Shekhar Kapur, Dim Sum and the Director's Cut

"But how does it turn out ???

Kate Hudson as Ethne, the late Heath Ledger as Harry: What Destiny Awaits?

On its opening weekend in 2002, my nearly 9-year-old daughter and I attended a grown-up historical romance film, "The Four Feathers." In a nutshell, British Officer boy (Harry) meets girl (Ethne), boy goes to war (in Sudan, 1884), boy deserts troops in moment of cowardice, boy cannot live down disgrace, boy loses girl to upright best friend (Jack).  After the war though, at the film's end, Ethne has just broken her engagement to Jack - and is seen reaching for Harry's hand.

Exiting the cinema, my daughter demanded of me, "But who does she end up with?" as it is not clear whether Ethne (beautiful Kate Hudson) will choose the imperfect Harry or the valiant, polite Jack (Wes Bentley).  "I don't know," said gallant Dad. "I'll ask the Director what happened next."

He of many a lush and lovely epic

Four days later, I was in London seated for lunch with Shekhar Kapur at his favorite dim sum place in Soho, and I pressed him on it.

Now, in 1999, Mr. Kapur had dazzled with the spectacular Elizabeth starring brilliant Cate Blanchett, dashing Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, and all sorts of stupendous costumery.  By 2002 coming off Four Feathers Shekhar was involved as the Film guy in our little UK-based Music/TV/Film outfit, Artist Network, and I as the U.S. "suit" had business with the Londoners that October.

We spoke at first about business, then at length about Shekhar's wild idea for a caste-struggle science fiction concept set in a futuristic upstairs/downstairs India where water is rationed.  After we solved the scarce resource problem, we turned to Four Feathers and I pressed him on it:

"She is not with Jack, this much we know - but there remains affection between them.  However, Harry has clearly been a first and enduring fascination for her, and we see that she is willing to reach out to him."  So she ends up with Harry?  "It's not that simple.  If she is to proceed in her love for him, he will need to change. The relationship cannot succeed unless he will undergo a growing process.  We don't know whether this will occur. But we see that she is willing to consider giving him the chance."

Perfect.

My little girl, now 17, is beginning to learn her own lessons about love, not from the movies, and certainly not from her gallant Dad. As Ethne demonstrates, time and mystery go hand in hand: they dole out their measure of wonder and tragedy, and provide us the drama in life.  So much of drama is in not knowing...

As for dramatic resolution, fans of Elizabeth waited 9 years for the sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age.  But until a sequel to Four Feathers is produced, only Shekhar, you and I know what happens next.

Don't spill the beans!