Back to Moments 3.3.
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Date: Fri, 8 Oct 93 12:11:12 BST
From: nbc@inf.rl.ac.uk
Subject:
Kate's film at the London Film Festival
I just received the programme booklet for the 37th London Film Festival. Kate's new film "The Line, The Cross and The Curve" will be shown at the Odeon West End 2 on Saturday 13th November at 17.15. The film is written and directed by Kate and stars Miranda Richardson, Lindsay Kemp and Kate. The film is 52 minutes long. This may explain the delay in the album and Kate's concern to finish the film as she may be very keen to ensure that the film is ready for the festival.
I have attended several films at the London Film Festival in the past and it is very common for the director of a film to make a personal appearance at the theatre and introduce the film and sometimes to answer questions afterwards. I would think there is a good chance Kate may turn up.
Here is the synopsis of the film from the programme booklet:
We are delighted to welcome acclaimed singer-songwriter Kate Bush to the world of images with this, her directorial debut. Although the inspirational source is the music contained in her new album, her visual energy, flair and use of colours is simply great. The story revolves around two dancers (Bush and Stewart Arnold) rehearsing for a show in a hot, humid room during a storm. When lightening strikes and cuts the power, Kate is left alone when suddenly a mysterious woman (Miranda Richardson) with bandaged hands and red ballet shoes enters through the mirror. She tricks Kate into drawing three symbols, a line, a cross and a curve, and handing over her soul in return for the red shoes, which take her through the doorway in the mirror. A guide appears (Lindsay Kemp), explaining that the only way break the spell is to sing back the symbols.
The film will be showing with a "claymation" UK film "The Wrong Trousers" directed by Nick Park.
Ticket prices are 6-95 (pounds). Annual members of the British Film Institute may book tickets by post from 18th October: both members and the general public may book from 29th October by mail, in person or over the telephone.
BFI members using the priority booking will be limited to two tickets. After the 29th unlimited tickets may be purchased. You can join the BFI and become a member of the National Film Theatre for 11-95. (ring 071-815-1374 for details). Ticket bookings can be made at The Box Office, National Film Theatre, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT. Tel. 071-928-3232
Neil
From nbc@inf.rl.ac.uk Sat Nov 13 19:43:44 1993
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 93
00:25:31 GMT
Subject: TLTCTC at the Odeon Leicester Square
I have just got back from the premiere of Kate's film The Line, The Cross and The Curve at the Odeon Leicester Square as part of the London Film Festival. Kate was there (along with Miranda Richardson) just sitting in the middle of the cinema - although I was quite close to her - I was to the side so I am not sure who was with her. Before Kate's film was a short claymation film by Nick Park called The Wrong Trousers. This was very inventive and very funny and received a great ovation from the crowd.
After Nick had said a few words to the audience, Kate was invited up to the front just before the start of her film and said a few words to introduce the film. She thanked all the people who had helped her, said she was a bit nervous as it was her first film, and said that the previous film was a hard act to follow.
After a standing ovation at the end of the film she was ushered through the crowd by the cinema staff without saying anything else.
The film was highly enjoyable though from a cinematic point of view it is unlikely to win any oscars. Having said that, it was definitely more than just a few pop videos slung together. Miranda Richardson and Lindsay Kemp were excellent but I have to admit that Kate does not really succeed as an actress. Her singing and dancing in the film were excellent and even her voice over bits were fine, but speaking to camera she shows her inexperience at acting.
The film begins with Kate and the dancer Stewart Arnold rehearsing in a studio while the band plays Rubberband Girl. At the end of the song there is a power cut and as the others leave Kate lights a candle and sings And So is Love catching a bird that has flown into the studio. At the end of the song a mysterious woman appears throught the large mirror at the end of the studio. Her hands are bandaged and on her feet are a pair of red shoes. The woman begs Kate's help in returning to the other side. Because of her bandaged hands she asks Kate to draw three symbols - a line, a cross and a curve. Doing this, Kate unwittingly hands over her soul and the woman then offers Kate the red shoes.
Once the shoes are on Kate's feet she begins dancing and The Red Shoes is played with Richardson miming to the song. As the woman passes through the mirror, the red shoes take Kate there as well. At the end of the song the shoes continue to dance and Kate begs for help. A guide (Kemp) comes to her and as Kate pleads for him to cut off the shoes he tells her that the only way to break the spell is to sing back the symbols. Kate is taken to see the healer Lily (herself) who tells her what she must do as the song Lily begins. At the end of the song Lily tells Kate that she can get help from ones she has loved. Kate sings Moments of Pleasure and we see figures representing people in the song float past her.
The woman (Richardson) reappears and tells Kate that she will never break the spell. But Kate senses that the woman is afraid of her and trys to get back the pieces of paper that the woman still has. Kate chases the woman and they pass through a room where the floor is covered in fruit. Eat the Music plays as a group of carribean women appear carrying the symbols. At the end of the song Richardson is hurled into the mirror which breaks and initially water pours through but then fires start. The guide urges Kate to pass back before it is too late. Kate passes back to her side as the power is restored in the studio.
The film contained many brilliant visual moments though there were a few old chestnuts like the wave effects produced with a wind machine and billowing material. I particularly like the fruit in Eat the Music, many of the scenes on the "other side" were very effective. The Moments of Pleasure scene was initally very reminiscent of Don't Give Up without Gabriel with just Kate spinning round but developed more towards the end. The film made good use of colour imagery (including white for Lily's scene) and did not go over the top with special effects.
There were a couple of occassions when the audience laughed when I suspect Kate did not have that intention. In particular, the scene where the shoes start thrashing Kate's legs about in all directions caused a few titters. This was because it was Kate's top half sticking out of the floor and someone else's bottom half sticking up through the floor waving their legs about frantically (either that or Kate is a contortionist!). Most of the time though I thought Kate did a very good job of directing.
For me the combination of the music and the visuals was a tremendous experience and hearing the music in this way certainly emphasised what a truely great album The Red Shoes is. Every song came over tremendously powerfully. And that includes Eat the Music which is fantastic. Buy the video when it comes out.
