I'd be surprised anyone would wander into "Bright Star" accidentally, so if you purchased a ticket to see something about one of the Romantic Poets, you'll get your money's worth.
As Campion's career has matured her edge (some would say "feminist" edge) has become more tempered. In the case of "Bright Star" it's nearly absent. The heroine here is all frills and cleverness turned out well by Abbie Cornish. One of literary history's more tarnished characters, she's simply a modern girl by today's standards. Her transformation through loving one of the Romantic's doesn't get her very far. She decides to read some books...well, at least she says she wants to to read them, but whether she does more than memorize some of her lover's poetry, the film doesn't address.
The world here is so small that only once do we get mention of the scandal the relationship created. Her mother mentions Fanny has become the subject of a lot of gossip, but we never see who's saying what.
Instead the film focuses solely on the relationship between Fanny Brawne and John Keats with some heavy foreshadowing of the illness that befell him and the relationship. And the only sharp edge here is directed towards Keats' friend, Charles Armitrage Brown. I'm not sure it's a fair depiction, but it adds some leavening to all the dreamy imagery.
And it's beautifully filmed with breathtaking formal compositions, appropriate for a film about Keats. But it's also given little more weight than a lot of very ordinary stories of young love, which is probably the most shocking thing about the film since its made by a director known for creating complex stories of feminine struggle.
Ben Whitshaw as Keats acquits himself here after his performance in "Brideshead Revisited" (no small feat). And the entire cast is very watchable. However, I had time to study the set decor, color combinations and construction of the gauzy costumes and thought it would be better titled "Martha Stewart's Bright Star" (and actually, that's a compliment).
As Campion's career has matured her edge (some would say "feminist" edge) has become more tempered. In the case of "Bright Star" it's nearly absent. The heroine here is all frills and cleverness turned out well by Abbie Cornish. One of literary history's more tarnished characters, she's simply a modern girl by today's standards. Her transformation through loving one of the Romantic's doesn't get her very far. She decides to read some books...well, at least she says she wants to to read them, but whether she does more than memorize some of her lover's poetry, the film doesn't address.
The world here is so small that only once do we get mention of the scandal the relationship created. Her mother mentions Fanny has become the subject of a lot of gossip, but we never see who's saying what.
Instead the film focuses solely on the relationship between Fanny Brawne and John Keats with some heavy foreshadowing of the illness that befell him and the relationship. And the only sharp edge here is directed towards Keats' friend, Charles Armitrage Brown. I'm not sure it's a fair depiction, but it adds some leavening to all the dreamy imagery.
And it's beautifully filmed with breathtaking formal compositions, appropriate for a film about Keats. But it's also given little more weight than a lot of very ordinary stories of young love, which is probably the most shocking thing about the film since its made by a director known for creating complex stories of feminine struggle.
Ben Whitshaw as Keats acquits himself here after his performance in "Brideshead Revisited" (no small feat). And the entire cast is very watchable. However, I had time to study the set decor, color combinations and construction of the gauzy costumes and thought it would be better titled "Martha Stewart's Bright Star" (and actually, that's a compliment).