FEATURE:
I’ll Kiss the Ground
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot in 1985 for The Ninth Wave (the conceptual second side to her Hounds of Love album)/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
The Cinematic Realisation of Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave
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I shall come to the concept and visualisation…
of Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave very soon. The conceptual side of her fifth studio album, Hounds of Love, there are a few reasons why I think it should be made into a film. Forty years ago this month, Kate Bush recorded demos for Hounds of Love. It was the start of a process that would lead to the release of one of the finest albums ever. Hounds of Love is forty next September. Bringing to life its astonishing and immersive second side would be amazing. People rightly will point out this has been done. In 2014, Bush brought The Ninth Wave to the stage for Before the Dawn (the tenth anniversary of that is crucial and worth noting). The issue is that only those who attended one of the twenty-two nights know what it looked like. No DVD or visual release has come. Also, it was on the stage and not the screen. Rather than it being this filmic standalone, it was part of a larger conceptual stage production. Kate Bush herself, not long after Hounds of Love came out, felt that it would be realised in the form of videos or a film. That never happened. In terms of efforts since, there have not been any. A literary adaptation has been made of The Ninth Wave. In the book a girl, Molly, is adrift in the Atlantic. In Bush’s The Ninth Wave, an unnamed heroine is presumed to have gone overboard on a ship and is alone at sea.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush was suspended for six hours in a tank of water at Pinewood Studios filming visuals for And Dream of Sheep on The Ninth Wave (photo courtesy of The Independent)
In the end she is rescued, though people wonder whether that is true – or whether the woman drowned early on and everything after that is imagined. One would think that a cinematic interpretation would be the next step. One might say Bush would not allow anyone to do it. That is speculation and based on nothing. The fact Bush herself always wanted to bring it to life means she could be open. A DVD from Before the Dawn will never be released. There is a desire to see The Ninth Wave in its full glory. There is scope for it to be done! I also feel that, as she has given permission for her music to be used in film, she would not instantly shut a project down. If done right and Bush got to have a say, there is nothing to say an adaptation of The Ninth Wave for the screen would be a no-go. Rather than call it The Ninth Wave, I feel I’ll Kiss the Ground is better. It is a line from the final song of The Ninth Wave, The Morning Fog. That promise from the heroine that, when she gets back to land and is safe, she will kiss the ground and tell her relatives how much she loves them. Both sweet and, if you feel she never made it, quite heartbreaking. I wanted to pitch the idea, cast and why, as we mark forty years since Bush started working on demos for Hounds of Love, finally bringing The Ninth Wave to a big (or small) screen in the form of a seventy(or so)-minute adaptation would be welcomed by fans – and, one hopes, Kate Bush herself. Below is modern-day, Dublin-set film where a couple far separated on what was supposed to be a romantic night. From there, it is a fight for survival. The end, with a twist(s) of the tale, will leave viewers…
GUESSING and stunned!
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I’ll Kiss the Ground (70 MINUTES)
PRELUDE:
Before coming to the plot, it is worth mentioning casting options and a writer. I have worked on the story – and could co-write -, though the first name that spring to mind was Lisa McGee. The creator of the fabulous Derry Girls, a lot of the humour and emotional balance of that series was in my mind. I’ll Kiss the Ground would have a lot of humour throughout. Until the heroine is at sea and waiting to be saved, there is a great deal of humour (which provides necessary balance). I have been drawing and thinking of when it comes to writers like Lisa McGee. I think that McGee is someone who would bring to life an adaptation of Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave. For the main role, the heroine, the only name that came to mind was Saoirse Ronan. I have always felt this! Her acting skills and look, I feel, would be perfect. It is not a music biopic and Kate Bush, in the original The Ninth Wave, was not portraying the woman. It was a character. Also, Ronan would not sing the songs. They are there to narrate what is happening. A voice from above. The songs come to life through visual techniques and effects. Saoirse Ronan would speak and call out. She does briefly sing along to the songs and say various lines but, for the most part, there is separation between Kate Bush’s original recordings and this heroine being in the water.
