Bright Star (2009)
Bright Star (2009) Directed by Jane Campion Written by Jane Campion Starring Abbie Cornish; Ben Wishaw; Paul Schneider; Kerry Fox; Edie Martin; Thomas Sangster; Gerard Monaco; Antonia Campbell-Hughes; Olly Alexander
New Zealand’s Jane Campion (The Piano) directs this beautifully composed story of the love affair between Romantic poet John Keats (Ben Wishaw) and Frances “Fanny” Brawne (Abbie Cornish), a previously unserious type with a love of witticisms, flirtation, and a talent for dressmaking. Australian native Cornish (Somersault; Stop-Loss) is perhaps best known as the real life girlfriend of Reese Witherspoon’s ex Ryan Phillipe (she was at the center of the controversy over their split), but she is a gifted young actress who lights up the screen as a woman experiencing all encompassing love for the first time. American Indie fave Paul Schneider plays Charles Armitage Brown, a man dedicated to the talent of his friend Keats, who is protective of his talent and suspicious (and perhaps even jealous) of the mutually obsessive love that develops between Fanny and the poet. The story is based on the real life events in the lives of these neighbors, who lived next door to one another at Wentworth Place. Keats suffered from Tuberculosis, and died in 1821 at age twenty five. During his short life, he was harshly received by critics, and never experienced popular or financial success of any kind. Both Keats and Fanny came from similar backgrounds, as both of their fathers were London Innkeepers. At the time of their meeting, however, Fanny’s family was comfortable, while Keats was impoverished, a fact that made their coupling a near impossibility. Though the story is obviously a tragically romantic one, Campion resists the kind of overly dramatic flourishes often seen in films of the type. The plot is familiar, with all the angst one expects from a tale focusing on the ill-timed meeting of two early 19th century would-be lovers, but the relationship is (for the genre) subtley detailed. Sumptuous visuals (from cinematographer Greig Fraser) and understated elegance mark this well calibrated historical drama