FEATURE:
Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love at Forty-One
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot for The Ninth Wave in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Revisiting the Cinematic Potential of The Ninth Wave
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I have written before…
about the cinematic possibilities of Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave. That is the conceptual second side of her fifth studio album, Hounds of Love, which turns forty-one on 16th September. She wrote The Ninth Wave with the idea of turning it into a short film. She managed to bring it to the stage during 2014’s Before the Dawn, unfulfilled that ambition – to an extent. I have said before how there is a limit of what you can create on a stage. Even if it is the Eventim Apollo, there is not the same expanse and space you would have on a set or in a huge water tank. Also, only those who saw Before the Dawn will know what it was like. It was a theatrical representation of The Ninth Wave. To date, there has not been a short film or full-length of The Ninth Wave. I do feel it is important to once more revisit this idea because of Hounds of Love’s anniversary. It is a sweeping and masterful album from a genius producer. The Ninth Wave is this story of a woman who falls into the sea, presumingly having gone overboard and she is now in the water and trying to stat awake. We chart this amazing night of survival as she is under the water and trying to stay afloat. In the end, a helicopter comes alongside and rescues her. In the stages version, there is debate as to whether Kate Bush, who played the heroine, survived or not. She always intended the woman to be rescued. It is a shame that Bush’s original vision was never brought to the cinema. I do think that there is plenty of scope and potential. In terms of who would play the heroine, there are choices. You could see Margaret Qualley playing her. In terms of appearance, there are similarities between her and Kate Bush in 1985. Though actors like Sidney Sweeny or Grace McKenna could play the role. I feel Qualley is a perfect choice.
IN THIS PHOTO: Margaret Qualley/PHOTO CREDIT: Sameer Al-Doumy
What you would have is this story of how the woman got into the water. You would follow this tale of a newly-married couple in New York. I have written a synopsis of the two of them embarking on a honeymoon cruise. The woman falls into the water and there is this struggle. We follow the action and the songs play. Margaret Qualley – or whomever you see in that role – would not sing the songs. It would be Bush’s original recordings. Instead, we would get visualisations of each of the tracks. I do feel there is a lot more you can do with cinema compared to the stage. Having these epic songs given their own feel. Sweeping and dramatic, the film would be split into three acts. The first is the lead-up to the woman going overboard. The Ninth Wave would form the second act, and the third would be the aftermath. As to whether she survived and what happens afterwards. People could argue that Kate Bush has been approached to do this and turned people down. There is no evidence that this has ever happened. People guessing. Personally, I don’t think that there have been pitches to take The Ninth Wave onto the screen, which is a real shame. Above all else, we would get to see something that Bush imagined in 1985. A modern-day version. In terms of budget, it would not be a huge thing. The most challenging aspect is the water scenes. An actor would need to be in a water tank for a number of hours, and the waster would need to be warm enough so they do not get hypothermia. When Kate Bush filmed the video for And Dream of Sheep, she was in a water tank at Pinewood Studios. She caught mild hypothermic and got a small telling off from her doctor. I am not sure how practical it could be to heat a water tank so that it was warm and not that cold.
There is so much love and curiosity around Hounds of Love. The Ninth Wave is this celebrated second side. It is such a fascinating story. You can only visualise so much through the music. Kate Bush’s music has been used in films though, as yet, there has not been any films based around her music. The Ninth Wave is too powerful and interesting to only be staged during Before the Dawn. I feel a good film could be created, where these incredible songs are at the centre. A film that would not have a massive budget, I do feel like it could be a success. In terms of its box office, there would be a huge pull. Films have explored people surviving at sea and facing the dangers of what lurks beneath. However, there is something unique about The Ninth Wave. This incredible suite that could only come from Kate Bush, visualising it and bringing it to the big screen would be wonderful. Kate Bush surely has thought of that in the years since 1985. I don’t think she has been approached to do it, so I feel there is a real opportunity. Sure, she could turn them down and say it was done for the stage so it does not need to be done on film. There is space for both, as most of us did not get to Before the Dawn. I always feel like the heroine should survive and make it from the water. Though having a sense of mystery would add something to the film. I did want to revisit yet filmic scope of The Ninth Wave. A great director who could bring this to the screen. Greta Gerwig or Olivia Wilde. A fantastic writer(s) who could blend comedy and drama. Though I feel Margaret Qualley would be perfect, there are so many potential options. Maybe Anne Hathaway. In any case, there is something to be said of a big screen transfer of this stunning suite from a genius album. Forty-one years after it was first heard, The Ninth Wave still send shivers. It is such an accomplished piece of work from an incredible artist and producer. Though it has not been made into a film yet, I do hold out hope that the Ninth Wave could be adapted for the screen…
ONE day soon.