IN THIS PHOTO: Saoirse Ronan/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Also, one of the biggest practical considerations is – apart from maybe a fairly large budget – how to ensure that the water scenes can be filmed realistically…and without Saoirse Ronan suffering hypothermia. When Kate Bush was filming And Dream of Sheep for Before the Dawn, she did contract mild hypothermia - and got a mild telling off from her doctor! The water tank/facility would need to be heated somehow. Even so, being in the water, potentially for weeks, brings about obvious and severe challenges. I am not certain who would play the heroine’s fiancé (the two are to be married). Domhnall Gleeson comes to mind. I love his work and feel the chemistry would be right. The story is set in Dublin, so I want as many Irish actors as possible. Alongside them would be Aisling Bea, Jessie Buckley, Sinéad Cusack, Sarah Bolger, Ruth Negga and Nicola Coughlan. Also, I hope, would be Guy Pearce, Gemma Arterton, Paapa Essiedu, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lena Heady, Carey Mulligan, Kate Beckinsale, and Naomie Harris. More names will obviously come to light, though these are actors I envisage for particular roles. There would be one or two non-Kate Bush songs in the feature. Some various cultural references. The budget is going to be a consideration, so the wish-list might need to be trimmed. The determination is to have Saoirse Ronan as the lead. Not an ‘understudy’; the brilliant Jessie Buckley would be a worthy second choice.
PRE-CREDITS:
Prior to the credits coming in, there would be a moment of unexpected tension. Our lead couple, Catherine Daly and Paul McIntosh are hiding in the dark. A closet. You think they are in danger. It is very tense. Instead, they are hiding from children playing hide and seek. It is a mislead that then leads to the first act. The children belong to friends of theirs. They are child-minding them but, as they are not used to children, making mistakes!
IN THIS PHOTO: Domhnall Gleeson/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
ACT ONE: BEFORE THE STORM
We star with the soon-to-be-married couple watching T.V. and flicking through the stations. They alight on Grease. Watching the film and noticing how racy and sexual (inappropriate and questionable in many ways), they briefly forget that the kids are still there. They order them away. They notice how many feel that the plot is misleading. Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) is saved by Danny Zuko (John Travolta) on the beach. He saved her from drowning. Some say that Sandy died and everything after is a dream or her last thoughts. Many explain why the final shots, of Sandy and Danny in a flying car taking off from their friends, is mad and unexpected because it is a dream or dying thought. Catherine mentions this as, in some ways, one can draw parallels between Grease and The Ninth Wave. Maybe Kate Bush’s heroine died at the start and the rescue is in fact something imagined. This is a nod to what is to come and maybe a clue to a potential end twist. Catherine and Paul get some space and, before the morning, share a note of intimacy and reflection.
The next morning, the engaged couple discuss the wedding coming up in a few weeks. In order to enjoy some relaxation and time away from their jobs – Catherine works in a bookshop; Paul is a bartender -, they have a getaway, romantic night trip on a cruise ship. It is called Celtic Deep (this is the name given to the ship mentioned in the live version of Before the Dawn. The start of Act Two is Astronomer’s Call, which is a distress call made saying a woman has fallen from Celtic Deep. The ship is sinking in fact and a woman is in the water).
