FEATURE:
Enticed by the Mysterious Woman
Kate Bush’s The Line, The Cross and the Curve at Thirty
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EVEN though I have recently…
published a feature about Kate Bush’s short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve, I am compelled to return to it. It was released originally in 1993. In fact, it was premiered at the London Film Festival on 13th November, 1993. It was released in the U.K. on 6th May, 1994. I am counting that as its thirtieth anniversary because the premiere was for a selected few. Many fans might not know about this chapter in Kate Bush’s career. It was part of a larger promotional angle for 1993’s album, The Red Shoes. A short film which combined eight music videos. Eight tracks from The Red Shoes. This was a rarity for Bush. No album before that had seen so many of its songs get videos and visually representation. For those who overlook The Red Shoes, I would pass them through The Line, the Cross and the Curve. With Kate Bush writing and starring in the film, she also directed it. Although a fairly inexperienced director – she directed several of her music videos to this point through nothing as complex as this -, she adds some wonder sequences and distinct touches. She has said how she took on too much. Her language changed through the years to the point where she has almost dismissed and disowned this film. I think it is far stronger than that! Produced Margarita Doyle and co-starring Miranda Richardson and Lindsay Kemp, The Line, the Cross and the Curve should get more acclaim. It is a shame there is not any anniversary reissuing or showing of the film. I have always felt how it needs an official HD reissue and some extras. Maybe tying together interviews from the time, it would be fascinating to see this film on the big screen. To mark its thirtieth anniversary, I am going to bring in part of a great feature. Before getting down to it, there are some interesting facts and things to note. All of the tracks from The Line, the Cross and the Curve were promotional videos for the singles from The Red Shoes. Excerpt Lily. There are different versions of Eat the Music’s video.
The film version is different from the one released alongside the single. That single has been reissued for this year’s Record Store Day – Kate Bush was this year’s Ambassador – and has made a modest dent in the U.K. singles chart. I can see The Line, the Cross and the Curve making its way to Curzon cinemas and showing for a passionate and small audience. The Line, the Cross and the Curve was released direct-to-video. Many note how the release of the film coincided with Kate Bush fading from public view for many years. Released in May 1994, she was not done with promotion around The Red Shoes. And So Is Love was released in November 1994. The end of 1994 was very much Kate Bush’s going on hiatus. Even though there were public appearances and the odd bit here and there, she did not fully come back until 2005’s double album, Aerial. There is not a great deal out there about the film. I wrote a feature back in November. I may repeat myself here. A thirtieth anniversary of any sort relating to Kate Bush warrants celebration and investigation. The Line, the Cross and the Curve is her only short film. It is an important yet underrated part of her career. A sign that she wanted to direct film and be a bit more hands-on and ambitious as a director. It is a shame that she never attempted anything like this later in her career. I could have seen an Aerial short film coming to light. Maybe one where she conceptualised one of the two discs. A series of tracks forming a story. I recently wrote how Hounds of Love’s (1985) The Ninth Wave has not been brought to the screen. As it stands, The Red Shoes is the album that has been visually represented the most if you see what I mean. Maybe The Line, the Criss and the Curve was one of the first visual albums.. One can definitely compare it to some visual albums that have been released in the past decade or so.
Once more, I am going drop in an invaluable and detailed feature about the film. Kate Bush often said how she was a big fan of director Michael Powell and the film, The Red Shoes. Forty-five years before Kate Bush released her film, The Red Shoes was released in cinemas. The 1948 classic was a directing collaboration between Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell. Based off of a story by Hans Christian Andersen, Bush’s love of that film not only influenced the album, The Red Shoes, but the film that followed. I feel she would have been to have an album based around that film and inspired by it. When recording the songs, it was until she would have thought about doing a short film and paying visual tribute to her own music and the 1948 The Red Shoes film:
“Created as a promotional tool for her 1993 studio album The Red Shoes, this short film is a spin on the classic fairy tale of the same name, in which a young woman puts on a pair of enchanted shoes that cause her to dance unceasingly until and unless she can find a way to remove them. Here, we open on Bush's character in rehearsal with her band until a power outage causes them to take a break. Left alone in the studio, Bush is suddenly confronted by a dark and mystical dancer played by two-time Oscar nominee Miranda Richardson, who implores Bush to help her break the curse of the red shoes by drawing three symbols—the titular line, cross, and curve. However, Richardson's ulterior motive soon becomes clear—by receiving the symbols, she passes the curse onto Bush, and flees through a mirror. Bush pursues her and finds herself in another dimension (an Upside Down, if you will), soon greeted by an otherworldly figure portrayed by British dance legend Lindsay Kemp. He tells her she must "sing back the symbols" to break the curse. After visiting an elderly woman named Lily who gives her advice and comfort, Bush draws on the memories of her loved ones to guide her closer to Richardson's twisted prima ballerina. Giving herself over to the sounds of a jubilant choir, Bush is able to regain the symbols, rid herself of the curse, and escape through the mirror, leaving Richardson crushed under the weight of a cave in with only her feet, once again bearing the accursed shoes, sticking out.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: John Stoddart
Bush had long expressed a desire to collaborate with famed British director Michael Powell, director of 1948's The Red Shoes, itself an interpretation of the classic tale told through the lens of a modern ballet company. However, the two were unable to work together before his death in February 1990, though the inspiration she drew from the film is clear. In essence, the film is en extended music video; it would end up receiving a 1996 Grammy nomination for Best Long Form Video. A recording artist first, Bush's primary storytelling convention is the music itself, and her material is successful in helping express the short's larger narrative arc, taking us through sonic and visual peaks and valleys.
