Review of Bright Star (2009) by Arianeta L — 20 Jun 2010

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art--.

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night.

And watching, with eternal lids apart,.

Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,.

The moving waters at their priestlike task.

Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,.

Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask.

Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--.

No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,.

Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,.

To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,.

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,.

Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,.

And so live ever--or else swoon to death.

Jane Campion?s Bright Star through brilliant, stunning visuals and intelligent dialogue celebrates the rapture of passionate love. Each scene, every word uttered by the characters was so beautifully and often wittily crafted that I couldn't help but wish I lived in such a lush world, full of idealism and love of literature. This movie is one of those rare films that are almost perfect to me. The emotion isn't overwhelming, it's not exactly visceral, but it's moving and penetrating, it has its own style. It's not sappy or conventional. The extreme intelligence, realism, and emotional depth of this movie truly set it apart from all others. The soul of the movie, however, was in the acting. Ben Whishaw gives Keats a new life and makes us wonder if the real Keats was as charming and attractive. And Abbie Cornish in one of the most spectacular performances for me embodies the soul of a strong but delicate and sensitive woman called Fanny Brawne who happened to be John Keats' bright star.