Catherine and Paul travel from Dublin to Dún Laoghaire to depart. They get onto the ship and try to settle in. With a couple in the room next to them, there is a bit of tension and rivalry. One of the more humorous sections of the film, there are misunderstandings and events that unfold that mean this influence impacts other guests on the ship. Catherine and Paul get to spend time together in the evening and soon get into an argument. With Paul getting some cold feet and doubts around the wedding, they soon fall out. Catherine makes her way to the deck where she meets a man who is drunk and causing a bit of trouble. She warns him that he will fall overboard is he does not go inside. Trying to help him, instead she is accidentally pushed overboard. Crying out, nobody hears her. The drunk man also falls in after her. With Celtic Deep heading away and out of sight – it essentially travels from the East Coast of Ireland to a certain point and then turns back -, Catherine is in peril at sea…
IN THIS PHOTO: A view of Dublin/PHOTO CREDIT: Lukas Kloeppel/Pexels
ACT TWO: THE NINTH WAVE
The drunk man knocked some life jackets overboard when he fell. There is also a small dinghy that came too. Catherine, with only an old-style Walkman and the clothes on her back, tries to climb onto the dinghy. The man says there is not enough room on there for two – a nod to Titanic and Jack and Rose and the infamous door scene -, so there is a struggle. Catherine is injured. The man considers turning around but paddles away. Now on her own, she hears a splash and the man has fallen overboard. We do not see anything, though we hear him shout. Catherine cannot get to him. The dinghy bursts, meaning Catherine is deprived of a life support. She now is panicking and is limited in what she can do. That is when the first music cue, And Dream of Sheep, comes in. The film employs various visual devices to portray the songs and bring them to life. Catherine keeps her Walkman out of the water. She is trying to stay afloat and not go under. The weather is getting wetter. Struggling against the cold already, she dreams of sleep and sheep. Wanting to be back in Dublin. Clinging onto hope.
FLASHBACK: “A WEEK EARLIER…”
In the first flashback, we see wedding preparation taking place. Catherine is with her sisters and parents. They discuss Paul and recall how the two met. Paul saved Catherine from being hit by a car as she left her book store. The two hit it off and started dating soon after. Catherine expressed her nerves about the big fay but has had a rocky past with men. Subjected to some really nasty men who have abused her. She feels safe. The sisters hug her and vow to be by her side.
Cutting back and we see Catherine open her eyes. Whether she drifted off or was fighting tears, there is now a realisation that she is alone. Under Ice plays. There is a part of the dinghy that floats by her. She puts her Walkman on there and says this mantra to herself: “You are better than this. You can survive the storm”. It soon (as the film unfolds) becomes apparent why that is being said. The water is very cold and there is ice in a section of the sea. Getting pulled under, Catherine thinks she is being attacked by fish or a shark. There is this fear as she battles for breath and coming back to the surface. The visuals change against to something more black-and-white and tense. This struggle to get free. She eventually comes out of the ice and back to the surface. Swimming back to the dinghy – which is still intact -, she notices that there is a small wooden raft that is in the distance. Upon reaching it, there is a few clothes, blanket and a dog lead. Realising it might have been a stowaway or someone who got into trouble, she climbs aboard. Looking in every direction, there is no sign of land or any light.
Hypothermia is starting to set in. Catherine is very savvy and, having read books in her job about survival – she says this to herself and narrates -, she manages to stay warm and keep herself awake. There is this mixture of fear and the determination to get back to the ship. Trying to prepare some sort of colourful flag. There is a torch in the boat. It works dimly. She tries to sign it. The Walkman still works as she can faintly hear music. Closing her eyes again, it seems like she may give up.
Waking the Witch plays. On Kate Bush’s version, there are voices of her friends and family asking her/the heroine to wake up. Catherine’s family and loved ones do likewise. We see them visualised through animation. Waves are building and there is a danger that Catherine might be capsized and in peril once more. She is jolted awake by a plane overheard. It is a Boeing-747 that is heading to the U.K. She tries to alert it - but it is in vain.
FLASHBACK: “FOUR DAYS EARLIER…”
We see Catherine and Paul with his mum. She is terminally ill and is in bed. The three are talking and she is looking forward to the wedding. Knowing this might never happen, Paul is a bit emotional. Catherine and his mother speak. Knowing that she has faced trouble in the past, she says to Catherine: “You are better than this. You can survive the storm”. She smiles. As the plot unfolds, she might be saying this about her son - that she needs to be wary. Catherine takes it as meaning things will get better and she has found safety. It is revealed that Catherine is pregnant and that she is the first person she has told. She did tell Paul but he misunderstood. He was angry at a T.V. show and distracted. She laughs that he will tell him when he has ‘calmed down’. Even so, there is a feeling that something is amiss in the relationship.
