Bright Star

Rating

Director

Jane Campion

Screenplay

Jane Campion

Length

119 min.

Starring

Ben Whishaw, Abbie Cornish, Kerry Fox, Paul Schneider, Edie Martin, Thomas Sangster

MPAA Rating

PG for thematic elements, some sensuality, brief language and incidental smoking.

Review

Not a traditional history lesson on one of the world’s greatest poets, Bright Star looks at only a small segment of John Keats’ life focusing on his romantic affair with young Fanny Brawne.

He died at the early age of twenty-five. Penniless. Yet, he is remembered fondly as a brilliant poet and his works are among the most beautiful and pensive ever written. Like most poets of the period, he was not truly appreciated until after his death. Surprisingly, aside from a television movie from 1970, no other films have been made of his life. And while he is one of the key characters in Bright Star, the film plays almost as if he was a periphery character.

This story is about Frances ‘Fanny’ Brawne (Abbie Cornish), a seamstress who falls in love with the awkward John Keats (Ben Whishaw) despite her initial reluctance to deal with him. His attempts to woo the beautiful young woman are met frequently by setbacks including his loutish friend Charles Armitage Brown (Paul Schneider), with whom he was staying, and her sympathetic but dowry-minded mother (Kerry Fox). Still, their love survives turmoil until, beset by tuberculosis, Keats moves to Italy in an attempt to recuperate.

Although his brother appears briefly as a sympathetic figure acting as a catalyst to bring the two closer together, there is very little information about Keats and his early life. And while Whishaw gives a charming performance, this film is entirely predicated on Cornish’s talent.

And carry the film she does. Cornish is so vibrant in the role of Fanny Brawne that her late-film emotional breakdown is the single touching moment in the entire film. Her bravado seeping away in a fit of profound sorrow. It isn’t just that one scene, either. Her strong central performance elevates the film beyond its historical drama underpinnings.

Cornish isn’t the only actor in the film to deliver an exceptional performance. Schneider is often her equal, commanding the screen when he’s on, his smooth Scottish accent rolling naturally off his tongue. Their frequent combative encounters are amazing to watch, keeping the audience from drowning in the sometimes banality of the romantic encounters between Keats and Brawne.

This period of British history has been so strongly romanticized that it’s not surprising to watch director Jane Campion tackling the story wish such sentimentality. Although it is in a similar vein to her Oscar-winning The Piano, much of the strength and audacity present 16 years ago has seemingly vanished in this film. Bright Star is at its strongest when conflicts between Brawne and Brown arise and weakest when dealing with Brawne’s regular life and her relationship with Keats. It’s as if Campion couldn’t decide how she wanted to present the material and opted for a strange amalgam of two styles, while overly focusing on the clichés of the genre.

Despite the flaws in execution, Bright Star is still an interesting and well acted film with plenty of British style. It should appeal easily to fans of Keats and the costume-friendly fans of Cornish and Whishaw.

Review Written

December 8, 2009