Ben Whishaw as the Romantic poet John Keats and Abbie Cornish as his beloved, Fanny Brawne, in Jane Campion’s costume drama Bright Star. Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/bright-star/31554/main?icid=movsmartsearch
>>As an English major in college, I was a fan of John Keats's poetry. His early death was a huge loss to the literary world as it deprived us of greater works to come. What he did leave us are treasures that I need to reread after seeing this lovely film since it's been countless years.
>>Bright Star has earned glowing reviews but its subject matter limits its appeal to a small audience. John Keats (1795 -1821) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats is hardly a household name but you can imagine him as a celebrity of his day when poets were held in high regard by a small but learned minority who actually read poetry. Poetry books were bestsellers like today's novels; yes it's hard to believe since nobody now reads poems unless they are song lyrics or on corny greeting cards.
>>The film clearly presents this adulation as everyone is in awe of his talent. We see his last few years highlighted by his passionate but chaste affair with his neighbor Fanny Brawne before his premature death from tuberculosis in Italy. Much of the dialogue is based on his poems and letters, and this make it a very literate film that demands close listening. Hearing poetry read the correct way is a treat.
>>Ben Wishaw as Keats is very good but Abbie Cornish's performance as the resolute Fanny overshadows his role. She's so good she doesn't throw the film off balance but you will remember her more than him when you leave the theater. Also noted is Paul Schneider as Charles Brown, Keats's overprotective friend and editor, who is Fanny's rival for Keats's attention and well-being as they soon become a thorn in each other's side. Their battle of words is as sharp as one of her sewing needles.
>>The photography is first rate but some might find the film's pacing deadly slow. But this was director Jane Campion's intent in leisurely revealing a forgotten world that seems so foreign to us. Each tiny detail about the rules of society and courtship is shown so matter-of-fact and also as a revelation. Think of Jane Austen and you get the idea....
>>Bright Star might appeal more to women since it could be called a chick flick (spunky seamstress loving a doomed poet who's better looking than her but can't live without her devotion) and there's enough romance and discrete passion overflowing here to fill a few films. This seems to be the correct way to treat the subject matter. The film's title refers to a poem Keats wrote to Fanny.
>>Mom may have been overwhelmed by the constant barrage of English accents ( She hates English comedies; Monty Python is lost on her) but she says she enjoyed Bright Star too.
>>Ben Wishaw as Keats is very good but Abbie Cornish's performance as the resolute Fanny overshadows his role. She's so good she doesn't throw the film off balance but you will remember her more than him when you leave the theater. Also noted is Paul Schneider as Charles Brown, Keats's overprotective friend and editor, who is Fanny's rival for Keats's attention and well-being as they soon become a thorn in each other's side. Their battle of words is as sharp as one of her sewing needles.
>>The photography is first rate but some might find the film's pacing deadly slow. But this was director Jane Campion's intent in leisurely revealing a forgotten world that seems so foreign to us. Each tiny detail about the rules of society and courtship is shown so matter-of-fact and also as a revelation. Think of Jane Austen and you get the idea....
>>Bright Star might appeal more to women since it could be called a chick flick (spunky seamstress loving a doomed poet who's better looking than her but can't live without her devotion) and there's enough romance and discrete passion overflowing here to fill a few films. This seems to be the correct way to treat the subject matter. The film's title refers to a poem Keats wrote to Fanny.
>>Mom may have been overwhelmed by the constant barrage of English accents ( She hates English comedies; Monty Python is lost on her) but she says she enjoyed Bright Star too.
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