Cut to the Celtic Deep. The ship is not in peril at all. It continues on. Paul notices that Catherine is gone and went overboard. He gives an incredible speech to the captain who tells him to calm down. He explains how she is nowhere to be seen. A cryptic text that was sent to him just before she went overboard said: “It doesn’t matter”. A distress call is raised that is similar to Astronomer’s Call from Before the Dawn. The ship cannot turn around yet. There is a storm coming in and they are grounded at the moment. They may have to turn back, though it will not be the same route. Paul paces and is consoled by passengers. The couple he was having trouble with are there. A knowing look between the woman and him suggests that the two might know one another or kissed earlier. Adding new tension. Does Catherine know?
Back to the water and Watching You Without Me plays. This is a song where the heroine imagines being with loved ones and her being late perhaps. An absence. Wondering where she is. As Catherine is fighting the storm, she brings from a coat pocket a photo of her family that she keeps with her. We get a visual of her being with them on a summer’s day as they laugh. It is them at an event in Dublin. There is a mixture of fantasy and hallucination. During the flashback, there are clues or flashes that ask whether Catherine is still alive, whether this is a dream she is having on land – as a nightmare about being married? – or what the chronology is. Whether she is really pregnant. There are twists and doubts that will keep viewers guessing to the end.
Back on the boat, and Catherine is awake. It is silent as the storm has stopped briefly. She is angry and regrets things she never said. A fish hops on board. Thinking of killing it, there is this moment where she watches it struggle. Throwing it back into the water, unfortunately it is then eaten by something. She swears. She can now see a distant light. Something flashing, maybe it is another boat. A glimmer of salvation, she now finds energy but is still delirious. That is when the Walkman seemingly dies. It was a gift from her sisters who knew she liked retro stuff (and they have a shared memory of a Walkman in the 1990s). There is a moment of sadness but Catherine is determined to see them. There is a mixture of animation and various visuals as the song bursts into life. That song is Jig of Life. She is reminded of home and the energy and vitality of Ireland.
FLASHBACK: “TWO DAYS EARLIER…”
Catherine reveals the pregnancy to Paul. He takes it with a mixture of shock and confusion. They remember back to the night of conception. In spite of the levity of the situation and celebration, you feel there is a secret between them. There is a flash to Catherine and Paul at their respective workplaces as they tell colleagues. With the wedding fast approaching, they discuss how they are getting away for a trip and looking forward to a night alone somewhere romantic. Getting out to sea.
Back to the water, and there is a brief cut of Paul on the ship. They say a helicopter will be deployed when the storm passes. In the meantime, he phones Catherine’s relatives and his mum. He reveals that he also has a confession. We do not know what this is and who specifically he is addressing. He goes to the bar and the pressure and gravity of the situation hits him. It is at an unfortunate moment when the onboard musical entertainment strikes up an inappropriate moment.
Catherine now sees the dawn start to break gradually. The light that she saw before was a buoy in the sea. Maybe a hallucination. The moon reflects on the sea as Hello Earth plays. The Walkman she has suddenly has a new burst of life. She plays the tape that is on it. It is an audiobook. It is Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. It is her favourite novel. It is one that was originally bought for her by Paul on their first anniversary. This is the first time that Catherine is relaxed and surrenders. Hopeful that the storm passes means that things are better. There is thunder from above as she startles awake. Hello Earth plays as we pan up above her and see nothing around. A view of Catherine alone in the ocean – or is this Catherine looking above at herself?! The emptiness of the sea below is mirrored with a busy scene above. Visions of Catherine and Paul with her family. Them meeting him and sussing him out. Suggesting it was a while ago. There is also a flash of Paul’s mother better and him speaking about Catherine. Showing photos from his phone. Back to Catherine looking up and a cloud going across the moon and it going darker. The natural light starts to come through now.
