Kevin Costner's Envy and Whitney Houston's Feud Behind the ' The Bodyguard' Movie

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2021.01.23Takeo Matsuzaki

Stories that overlap with Whitney's life

Although it is explained in the movie, "Always Love You" is not an original song from the movie. It was originally a country song written and composed by Dolly Parton and sung by her. When she starred in ``The Red Rose of Texas'' (1982), a rerecorded version was used in the movie. There are multiple versions by Dolly, so music fans are constantly debating which version it is, but the scene in the movie where Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston dance at a bar. uses a country-style version by John Doe, which is not included in the soundtrack.

"Always Love You"

Rachel, a popular singer played by Whitney Houston. This role also became a hot topic because it reminded him of his real life. At the time of its release, Whitney was also a musician at the height of her popularity. Originally, when the project began as a project starring Steve McQueen, Diana Ross was originally intended to play the role of Rachel. He was active as a member of The Supremes, and left in 1970. The script for ``The Bodyguard'' was written because she not only made her solo debut, but also made her acting debut in the Billie Holiday biopic ``Strange Fruit'' (1972), and won the Academy Award for Best Actress. It was also a time when he was nominated for an award.

However, plans for a script called ``My Bodyguard'' fell through. Diana Ross's repeated failures in the script, Steve McQueen's resignation. Ryan O'Neal was cast to replace McQueen, but the script did not move forward. Looking back on those days, Ryan said, ``Ross refused to do a love scene. He also didn't like conversations that emphasized his blackness.''

One of the reasons for its failure was that the 1970s was not a time when it was possible to depict a romance between a black person and a white person in earnest. In `` The Pelican Papers '' (1993), co-starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, which was released the year after ``The Bodyguard,'' the kissing scene in the script was changed to an embrace. At the time, this change was controversial, but it was announced that it was a proposal from Denzel, who doesn't like love scenes, and it was eventually resolved. When considered from this perspective, ``The Bodyguard'' can be seen as a film that ushered in a new era against racial discrimination.

On the other hand, regarding the role of Rachel, Whitney Houston said, ``She is a woman with self-respect.It's rare for a woman to play the role of a woman who makes all her own decisions.However, I know many women like that.My mother is like that.'' That's why," he says of his strong attraction to acting. Her mother is singer Cissy Houston. Whitney was born into a musical family, including her cousin Dionne Warwick. In The Bodyguard, it is explained that Rachel's older sister was also a singer, and the relationship between the popular sister and her older sister is unavoidably reminiscent of Whitney's relationship with her mother, Cissy.

A mother who is jealous of her daughter, who was trained as a gifted musician, is now in the spotlight as a star. This twisted mother-daughter feud is also depicted in the documentary film ` `Whitney: Always Love You '' (18). The eventful life of superstar Whitney. We end up assimilating the role of Rachel with Whitney's life, even though it was never a happy one.

Steve McQueen and Whitney Houston have both been incarcerated and are no longer in this world. The last shot of "The Bodyguard". The stop-motion of Kevin Costner standing alone has a mysterious feeling of loneliness that was not intended at the time of production.

【source】

・"Hidden Ambition: The Kevin Costner Story" (Shinko Music) Written by Kelvin Candice Translated by Chisaho Obi

・Deluxe Color Cine Album 46 “Kevin Costner” Saburo Muraoka + Mizu Mochizuki/Responsible editor (Haga Shoten)

・“The Bodyguard” theater pamphlet

・Whitney Houston (Sony Music)

https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/whitneyhouston/info/487354

Text: Takeo Matsuzaki

Film critic Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media, majoring in film. After working on TV and movie sets, he turned to writing specialized in movies. Currently appearing on TV, radio, and online distribution programs such as ``Plus'' and ``Japan Group.'' He has contributed numerous articles to ``Kinema Junpo'', ``ELLE'', movie theater pamphlets, etc. Currently, he is a member of the Kinema Junpo Best Ten selection committee, a judge for the ELLE Cinema Awards, the Tanabe Benkei Film Festival, and the Creators Factory section of the Kyoto International Film Festival. Co-authored “Modern Movie Terminology Dictionary” (Kinema Junposha) and others.

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