Linear (film)
Encyclopedia
Linear is a 2009 film directed by Anton Corbijn
. The film includes music from U2
's 2009 studio album, No Line on the Horizon, and was included on both digital
and DVD
formats with several editions of the album.
, but rather "a new way to listen to a record" and "a new way to use film to connect to music".
The plot is based on the characters Bono created for the album No Line on the Horizon, with the story revolving around a Paris
ian motorcycle cop who has become disillusioned with his life, as well as the conflict between immigrants and the police in the city, causing him to leave and see his girlfriend in Tripoli
. The film features a mix of black-and-white
and colour filming, and runs for 58:20. Linear was completed in time for the album's original November 2008 release date, but as the band continued to work into December the film became out of sequence with the album. 10 of the 11 songs in the film were edited as a solution, and the original running order was kept intact. The film features Saïd Taghmaoui
as the cop, Lizzie Brocheré
as the waitress, Marta Barrio as the lone dancer, and Francisco Javier Malia Vazquez as the barman.
. Kicking his bike over, he pours gasoline on it, sets it alight, and watches it burn ("Breathe"). As dawn breaks, he gets on his own motorcycle and begins his journey through the French countryside before crossing into Spain
, aiming to see his girlfriend in Tripoli
("Winter"). Pulling off for a break part-way through the journey, the cop lies on his back and watches a cloud form the image of the Africa
n continent before falling asleep ("White as Snow"). Waking up, he resumes his journey across Spain ("No Line on the Horizon").
Upon coming to a town, he pulls off for lunch and enters a small café which, with the exception of the waitress (Brocheré), is devoid of people ("Fez – Being Born"). Bored, the waitress flicks on the television and they watch a U2 music video ("Magnificent"). Resuming his journey, the cop travels through the countryside until making a stop in Cádiz
("Stand Up Comedy"). Walking into a bar, the cop attracts the attention of a woman who begins to dance (Barrio), while the barman (Vazquez) serves him several drinks. Leaving the dancer his keys on the table, the cop goes to leave the bar, but as he does so he looks through a peephole and observes several women with moustaches dancing ("Get on Your Boots"). Walking alone through the streets and with no place to stay overnight, he makes his way down to the beach and falls asleep on the sand ("Moment of Surrender"). Waking up in the morning, he rents a rowboat and begins to paddle his way across the Mediterranean Sea
to Tripoli ("Cedars of Lebanon").
" is not. The film's running order is representative of No Line on the Horizons track list as of May 2008.
Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
. The film includes music from U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's 2009 studio album, No Line on the Horizon, and was included on both digital
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
formats with several editions of the album.
Development
The idea behind the film originated from a U2 video shoot in June 2007. During the shoot, Corbijn asked the band to remain still while he filmed them; this created a "photograph on film", in which U2 did not move but the objects around them did. Impressed, the band believed that the listening experience could be enhanced with visuals, and in May 2008 they commissioned Corbijn to create the film. The film was created as companion to No Line on the Horizon, and Corbijn has claimed that the film is not a music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, but rather "a new way to listen to a record" and "a new way to use film to connect to music".
The plot is based on the characters Bono created for the album No Line on the Horizon, with the story revolving around a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian motorcycle cop who has become disillusioned with his life, as well as the conflict between immigrants and the police in the city, causing him to leave and see his girlfriend in Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. The film features a mix of black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
and colour filming, and runs for 58:20. Linear was completed in time for the album's original November 2008 release date, but as the band continued to work into December the film became out of sequence with the album. 10 of the 11 songs in the film were edited as a solution, and the original running order was kept intact. The film features Saïd Taghmaoui
Saïd Taghmaoui
Saïd Taghmaoui is a French actor and screenwriter. One of his defining screen roles was that of Saïd in the award winning 1995 French film La Haine directed by Mathieu Kassovitz...
as the cop, Lizzie Brocheré
Lizzie Brocheré
Lizzie Brocheré is a French film, television and theater actress known for her sensuous screen presence in French art house cinema.-Life and career:Lizzie Brocheré was born in Paris, France...
as the waitress, Marta Barrio as the lone dancer, and Francisco Javier Malia Vazquez as the barman.
Plot
The film opens with a scene of Paris as night falls, before moving on to a journey through the city streets ("Unknown Caller"). At the end of the trip through Paris, a motorcycle cop (Taghmaoui) sits on his police-issued motorcycle, staring at some graffiti on a wall which reads "Fuck the Police" in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. Kicking his bike over, he pours gasoline on it, sets it alight, and watches it burn ("Breathe"). As dawn breaks, he gets on his own motorcycle and begins his journey through the French countryside before crossing into Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, aiming to see his girlfriend in Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
("Winter"). Pulling off for a break part-way through the journey, the cop lies on his back and watches a cloud form the image of the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n continent before falling asleep ("White as Snow"). Waking up, he resumes his journey across Spain ("No Line on the Horizon").
Upon coming to a town, he pulls off for lunch and enters a small café which, with the exception of the waitress (Brocheré), is devoid of people ("Fez – Being Born"). Bored, the waitress flicks on the television and they watch a U2 music video ("Magnificent"). Resuming his journey, the cop travels through the countryside until making a stop in Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
("Stand Up Comedy"). Walking into a bar, the cop attracts the attention of a woman who begins to dance (Barrio), while the barman (Vazquez) serves him several drinks. Leaving the dancer his keys on the table, the cop goes to leave the bar, but as he does so he looks through a peephole and observes several women with moustaches dancing ("Get on Your Boots"). Walking alone through the streets and with no place to stay overnight, he makes his way down to the beach and falls asleep on the sand ("Moment of Surrender"). Waking up in the morning, he rents a rowboat and begins to paddle his way across the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
to Tripoli ("Cedars of Lebanon").
Track listing
The film contains 11 tracks, 10 of which are from No Line on the Horizon. The order of the songs was rearranged from the order of the album. "Winter", a track cut from No Line on the Horizon, is in the film while "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy TonightI'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" is the fifth song from U2's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. The song was released as the album's third single in a digital format on 25 August 2009 and in a physical version released on 7 September 2009...
" is not. The film's running order is representative of No Line on the Horizons track list as of May 2008.