Lead single "Rubberband Girl" kicks off the film—its percussive, steady beat catches the viewer's attention immediately, accompanied by Bush being virtually puppeted by a fellow dancer through a series of simple but effective movements. The whole setup is decidedly unglamorous, a stark contrast to what awaits us shortly. Following the power outage, Bush lights a single candle, drawing us into the atmospheric and moody timbre of "And So Is Love," which also features first-rate guitar work by Eric Clapton. Sensual and dark, it's in direct opposition to the chaotic energy of Richardson's character, a vision in red and black who we meet at the song's end. As she woos and convinces Bush to help her, we hear the album's title track, "The Red Shoes," all Irish jig and pan flute, filled with frenetic and enticing rhythm. Soon, Bush is cursed with the shoes, becoming her own red and black vision, venturing into the mirror dimension and pleading for help. "Lily," named after the wise elderly woman who helps guide Bush on her journey, is a prayer of strength, promising to help Bush "protect herself with fire." Soon, we hear the instrumental strings of the title track once more, and all hope seems lost until Kemp's specter implores Bush to "call on the strength of the ones you love." This leads to the most beautiful song in the film, "Moments of Pleasure," whose lyrics about, "Just being alive/It can really hurt/And these moments given/Are a gift from time" hold perhaps even more significance in light of a world still in the clutches of a pandemic. The final track, "Eat the Music," is a joyous ode to self-expression, self-love, and falling under the spell of the drum, accompanied by Bush swaying along to the sound of an ebullient chorus and visuals of abundant fruit—a signal that the spirit has once again bloomed in her, breaking the curse and allowing her to return to this mortal coil”.
I think that a lot of people ignore or write off The Line, the Cross and the Curve. Perhaps it was a turning point. Bush feeling she was exhausted and maybe was a little overstretched doing so much for the film. Maybe if it was filmed in 1994 and Bush co-directed or she had was guided by a more experienced screenwriter or outsider, then something stronger would have emerged. I know that she experienced headaches and some draining days when making the film. It was quite intense. Regardless, there are some wonderful moments. The fact it exists to start with is brilliant! I love the fact that we got to see so many tracks from The Red Shoes brought to life. A truly underrated album, I would urge people to listen to it and also watch The Line, the Cross and the Curve. You can see it through YouTube but, as I say, there has not been an official HD release. It would sit well on a cinema channel or streaming service. As it stands, here is a minor gem that warrants some upgrade and new attention. It was released in the U.K. on 6th May, 1994. Because of that, I was keen to highlight the thirtieth anniversary. I would be interested to know what other people think about the film. Flicks of Bush’s acting ability. She would have made a film actor, yet maybe one where she was helmed by another director. The directing itself is interesting and contains some wonderful scenes and routines. Miranda Richardson is wonderful throughout. The storyline itself is quite interesting. Bush adapting The Red Shoes film in a way, she is enticed by Richardson’s Mysterious Woman to put on magic ballet slippers. The shoes soon cast a spell, and Bush’s character then is in a battle to free herself from their spell. It was a great endeavour and natural move for Kate Bush. For someone who admired the 1948 original film, she was entitled and perfectly suited to film her own, sized-down and smaller version. I really like it and feel that it stands up thirty years later. If you have not seen it before, then I would suggest that you…
SEEK it out.