Review of Bright Star (2009) by Zarinah H — 29 Jan 2010

This is a movie that romantics will savor over and over - and the fact that it is based on the true love story between Romantic poet John Keats and his muse, Fanny Brawne, makes it all the more riveting. In director Jane Campion's able hands, "Bright Star" is a perfect blend of poetry and passion. Ben Whishaw plays the young poet John Keats who falls hard for Fanny Brawne (Abby Cornish), the spirited and talented daughter (she sews beautifully) of a widow (Kerry Fox) who along with two younger children live in Hampstead Village, North London. Keats and his friend and patron Charles Brown (Paul Schneider) take a room in the house where Fanny and her family live, and a slow attraction develops between Brawne and Keats which eventually consumes them in full force. The beauty of it all is that this passion is not so much physical but something that transcends the flesh - this is a couple that due to the conventions of the day (Keats realizes the hopelessness of his situation for his lack of finances makes him an unworthy suitor) where propriety and maintaining a girl's respectability were highly prized makes physical intimacy almost an impossibility.

Despite this, Fanny and Keats are able to show us how very real their affection and love for each other is - they read poetry to each other, finishing each other's lines, exchange soulful looks, the most tender, feather-light kisses, and all these amidst a gorgeous backdrop of lush fields of flowers, butterflies, etc. There is a strong sense of sexual energy - most evident in a bedroom scene where Fanny and Keats, fully attired recite poetry to one another! The one spoke in this relationship is Charles Brown (well-played by Paul Schneider) who resents Fanny's monopoly of Keat's attention, jealous of their intimacy and his inability to break this close bond, though he tries mightily to do so. In a fit of pure malice, Brown says of Fanny, "She can't speak, because she only knows how to flirt and sew." To Brown, Fanny is like a pesky gnat, an irritant that won't go away. The jibes shared between Fanny and Brown are actually one of the film's highlights, with an energy of their own, and makes for an interesting contrast to the tender interludes between Fanny and Keats.

As I watched "Bright Star", I felt like I was watching the real characters come to life - Whishaw and Cornish breathe so much life into their roles and I was reminded of a line from Keat's poem, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." "Bright Star" certainly is a thing of beauty to be treasured and appreciated for a long time to come. The DVD sadly lacks interesting bonus features - trailers for various movies, a deleted scene "I'll Wait", and three featurettes which are basically very brief interviews with the director, i.e. "Becoming Keats and Fanny", "Setting the Scene", and "An Inspiring Romance". I wish there had been a director's commentary, a making-of segment, and also interviews with the cast.