Review of Bright Star (2009) by Lynda H — 29 Dec 2010

Filmamakers seem intent on trying to prove that writers are somehow as interesting as what they write.

Bright Star is a beautiful film to look at and reminiscent of Jane Campion's Portrait of a Lady starring Nicole Kidman in both style and execution, but it lacks the striking central performances.

Of course, the most eye-popping thing about the film is the clothing that the character Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) is frocked up in. Her dresses and coats are exquisite. But the rest of the film, albeit about the sublime poet John Keats, is a run of the mill love story.

John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his friend Charles Armitage Brown (Paul Schneider) move into lodgings next door to the Brawne's. It's obvious that Fanny and Keats have little in common and he teases her mercilessly about her addiction to fashion. She, in turn, insults his poetry. But as the two are thrown into each other's company, and when Fanny realises that Keats is nursing a dying brother, they fall in love. It's a chase affair, given the times, but eventually all-consuming.

There is no doubt that Whishaw and Schneider are up to the task of 19th century men, and Schneider brings a robust masculinity which contrasts with Whishaw's waning feyness. But Cornish seems an odd choice for Fanny, as she has the stride and mannerisms of a modern woman, and her face lacks a volatility to show the muddled emotional state of Fanny.

Along with its visual beauty, Bright Star is gorgeous to look at with some delightful touches, not the least of these being the set design, costuming and cinematography.