It will be interesting to see what other people thought - I looked out for anyone I might recognise from the last convention but did not spot anyone though I am sure the Homeground crew must have been there somewhere.
Neil
P.S. Kate looked great
P.P.S. She really is!
From: P D Fitzgerald-Morris <s0pdfm@assam.exnet.com>
Date: Sun,
14 Nov 1993 12:23:01 GMT
Subject: Homeground Flash - Premiere of The Film
Hello Friends, We've seen it!
With what seemed like hundreds of other Kate fans we attended the premiere of "The Line the Cross, and the Curve" at the Odeon West End in London's Leicester Square last night.
Kate was there with Dr Bush and Del. Before the film she went on stage to rapturous applause to say a few words.
The film is an awesome emotional experience. I was in tears for the last part of the "Moments of Pleasure" sequence, and held in awe when Kate danced in the circle formed by the four archangels in "Lily".
I'm not up to a proper review yet. Miranda Richardson was superb, and so was Lindsay Kemp.
At the end the cinema rose in a standing ovation for Kate, who was overcome with tears.
A wonderful, wonderful, occasion!
From: smith drt <p0070421@cs3.oxford-brookes.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 1
Dec 93 12:38:52 GMT
Subject: Q Magazine KaTe Film
Below is a brief write up of KaTe's The Line, The Cross and The Curve that I discovered in the stories pages of Q Magazine.
-----------------------------------------------------
There was a high-profile London Film Festival premiere for the film Kate Bush made during the autumn as more or less an afterthought to the three-year process of her Red Shoes album. Shy Kate went so far as to get up on stage before the screening to thank "everyone who'd been a part of making the film" and to speak of her trepidation because her opus was following a brilliant animation by Aardman, the makers of the Creature Comforts ads. She was proably right to be worried as The Line, The Cross and The Curve turned out to be not so much a movie as the sort of linked sequence of promo vids that pop stars are wont to hang themselves with, given a feature-length rope. The plot involves devils, angels, hellfire and those bewitched red shoes. While the metaphor may well refer to the fiendishly obsessive nature of artistic creativity (if you're as driven as Kate Bush, that is), the effect suggests a peculiarly daft corner of the '70s - Black Sabbath's preposterous devilry meeting Jon Anderson in whimsically mystic Olias of Sunhillow mode.
Still, if it's not exactly Saturday night at the movies, if the viewer approaches it as opera or ballet - sod the plot and soak in the sound and vision - it's more lively. The six songs come across at stunning big-concert power and Kate dances with a wild passion which will make devotees ache for her to take to the boards again. On the other hand, the buffeting she took from a combination of hyperfans and paparazzi while leaving the Odeon West End could put her off a further re-emergence from the Bush compound for some time to come.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The story review also appears with a picture of Kate alongside someone called Rosa Bosch (forgive my ignorance but I don't know who Rosa Bosch is).
David
Date: Fri, 10 Dec 93 17:10:24 GMT
From: nbc@inf.rl.ac.uk
Subject: Q Magazine and film report
>Below is a brief write up of KaTe's The Line, The Cross and The Curve that I discovered in the stories pages of Q Magazine.
>The story.review also appears with a picture of Kate alongside someone called Rosa Bosch (forgive my ignorance but I don't know who Rosa Bosch is).
I think she was just one of the organisers from the festival committee. In fact she did not handle the whole affair very well. Before the first film she said its director would come up at the end, then they would show Kate's film and then she would come up and speak about it. What actually happened was that she called kate up before TLTC&TC was shown. Then after the film everyone was a bit confused as to whether Kate would say anything else. When no one appeared at the front to invite her up people did not know whether to wait or leave. In the end Kate and her group started to go, were surrounded by people and it all became a bit chaotic. At the NFT it is normal for the directors to come up after the film and answer questions and then they are sheparded out through side doors. At the Odeon none of this was possible,
Neil
From lcliffor@BBN.COM Thu Dec 2 13:56:03 1993
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 93
13:41:27 -0500
Subject: Variety review of Line, Cross, Curve... (Dec.
1993)
From the 12/6 Weekly Variety (reprinted without permission)
Shy retiring British pop diva Kate Bush, 35, steps behind the lens with mixed artistic results in "The Line, the Cross and the Curve", a music promo flick high on whimsy and low on content. Cinematic values (and demo-quality Dolby digital sound) make this a solid bet for special events, however, with eight numbers sure to please Bush afficionados.
Written and directed by Bush herself to promote her new album, "The Red Shoes," the epic (played at ear-splitting volume) got a warm welcome at its SRO London Festival screening at a large downtown theater. It goes out on UK homevideo later this year. Story is a snappy variation on the 1948 Michael Powell-Emeric Pressburger classic "The Red Shoes", with Bush as a dancer who's given a pair of red ballet shoes that won't stop dancing by a mysterious woman (Miranda Richardson) in exchange for three magical symbols (pic's title).
Richardson, reprising her "Crying Game" Irish accent, steals the acting stakes as a kind of wicked witch. When not warbling, Bush is colorless. Mime artist Lindsay Kemp, under whom Bush studied, is reliable. Pic's visual style is relatively conservative, far from the usual musicvid fare. Aspect ratio is also a conservative 1.33. Derek Elley.
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 93 17:00:16 EST
From: Les <WADD@VM1.YorkU.CA>
Subject: Kate in T.O.
Kate will be in Toronto on Monday December 13th. She will be attending the premiere of "The Line, The Cross and the Curve" at the Royal Ontario Museum and will appear on MuchMusic. You can only win tickets to this premiere....
