on a lot at a time when she was so busy, maybe it was not the best time to take a short. I do think that Bush’s music is perfect for film. I have written features before asking if there will ever be a Kate Bush biopic. I have also discussed the need for new documentaries about her. Also, I have written about how Bush’s music and life could be translated to film. In the past, her songs have been used on the big screen. It is quite rare, so it needs to be a film that she approves of. I think that her songs are so diverse, yet they mean so much to so many people. Rather than there being a biopic or musical, a film that uses Bush’s music as the soundtrack would be wonderful. It would come down whether Bush would be comfortable having her music used as part of a soundtrack.
I think that originals plus artists covering her songs would be great. One of my other features explored the idea of a tribute or covers album. There have been one or two before, though they have not really featured bigger artists. Many people cover Bush’s work, but there is a list of artists that love her work that I would enjoy hearing tackle one of her songs. Maybe The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon and St. Vincent doing songs. Perhaps Björk and Big Boi providing an interpretation each of a classic. There could be four or five new recordings made especially for the film. I have been batting around a film that is sort of coming-of-age that either has a lead actress who is a massive Kate Bush fan, or else there is a film that is set to her music. Sort of like a narrative with different songs being visualised. I think that the first option is more likely. From the gorgeous tones of The Kick Inside’s (1978) The Man with the Child in His Eyes to 50 Words for Snow’s Snowed in at Wheeler Street (2011), there could be this fascinating story. Maybe a film set in the 1980s that would use her songs up until, say, 1988 or 1989. It could be this great mix of a teen coming-of-age, but it would also have more serious and deeper elements. I can’t recall whether anything has been done like this. There are artists whose music has been used this way (Blinded by the Light was a film set to Bruce Springsteen’s music), but Kate Bush has bene relatively untouched and under-explored when it comes to her music and the screen. Whether the protagonist would discover Kate Bush and find power in her music, or there is a semi-autobiographical element where some of the lead’s life and arc mirrors that of Kate Bush’s, I am not too sure.
IN THIS PHOTO: St. Vincent
One cannot say that there is a lack of support, affection for and demand of Kate Bush’s music. Her popularity seems to rise by the year! I really like how people can just share her videos and music and that sparks huge conversation and admiration. Unlike big stars of today who have to tweet and post endless posts to get their music noticed and talked about, Kate Bush has this endless majesty and genius that means her music will be dissected and highlighted for generations. I love the split between Bush’s ‘70s music and what she produced in the 1980s. Her first two albums – 1978’s The Kick Inside and Lionheart – have a more stripped sound that rely more on piano and voice. Themes mostly explore love, and there is this quality to her voice that is pure, sweet – yet there is also great passion and range. As she moved into the Eighties, one can feel shifts and expansions between 1980’s Never for Ever, 1982’s The Dreaming, 1985’s Hounds of Love and 1989’s The Sensual World. Songs like Babooshka and Army Dreamers (Never for Ever) could be represented and start the film. Then songs from The Dreaming like There Goes a Tenner and All the Love could be the next part of the first act. Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave could be act two, then you could go to a couple of tracks from The Sensual World for the final act.
There are, in fact, endless possibilities when it comes to plot and setting. Rather than this being a way to simply use Kate Bush’s songs in a film, a lot of the lyrics would be played out. A story would form around her words. Mixing in music video-style direction with different visual angles, it could be an engrossing and memorable film. The fan demand would be there but, in a more general sense, there would be success and demand. Because Kate Bush keeps reaching new people and her influence is vast, I do think there needs to be more projects that visual and represent this. A film could combine elements of a musical, together with well-known artists covering her songs. There would be a mixture of romance, tragedy and drama. I am not sure what it would be called or what the plot is, but I can picture scenes and little moments that would combine into a pretty decent and original film (or T.V. drama). I feel we will see some books and other projects relating to Kate Bush through this year. Who knows what could shape up and appear in the coming months?! There is always hope that another album will arrive (2011’s 50 Words for Snow is her latest studio album), but she will be done when she is done! Her music will engage and inspire the new generation, but I reckon a powerful, funny, interesting and affectionate film where her music is at the heart of things would…
PROVE to be a big success.