Campion's film was so restrained and so remote that I was unable to care much for anyone except the brother who died. And why did she put so much camera focus on the children, while giving them nothing to do, nothing to say, and no real vital presence in the story line? There's Thomas Sangster, all grown up, justifiably famous, skilled as an actor, and so underutilized he might have been drapery.
*sigh*
I've been reading generalized complaints on the discussion board that men tend not to like movies like this, and that their harsh ratings will cause the overall score to go down, whilst women apparently unilaterally love this film. So, a disclaimer: I am female. I'm not overly keen on "action/adventure" films or cheap smack-down comedies. I like intelligent movies, and I don't mind slow-moving ones. Campion's "The Piano" was excellent. No, it was not the pace of "Bright Star" that I objected to, but its lack of emotional involvement, its weirdly inattentive hyper-attention to period detail (Fanny's hair for example), and its elision of what surely must have been important plot elements. In all, I found Fanny's sparring with Mr. Browne far more interesting than her mooning over Mr. Keats.
Pretty to look at, this film, but not worth paying attention to.
*sigh*
I've been reading generalized complaints on the discussion board that men tend not to like movies like this, and that their harsh ratings will cause the overall score to go down, whilst women apparently unilaterally love this film. So, a disclaimer: I am female. I'm not overly keen on "action/adventure" films or cheap smack-down comedies. I like intelligent movies, and I don't mind slow-moving ones. Campion's "The Piano" was excellent. No, it was not the pace of "Bright Star" that I objected to, but its lack of emotional involvement, its weirdly inattentive hyper-attention to period detail (Fanny's hair for example), and its elision of what surely must have been important plot elements. In all, I found Fanny's sparring with Mr. Browne far more interesting than her mooning over Mr. Keats.
Pretty to look at, this film, but not worth paying attention to.