From: aj796@Freenet.carleton.ca (Tippi Chai)
Date: Tue, 7 Dec 1993
20:50:17 GMT
Subject: Kate in Toronto 3
CFNY has been giving out one "double pass" to see "The Curve..." every hour. You have to be the 5th caller to get thru when they play the "Free Ticket Wicket" jingle. I've called about, oh, 300 times or so today (thank goodness for speed dialing software) but all I got were busy signals. They said on the air that their phone is melting from all the calls begging for passes, but they make absolutely no exceptions -you have to get thru when the "Free Ticket" thing is happening. Even EMI does not have any passes (so they say). Oh well. 5 more days to try. (Are there any secrets to getting thru these call-ins?)
JUST ANNOUNCED: after the screening, KaTe will be shuttled to the CFNY radio station, where they will be conducting a live interview BROADCAST WORLDWIDE BY SATELLITE, AND TAKING FANS' QUESTIONS. Listeners are invited to drop by and oggle thru the window. They'd better get some cops there to control the mob! This will happen on Monday night at 11 p.m. (Toronto is in the same time zone as NYC). I don't know which line they'll use for the phone-in, but the "contest" line is (416)-870-3343. More details as they're announced...
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 23:07:48 EST
From: Les <WADD@VM1.YorkU.CA>
Subject: Kate in Toronto
Tippi and I got in to see Kate and The Line, The Cross and the Curve!!!! I still can't believe it.....a week of phoning in to that contest only to hear the "BEEP BEEP BEEP" endlessly.....
We decided to scope out CFNY (for the interview) and the Royal Ontario Museum for scalpers (the going rate was $100 according to the radio)....but no luck. We waited at the ROM's entrance until it was 8pm.....watching many smiling ticket winners go in.....and then there were just seven of us non-ticket holder s left. One of us went in and started to plead her case and when we all joined her inside, she said "Look...there are only seven of us...surely there must be enough room...or even standing room?" After several nervous moments, the hostess said "I'll see what I can do".....A few minutes later, she came back an d said "Ok....come with me....but you may not find seats together."
As soon as we were seated...3 minutes literally.....Kate was introduced and everyone greeted her with applause, a standing ovation...and a few "We Love You!" lines. She walked right by the aisle seats we were in....not more than 5 feet away!!! She introduced the film and returned to her seat at the back row. The film was GREAT.....but I won't go into that because others already have. Anyway... afterward...we went back to CFNY only to find the place (the windows) covered up!! We gave X-mas cards to the CFNY people for Kate and then left so we could be back to tape this interview.....
Wow....what a rollercoaster evening....!!! Thanks to Tippi for being the optimist.
Les
From: aj796@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Tippi Chai)
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1993
05:50:22 GMT
Subject: WE SAW KATE AND THE FILM!
YIIIIIPEEEEE!
Les has already made a synopsis of this wonderdul KaTe evening we had. I'll just add some bits that Les left out. The last 2 rows of the theatre were reserve for KaTe, and we found seats near the middle. As soon as we set down, the head of EMI-Canada welcomed the fans (and got applauded) and he introduced KaTe. As she walked down the aisle (I was just 1 seat away from the aisle!) the fans cheered, whistled, screamed etc. and gave a standing ovation! Then KaTe welcomed us to her film, and said this is one of the very few showings it has had, and hope that we would enjoy it. Then she walked back up the aisle, to thunderous applause again. The film started - and the magic began! Since it was described here before, I won't repeat anything here, except that each song segment can stand on itself as a music video and yet is a part of a cohesive whole - wonderful! The most moving scene is the end of MoP, but the segment I liked most is Lily.
Les observed that after the film KaTe left when the credits were rolling -the only entrance/exit is at the back so she did it unhindered.
"It's really happening to ya!"
From: aj796@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Tippi Chai)
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 1994
05:18:57 GMT
Subject: Toronto Sun, December 14, 1993
Here's the interview from the Toronto Sun.
Kate Bush weaves a fairy tale
by John Sakamoto
The best fairy tales rarely conform to the "once upon a time/happily ever after" format.
Take Hans Christian Andersen's 19th-century "bedtime" story, The Red Shoes . A young girl receives a pair of magical shoes that transform her into a magnificent dancer. Unfortunately, they won't let her *stop* dancing. They literally become a part of her body, resisting all attempts at being removed. Eventually, the girl becomes so desperate, she has her feet chopped off. Then she dies. The end.
Which brings us to the new Kate Bush album, also titled The Red Shoes. The initial attraction to the charming story above, Bush is telling a handful of reporters during a rare in-person interview yesterday, "was the image of dance, because it is something I've really enjoyed being involved in. But it's an image you can take to almost any form of art, the idea of being possessed by one's art. Sometimes *it* controls you rather than *you* controlling it."
...
"The short film" is The Line, The Cross and the Curve, Bush's directorial debut, which received an invite-only screening last night at the Royal Ontario Museum, its first showing outside of the London Film Festival last month. (It will likely be released as a home video in the new year.)
Incorporating a series of videos for The Red Shoe , the 50-minute, $ 1 million production features Miranda Richardson and mime artist Lindsey Kemp. Bush sums up the plot this way. "it's the idea of working in a rehearsal room with a band, and suddenly this woman appears in the room and tricks me out of my soul, which is represented by three symbols, and puts me under a spell which involves the red shows. And for the rest of the film, I have to try to win back my soul.
"It is," she smiles sweetly, "kind of a fairy tale."
From: Thomas Brasch <thombras@vef.north.net>
Date: Sun, 30 Jan
94 13:02:32 EST
Subject: CFNY Interview with Kate
...
MP: So tell us about your film, The Line, The Cross and The Curve. Does it tie in fairly closely to the original story, The Red Shoes.
KB: Not really to the original story. I suppose it does hop back to the fairy story more. But it's more the idea of working in a rehearsal studio with a band and suddenly this woman appears in the room and she tricks me out of my soul but she is represented by three symbols, and puts me under a spell which involves the Red Shoes. For the rest of the film, I have to try to win back my Soul. So it's kind of like a fairy tale that was adapted from the original one but which sort of turned into a modern fairy tale. I guess.
From: aj796@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Tippi Chai)
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 1994
20:37:02 GMT
Subject: KT in NOW magazine
A short article from NOW, "Toronto's weekly news and entertainment newspaper".