The Morning Fog starts to come in. It starts and then pauses as there is silence. Rain sounds are heard as is the sound of gulls. Catherine is a bit delirious still and shivering. She whispers the words to The Morning Fog: “The light/Begin to bleed/Begin to breathe/Begin to speak/D'you know what?/I love you better now/I am falling/Like a stone/Like a storm/Being born again/Into the sweet morning fog”. There is thunder and Catherine repeats the mantra Paul’s mum said to her. She thinks about it and realises that there are darker truths in the saying. That it relates to Catherine’s mum. A realisation comes across her. Catherine is confused. She protect her unborn child and covers her stomach with a jumper. Just as she is about to sleep, a helicopter is heard above. She does not hear it at first. The light from above wakes her. She is freed from the sea just as a wave takes out the raft and breaks it. Inside, she is warmed up and told that her fiancé raised the alert and the ship is back towards Dublin now. Catherine asks if this is real. Her hand is held and she says she feels that. Looking out of the window, the raft is not there. All that is left is the Walkman and clothes. In the distance, unseen by Catherine, is a man in the sea. The same man as before feared drowned. He shines a light towards the sky.
ACT THREE: AFTER THE DAWN
FLASHBACK: “A WEEK LATER…”
Catherine and Paul get back to their apartment. They are hosting her family. The wedding has been postponed. Catherine hugs her dogs, Bonnie and Clyde (the name of Kate Bush’s dogs on the cover of Hounds of Love). They talk about what has happened but refer to it as an ‘event’. No specific mention in case it triggers. Or are they referring to something else. A bruise on her wrist and scar suggests maybe there was an accident or fight and not a struggle in the sea. Catherine and Paul look happy enough and pleased to be with each other.
When everyone has gone, they set down to watch a film. It is a slightly inappropriate one – about a boat disaster – and they share a joke. Paul’s mum wants to see them the next day to tell them something. Catherine needs an early night. She goes to her bed and she is wearing white. She sees her wedding dress hanging up. Catherine lies back. She reaches over to the bedroom table and turns the light on, which projects onto the ceiling. There is a pregnancy test that suggests it was very recently taken. Smiling, she lies back, once more, touches her stomach proudly and looks to camera and smiles as the end credits kick in – Kate Bush’s Jig of Life again swings in.
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
EPILOGUE:
Of course, Kate Bush would need to sign off on everything.! The fact she no doubt imagined The Ninth Wave as a cinematic piece or visually makes me think that she would not be adverse. It has never come to the screen in terms of a film or one-off comedy-drama. I would love advice and collaboration with a great writer like Lisa McGee. A platform like Amazon or Netflix playing it. Kate Bush does not need to release a Before the Dawn DVD or compromise in that way. She has granted permission for her music to be used in film so, as long as edge had say or could have input, I feel it would be a project she would be invested in. Hounds of Love’s demos started taking shape forty years ago this month. Next September marks forty years of the album – and it would be great to have something in the world by then!
Of course, with recent loss and tragedy – Del Palmer died recently -, projects and work are the last thing on her mind. Kate Bush would not need to appear or do anything else. It is another way to bring Hounds of Love to people. The Ninth Wave is one of her most popular works. People want to see it brought to life. Through I’ll Kiss the Ground, I feel this is a way of doing that.
I have not listed all character names and all the actors desired. Saoirse Ronan is the name in mind that I have always seen as playing the heroine (Catherine). It would be amazing to have a female director helming the film/project, though I am not sure about a name.
The intent of this feature was to give an idea of how it would play out and the pace of it. Running at about seventy minutes (though it may be a tad longer), it is a comedy-drama piece with twists set in Dublin that has Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave at its heart. The drama of Catherine struggling for safety and being rescued at the end.
Of course, there would be questions about versions of events. Twisted and doubts that mean people would revisit the film. I wonder whether it is possible to, in time, get to Kate Bush or pass the suggestion along. Get a script or outlined worked up. Maybe see if Saoirse Ronan would ever consider it. I think that the magic of Kate Bush’s work and the power of The Ninth Wave would draw people to it. After forty years in the world, it is a moment to realise The Ninth Wave. I think fans would relish an adaptation. Can 2025 be the year when it happens?! I really hope so, as it is something I am very passionate about.