NOW magazine, December 16, 1993
Bush on film
Evidently, British pop siren Kate Bush has a soft spot for Canada. Though she hates to fly, she made Toronto the only North American stop besides New York on a promo tour for her newest record, The Red Shoes , and the premiere of her directorial debut film, The Line, The Cross and The Curve.
The 50-minute short loosely links six songs from the album with the Red Shoes fairy tale of a dancer whose ballet slippers refuse to stop dancing. The film is a far cry from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1948 classic. In essence, it's a long form video, and Bush is the first person to agree this isn't the film she really wanted to make. But since EMI is willing to pay for it, why not answer when opporunity knocks?
"In a way, it was very restrictive because it's not my conceptual piece from scratch. Also, I'm working around the songs and I had to put myself into the film. I would've preferred to cast myself in a smaller role.
"It wasn't the ideal situation because it was very rushed and we had little money. But it was an intense project. And I'm very glad I went through it, even if the film is not received well, because I learned so much."
Date: Wed, 5 Jan 94 12:49:25 PST
From: steve.b@TQS.COM (Steve Berlin)
Subject: Stev0's Moments of Pleasure
I finally got to see the U.S. video for Rubberband Girl - a highly forgettable piece. However, I've always really wanted to see 'The Line, The Cross, The Curve, and Her Lover' (or whatever it's called), but now I REALLY, REALLY *HAVE* to see it!
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 94 02:39:01 PST
From: larry@hal.com (Larry
Hernandez)
Subject: TL,TC,TC--PLAY IT AGAIN!
Hi everyone,
It was so nice. And, as paranoid as I was while sitting there in Friday afternoon rush hour traffic going to Berkeley, they didn't even sell out half of the available seats in the theatre-there was plenty of room left for many more. The only promotional evidence was a copy of the TRS cover poster that an employee pinned up in the preview area about 7:30 PM to go with the small b/w promo pic of Kate that they had put there earlier. However, the showing was part of a Women's Film Festival, and the little booklet on the festival has a paragraph describing the film, and a nice little b/w picture from the film showing Kate and Miranda Richardson.
I got there about 6:40 and only Karen and a young guy were waiting outside the theatre-Charlie(?) had been there since 4:30. A little while later Steve0 arrived, and us three Hounds went for pizza across the street. They weren't to sell tickets until 8:30, unless you wanted to buy a booklet of 5 or so. I found out later that some people had managed to get tickets earlier in the day. I guess it mattered who and how you asked...
Later, Bill Wisner and friend arrived, and Dave Koehler, but it wasn't until around 8pm that people started arriving and forming two lines-those with tix and those without-we were in the "with" line... :-) Finally, at about 9:10, they let us in! We took over an entire center row, about a third of the way up, and sat there smiling at each other. Kate's movie was the first to be shown. I'll let Karen do the description of the film-I was too busy savoring the experience. But a few of my thoughts anyway:
Kate was acting her heart out! It appears the various videos that have been released so far (RG, EtM, ASiL) are all taken from the content of the film (based on the posting of ASiL that someone had sent late Thursday/ Friday). Watching the film made me think of being able to see the "whole story," if you will. The film starts out in a practice session for RG, and is prettymuch as the "original" video for the song was described, with the band standing around, joining in, Kate dancing in the straigtjacket. Awesome. Then the band takes a break after they lose electricity. Kate does the ASiL portion by candlelight. Ooooohh, my heart rate... :-)
Lindsey Kemp was *excellent* in his role. It is so WONDERFUL that Kate asked him to be in this-he seemed to relish the opportunity. Miranda Richardson was GREAT. What a performance. As much as I appreciate the work Kate did in the film, Miranda's devilishly wicked role as the scheming diva was two thumbs up! I almost died laughing at the part where Miranda has Kate on the ground, choking her, with Lindsey yelling "run! run!" Kate lets out a weak "I-I can't." Lindsey continues to yell "run!" Miranda then gives him that wicked look, and sneers, "She can't!"
Kate's acting was very very good, though not as polished as Richardson's. I can sort of see how that one critic thought she "looked" a little "wooden" at times (I don't think the critic actually used that word, though). But especially after she was fooled into accepting the red shoes-once she couldn't stop dancing, there were many reminders for me of her performances during the Tour. She crossed effortlessly between heart-wrenching pain (ASiL, Lily) and crazy-eyed frenzy (TRS), and seemed to get stronger as the film went on. I saw the Hitchcock influence here and there. I was *very* pleased that Kate is featured prominently in the film. She still looks as great as ever. Seasoned, maybe a little weary from it all, but still so graceful, so noble, so natural.
At the end, the audience applauded and yelled loudly as the credits rolled by, and we all screamed for a repeat, but such was not to occur. They launched right into the other movie without so much as letting me come back to earth first-I think that was the most uncomfortable part of the whole evening. No afterplay, if you know what I mean. :-)
I had trouble concentrating on the other film, which was about two women who smoke too much trying to find love, or something like that. The cover of The Dreaming album got a quick cameo appearance during the second film, but had nothing to do with the content of that film. I managed to sit through it, hoping that they'd show TLTCTC again, but they didn't... :-)
We all met again outside the theatre in the drizzle and smiled at each other for a little while before disappearing into the cool night. It was a great evening.
Larry (larry@hal.com)
From: drk@leland.Stanford.EDU (David Koehler)
Date: 28 Feb 1994
19:58:43 GMT
Subject: Re: TL,TC,TC--PLAY IT AGAIN!
Hello,
It was wonderful! Larry really captured the mood in his summary post. It was good to see the Katemas regulars again -- Larry, Karen, Steve0, Bill. No IED, he was in New York. I also met numerous other charming and devoted fans whose names I cannot remember. Moments before the film the excitement in the theatre was dizzying. Sure it was only half full, but most of the people there seemed to be pretty psyched. Highlights for me were ASiL (a reference to the quote in my .sig maybe?), MoP (beautiful!) and EtM (delerious!). I don't care much for the song, but the EtM section was the highlight for me. I thought Kate's acting was a little stiff, but pretty good overall. Miranda Richardson was "over-the-top", kind of like Jack Nicholson's Joker, but not quite as good as Nicholson. Lindsay Kemp was simply perfect in his role.
still spinning.
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 94 17:49:08 PST
From: steve.b@TQS.COM (Steve Berlin)
Subject: Celluloid Heroes
Here's my view of The Line, The Cross, & The Curve:
I got to Berkeley a little past 7:00, and the only ones there were: Chad, who for the last couple of days we have been sending an increasingly frantic Emails back and forth. ("Tickets go on sale at 2:30". "Great! Can you pick me up one?" "No, wait, they go on sale at 8:30." "I'll be in Berkeley by then!" "No, wait, they go on sale a half hour AFTER the film starts!" "Auuugh!"), Karen, who brought this all to our attention in the first place and will be holding another Katemas this year and Larry, who already told you his adventures.
Larry, Karen, & I went across the street for a nutrious, healthy meal of meat-laden pizza and beer (the pizza was meat-laden, not the beer). Chad bravely stood in line (although a queue of one person hardly classifies as "a line") for us. Actually, he should get a medal for KateFanDom above and beyond the call of duty for waiting there since 4:00, and then get locked in a room where they keep John Hinckley and that woman who always breaks into David Letterman's house.
By 8:00 a respectable line actually did form, and we were greeted by Bill, our humble pseudo-moderator. A handful of fellow lovehounds introduced themselves, and I forgot all of your names so I'm sorry...
**WARNING** PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD
(Although that's carrying it to extremes, for that implies there was an actual plot)
Well, the film started. First, a video for "Rubberband Girl" which was actually kinda, well, dull. Singer/band/singer/band. Also Kate looked like she was trying to stay awake while singing (only later did you discover that this was part of what plot there was).
Then some silly stuff happened that gave it all a very "Buckaroo Banzai" feel, and then she launched into a video for "And so is Love". This one rather disturbed me, 'cause a bird was killed in it. First she wears a dead bird on her head, then she has one killed for a video. Rumor has it that she even eats chicken nowadays. I am NOT inviting her to MY place, 'cause God knows what she'll do to our pet African Grey.
Then, in a very Lewis Carollish fashion, Miranda Richardson (sporting a funky costume by Hazel Perthig (sp?), the same costumer for Monty Python, and a set of wonderful Frida Kahlo eyebrows that were just to die for) bursts through a mirror for the first bit of real dialog. Then they launch into "The Red Shoes"; It would not surprise anyone (with the possible exception of IED) that M.R. is a better actress than K.B. What DID surprise me was she was doing a MUCH better job lip synching to Kate's music than Kate herself was.
Lindsey Kemp showed up, looking like a slightly cuter and slightly scarier version of the Joel Grey character from "Cabaret". Lily, played by Lily (!) then appears, and they launch into (you guessed it) "Lily". (If you think I'm skimping on the plot here, I'm just omitting surrealistic dream-like images. The "Plot" is that Kate has the shoes M.R. had, and L.K. is acting like a guide in the Looking-glass world to help Kate get back to the real world. She can only do this by giving the shoes back to M.R., who refuses them, so Kate has to do it by Magic. That's it. That's the entire plot.)
Anyway, the "Lily" number has the four archangles, Gabriel holding up, of course, Lilies, Raphael holding a staff (or possibly a spear, I couldn't tell), Michael holding a sword, and Uriel holding a bowling ball. Someone else can figure out the symbolism of these.
We then jump into a video for "Eat the Music", which showed Kate chasing M.R. through a hall of fruit, and dancing on them. Walking on banana peels is hard enough - how did they run & dance on them?
After more surreal images, a number for "Moment of Pleasure" starts. In the "Hills of Time" part, you can see the various people she mentions floating by. I wondered if the actual people looked anything like that.
Finally, more surreal images flash before us, M.R. gets the Red Shoes back, Kate escapes back to the Real World, but M.R. performs one last piece of Magic, and lastly we see a pair of legs poking up from a pile of rubble -are they Miranda Richardson's, or are they Kate's?
The End.
The credits are worth mentioning - naturally, the entire Bush clan was involved (including Paddy as a dancing devil in the "Red Shoes" number). The audience must not have been entirely Lovehounds, 'cause a HUGE cheer came up when Del Palmer's name appeared. Also, keep a look out for other names you will recognize (such as the cameraman, Terry Gilliam). I forgot to check who the Gaffer was, so I could write to Kate to ask if they were... oh, nevermind.
Following TLTC&TC was a German short film (who's name I forgot but it wouldn't matter anyway 'cause only Uli would understand it). It was a rather funny woman's slice-of-life comedy (of the basic "Men- can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em" variety) - well, what did you exspect at a Women's Film Festival? Anyway, as was mentioned, during one brief scene a stack of albums is panned by, with a copy of The Dreaming on top. What wasn't mentioned was that a HUGE CHEER erupted from the audience when this happened.
All in all, I give "The Line, The Cross, & The Curve" a big thumbs up -best soundtrack I ever heard in any film, and I *LIKE* surreal images!
- Stev0 the Critic (Wednesday night, ABC)
"It's really happening to you!" - Lindsey Kemp, apparently to me, personally
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 1994 21:14:08 -0800 (PST)
From: "Karen L.
Newcombe" <kln@crl.com>
Subject: TLTCTC
I'm working on a transcription of the dialogue and a good description of the action. Some fun things going on here -- like the blackbird in ASIL -- which later appears as part of her hairpiece when she goes through the mirror. "Help this blackbird . . . there's some hair around my leg!"
There is also the mysterious sheet music which appears on screen at several points while Kate is still in the studio -- when we eventually get a videotape of this, one of you musician folk can tell us what song it is -- or is it a song she never used? Is it a Prince song?
Kate's sense of humor is healthy and very evident in this movie . . . it is a giant FAN that rumbles into the studio and disrupts the RBG practice session that precipitates the action. What's she trying to tell us?
More to follow -- be patient, I can't sit at the computer for more than a few minutes right now. Lift with your legs!
P.S. Movie ran to 44 mins. I thought it was 55 mins? Where is the extra ten minutes? How many songs did you folks in London see in the film? We had RBG, ASIL, TRS, LILY, MOP, ETM.
From: brand@prag.com
Date: Tue, 08 Mar 94 09:26:23 PST
Subject:
Celluloid Heroes (the REAL follow-up)
I also got to the UC Theatre a bit past 7:00 and found that the tickets went on sale at 8:30. Two people were in line (Karen and either Chad or Larry). I am sorry now that I did not ask them if they were "lovehounds." A signal (some form of common clothing or such) might be helpful to identify fellow lovehounds. I myself clipped my KB Staff backstage pass to my sweatshirt.
My two compadres (not Kate fans, but I'm trying) and I sat down not knowing what to expect. What it turned out to be was a series of KB videos (yes!) loosely held together by a fairy tale frame story (ugh).
steve.b@TQS.COM (Steve Berlin) writes:
>...a video for "Rubberband Girl" which was actually kinda, well, dull.
I'm afraid I agree with Steve on this one. Staged performance videos never turn me on. The band seemed lost (lip-sync and gyrate ad nauseam). Loved the music..loved the chanteuse...
> Also Kate looked like she was trying to stay awake while singing
Yes, I noticed. Was she wearing dark glasses during the song?
> (only later did you discover that this was part of what plot there was).
This was part of the "plot?" Please enlighten me (I can be rather dense when it comes to symbolism and the small details - HMMMM...great name for a music group).
> ..and then she launched into a video for "And so is Love". This one rather disturbed me, 'cause a bird was killed in it.
I wasn't disturbed about that, because the bird wasn't KILLED, it just DIED. I DID find it disturbing that Kate KISSED the dead bird. If it was HER bird, or if she had spent some significant time and effort trying to save the bird from its fate, I might believe that she had enough feeling for the bird to kiss it goodbye. As it was, she caught the bird, held it for a while, and then let it fly in the room before it crashed about and died. If she was worried about its safety, why didn't she take it to an open door or window and let it fly outside? I know....I'm rambling. I MUST have missed the symbolism.
> [Miranda Richardson] bursts through a mirror for the first bit of real dialog.
IMHO, the movie would have benefited from a bit more dialog (a lot more?) to flesh out the plot and enhance the story.
> ....M.R. is a better actress than K.B. What DID surprise me was she was doing a MUCH better job lip synching to Kate's music than Kate herself was.
Considering she's not an actress by trade, I thought Kate held her own pretty well. Without many lines to deliver though, the acting might have been difficult for ALL involved.
> [Kate] can only do this [get back to the real world] by giving the shoes back to M.R., who refuses them, so Kate has to do it by Magic. That's it. That's the entire plot.
IMHO, it seems that Miranda Richardson's character must have WANTED to get the red shoes back, or else she would not have shown up again with the means for Kate to give them back (TL, TC, and TC). The alternative is that M.R. was vindictive enough to risk getting the shoes back just to taunt our poor Kate.
> ...and Uriel holding a bowling ball. Someone else can figure out the symbolism of these.
Symbolism? Not I.
> We then jump into a video for "Eat the Music",
I enjoyed the ETM segment...lots of energy and color, (let's meet our next contestant Brand, who is a geologist, a musician, and is facinated by bright shiny objects). :^) This is the first time I've REALLY appreciated/enjoyed this song. I STILL think the song is too repetative (give us more than three chords...PLEASE!) but it really worked well in the TLTCTC chase sequence.
> Finally, more surreal images flash before us, M.R. gets the Red Shoes back, Kate escapes back to the Real World, but M.R. performs one last piece of Magic, and lastly we see a pair of legs poking up from a pile of rubble - are they Miranda Richardson's, or are they Kate's?
M.R. performs one last piece of magic? I missed it (or just can't remember it). I think the legs obviously belonged to.... <<OOPS!>> I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen.
> The credits are worth mentioning - naturally, the entire Bush clan was involved (including Paddy as a dancing devil in the "Red Shoes" number).
Did anyone else think that the devils looked like Jon Lovitz from S.N.L.?
> All in all, I give "The Line, The Cross, & The Curve" a big thumbs up...
I enjoyed getting to see the videos to TRS and would go see TLTCTC again, but the film, as movies go, was not great. I must need to see it again to fully comprehend its greatness. I did, however, see its Kateness (truly awesome).
> ...best soundtrack I ever heard in any film...
With the possible exception of Pink Floyd's "The Wall", I quite agree. The Wall - proof that you can make a great movie sans dialog (okay, the MUSIC supplied the dialog). BTW, the U.C. Theatre had a fairly decent sound system (its no THX, but..).
Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 16:06:18 +119304328 (ADT)
From: Fiona McQuarrie <fmcquarr@upei.ca>
Subject: The Dead Bird
Well, Jeffrey, believe that I too am concerned about the dead bird in Kate's movie. From everyone's comments it sounds like it was a pretty realistic death. Maybe it *is* special effects, but I suspect I am not the only one who would like some official (i.e. Kate-based) reassurance that it is indeed so.
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 1994 05:00:19 -0700
From: Alex Gibbs <arg@kilimanjaro.opt-sci.Arizona.EDU>
Subject: Re: The Dead Bird
To perhaps increase information, in the "video" for ASiL there isn't a single shot where a moving bird becomes lifeless. A bird does hit a dingy window and flutters downward, off camera. This seems to be the main shot where a bird could have been injured. The camera was fixed on a couple panes of a huge, wall-sized window, like of a studio, and the bird hit there. It certainly looks real but it would seem rather difficult to get this shot without some sort of preparation or tricks.
After that there are shots of a dead bird, almost certainly a real one. It's probably stuffed since I doubt they would make a fake one when there are already stuffed ones anyway and it seems rather stiff too. A bird is never shown actually dying or obviously injured anyway. Hope this helps.
From memory I had thought there was a shot of the bird moving after hiting the window but I re-watched it and was wrong. (Earlier on Kate picks up and is holding a live bird though.)
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 94 17:56:33 PDT
From: steve.b@TQS.COM (Steve Berlin)
Subject: Kate: The Motion Picture
I got to see The Line, The Cross, & The Curve (Note the ampersand [&]: Whoever "corrected" me before was wrong - it definately has an "and" in it!) again. Upon second viewing, some impressions:
- Stev0 the Divine
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 09:07:38 PST
From:
bmiller@zdlmail.zdlabs.ziff.com (Miller, Ben)
Subject: Re: Kate: The
Motion Picture
I agree that Kate doesn't look to be enjoying herself in the film. IMO, she looks like she's thinking. Actually, this has been the impression I've had about every Kate video I've seen to date.
I agree it should've been longer.
From: larry@hal.com (Larry Hernandez)
Date: Thu, 28 Apr 1994 16:33:53
-0700 (PDT)
Subject: Berkeley TLTCTC last Friday night
Hi Everyone,
Steve0 the <insert this week's title here> wrote about his Saturday night appearance at the Kateshow, and wanted to know about IED from Karen. Well, I happened to be there Friday night myself, and sat with IED and Karen for the 10:30 showing. I actually arrived 10 minutes late for the 7:30 showing, and watched it alone before joining Andy, Karen, and the ever-faithful Chad. Chad had to leave after the 7:30 show, but assured us he would return Saturday (which he certainly did).
I can safely report that IED was KapTivly attentive, and still was able to leave the theatre under his own power. Now Karen, she needed some help getting away from the theatre, so I lured her by offering her one of my Love-Hounds baseball caps :-). Andy asked me to say HELLO to ALL Love-Hounds around the world, that he is looking forward to seeing the other lucky Hounds who attend the upcoming KonvenTion. How I wish I could go again!
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 12:35:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Karen L.
Newcombe" <kln@crl.com>
Subject: TLTCTC Plot, facial expression
Hey now . . .
having seen TLTCTC a total of three times now I can say there is definitely a plot, and Kate does not look bored, she does have facial expression. It is somewhat more subtle that one is used to seeing on film, and compared to the exagerrated facial expressions of Richardson's character may seem un-expressive.
But on the third pass I watched carefully and I have to say that this movie is subtle, beautiful to watch, and I will outline the plot for you:
Band practicing. Main singer having a little trouble with the dance moves. She leans against mirror and wishes she could really dance. Rumble of ominous forboding. Lights go out. Band takes a break. Singer stays in studio, thinking about how things used to be, how she's not young anymore. She finds a bird in the studio, holds it for a moment, sets it free, but it smashes into a window and falls to the floor. She lays it on a piece of fabric, kisses it goodbye.
Just then a strange woman in a theatre costume smashes through the mirror with a strange story about a fire, falling off the stage, running away, burning her hands. She needs help getting home, and the singer obliges her by drawing three signs on slips of paper. The dancer convinces her to take her red dancing shoes in trade for her help. But as the shoes go onto her feet undertheir own power, the singer realizes something is wrong. The dancer takes her slips of paper, her path, her heart and her smile, and runs back through the mirror with them.
A figure appears and beckons her into the mirror. She tries to resist, but the shoes take her through: she bursts across in a theatre costume similar tothe dancers'. She and the figure of the maestro dance through hell -- she begs him to remove the shoes, but the shoes get angry with her and start kicking her about the face and shoulders.
The maestro takes her to Lily, a woman of power who teaches her to summon the guardians of the four directions - the angels - to aid her. Lily also prays to the One Above to lead the singer in the true path. As the singer summons the angels they swarm about her, guiding her to walk forward. Michael draws a line in the snow with his sword -- she has called her path back to her.
The singer then tells us how the shoes carry her through all the cities of the world, dancing everywhere -- and it all seems so familiar -- but she isn't really there. She remembers falling into the orchestra pit from the stage, but it never happened to her - and how these shoes are filled with rage. She concludes she does not have the strength to go on.
The Maestro appears and tells her to call upon those she loves. As the shoes carry her above the roofs of the cities, she remembers all those who loved her and helped her. One by one, as she flies into the storm of time they come forward to greet her. Everyone she has lost has come back to her for a moment.
As she falls through the storm a great X appears in the icy ground. The shoes cannot keep her aloft any longer -- the memories of her loved ones has given her power back over her own heart. She crashes to the ground, unconscious.
The Maestro calls to her through the snowstorm, but when the singer hears him and awakens, she can't make out his words for the roaring of the wind. A vicious chuckle behind her signals the presence of the dancer, who informs her that the Maestro is trying to tell her to sing for her smile. The two argue -- much like two parts of the same person will argue.
A chase ensues: the dancer runs off with the slips of paper and taunts the singer to get them if she can. They run through the snow of winter, through the fallen leaves of autumn, into the fruits of summer -- and as they race ahead the singer begins to smile and gain on the dancer, whose arm grows heavier and heavier from holding the line, the cross, the curve that are not hers.
As the two burst into the full fruit of summer, dancers fill the room holding up replicas of the smile on the slip of paper. These dancers surround the singer and sing and dance for her smile. They all fall into a trance of ecstacy and collapse -- and the curse is broken. The singer's smile flies back to her, pulling the heart and the path with it. As the slips of paper curl into her hand, the shoes vanish from her feet and reappear on the dancer's feet.
The dancer snarls and attacks the singer, while the Maestro exhorts her from the background to run back through the mirror while she can. If she loses this battle she will not be able to return. In a burst of strenth the singer throws off the dancer who smashes into the mirror -- water streams down it, and it bursts into the studio carrying fruit and the singer -- no longer in her somber black but arrayed in the dress of fruit and life -- reborn through the glass wall.
As she turns and watches, the ceiling collapses onto the dancer, burying her. But the shoes rise up through the rubble, whirring and kicking . . .
So - a quick summary. I think when everyone gets a chance to see this film more we'll all see that the facial expressions are subtle, not absent; and that a plot does indeed tie the whole thing together -- not just provide an excuse to slap some videos together.
From: pptjc@vaxk.bton.ac.uk (It's in the trees... It's coming...)
Date: Sat, 30 Apr 1994 21:57:41 GMT
Subject: New interview BBC 1 (April
1994)
And now, faster than a very fast thing, comes a transcription of the interview with Kate from "Good Morning With Anne And Nick" broadcast in the UK on BBC 1 on Friday 29/04/94...
Presented by Tania Bryer ("Good Morning" Showbiz Expert).
Nick: Let's talk Kate Bush
Tania: I knew you wanted to talk Kate Bush... Your a big fan.. So are a lot of people. We don't see enough of Kate Bush, she hasn't toured for ages but anyway she had an album out last year (The Red Shoes) and now she's written, she's starring in and directing a film based on six tracks from 'Red Shoes' and this is her debut directing and acting [no it isn't - Peter] and is about a 40 minute film - we went to a special preview; let's have a look at Kate.
[clip from the track 'The Red Shoes' sequence from 'The Line, The Cross And The Curve']
Tania: It's 16 years since Kate Bush's first ever single, 'Wuthering Heights' went to No. 1. Her theatrical image has so far been confined to a few stage shows and her excellent videos but now she has directed a movie, 'The Line, The Cross And The Curve'...
Kate: I suppose really when the album was finished I was aware that I was going to have to make some videos for singles that would be released and that to make a film that was... maybe half an hour/ 40 minutes long would be a way of making a more complete statement.
Tania: Kate's problem was that the album had no common theme so what *would* be the film's story? Then she realized; The shoes *were* the story. Despite having written lyrics for over 20 hits, Kate found writing the script very difficult.
Kate: I have a very great curiosity for words; I think there *is* a word for everything. It's a great gift to be very eloquent but the only dialogue that I've ever been involved in is in this film.
[clip from Mirranda's entrance in 'The Line, The Cross And The Curve']
Tania: Kate was delighted when award-winning actress, Mirranda Richardson, agreed to play the lead role in the film.
Kate: There are area where there sould have been more dialogue; I would have liked that but we just didn't have the time to develop the story any more but really one of the scenes that I think I'm the most proud of int the film is Mirranda's entrance into the room and the dialogue that in a way sets up the whole story.
[clips from sequence for 'Moments Of Pleasure' and 'Eat The Music' from 'The Line, The Cross And The Curve']
Tania: Kate's first 40 minute short is an impressive debut as director but if her movie-making career takes off, her fans are likely to see *less* of her rather than more.
Kate: In this particular film I took on the role as the singer and I think in some ways by doing that I took on a bit too much. If I was to make a film, I wouldn't want to be in it so much, just maybe a tiny bit.
End.
From: nessus@mit.edu (Douglas Alan)
Date: Sun, 1 May 1994 01:43:11 GMT
Subject: The Line, The Cross, and the Curve
All in all, though, the movie is pretty good. Miranda Richardson, as always, puts in a remarkable performance. This movie is reminiscent of Kate's early music career: it is flawed, but with signs of brilliance. Kate's use of color is fantastic. Perhaps Kate will be a great film director some day if she wants to be.
The best scene in the movie, in my opinion, is the performance of "And So Is Love". Very simple, but effective. Kate should have released this song as a single for two reasons: (1) It would have made a much better single than any of the songs that were released as singles ("Constellation Of The Heart" should have been the other single), and (2) it is the only section of the film that would work when cut out of the movie and made into a video.
From: pptjc@vaxk.bton.ac.uk (It's in the trees... It's coming...)
Date: Wed, 11 May 1994 11:54:47 GMT
Subject: The Film
When I saw TLTCATC the first time I was quite non-plussed about the whole film. This Sunday was the second view and now my view has focused a bit more. I like the film with an exception and a half. The clip for Moments Of Pleasure still makes me feel nauseous. The sight of a woman spinning on a 20' screen for 4.5 minutes is enough to induce motion sickness in any one. The key problem is that it is the same shot throughout; It's just not visually interesting. The same could be said of the sequence for Eat The Music but the saving grace is the fact that there are a couple of cut away shots to break it up a bit and one of the key events of the plot occurs during the sequence (the symbols fly out of Mirranda's hand and flutter down the tunnel).
Favourite sequence: The Red Shoes. Very good. Love the choreography. The dialogue scene at the start is good but Mirranda far outshines Kate who delivers her lines rather cheesily. It's not just here either; she was a bit dodgy in the Les Dogs film for the Comic Strip. Acting is not her strength. Don't take my word for it, Kate has expressed her own reservations about the film in an interview that I'll get round to transcribing from video later today!
The main thing to remember is that it *is* her first attempt at a short film as opposed to a 4 minute promo clip. And as such I think that she has done very well. She does have a talent for directing as you can see from excellent videos like Hounds Of Love. But she is used to condensing vast amounts of plot into 4 minutes. When you've got 45 minutes to fill it becomes a very different beast indeed.
In some ways it would have been better for Kate to have got her courage up earlier to make a film when she was thinking of filming The Ninth Wave. That has a definite cinematic quality to it rather than the film that we have now which has one central relevent song and the others have been shoe-horned into the plot as an after-thought. The main problem with making a film for The Ninth Wave is that the plot requires some expensive water type location shooting. I can visualize it all in my head but I can also see it costing a great deal more than the almost exclusively studio-bound TLTCATC.
So to recap... I agree with Kate when she says that she should remain behind the camera for her next film (except for a cameo - Hitchcock style). I do like The Line, The Cross, And The Curve with a couple of reservations. I am looking forward to her next film and I do think it is an excellent avenue for her to pursue in conjunction with her music career.
Peter Chow
Written by Love-Hounds
compiled and edited
by
Wieland Willker
August 1995