Bright Star [DVD]

Yes, it does have a costume drama feel about it, I suppose (which can put some people off) and yes, it does stretch credence from time to time, but the film is beautifully crafted and very well acted, and as with everything that Whishaw touches it's very affecting; and what a dignified performance by Cornish! If anything is going to draw a newcomer to the world of poetry, and to Keat's poetry in particular, this may well be the thing do it. The occasional reading out aloud of the poetry by the two protagonists might seem a questionable device, but in fact it works quite naturally, deftly pointing up emotions. I very much look forward to watching this film again, soon.

So wanted to like this film - but the plotline felt gappy and muddled, the characters were often sketchy and under-developed and the pace was slow. If you know nothing about Keats or Fanny, this will help you understand her a little bit but him hardly at all. Why Fanny lives as she does, the financial and social contexts within which she can live - it's hazy, at best, just a sense of not quite being free to be as she would like to be. Lovely look and production - just hollow. And, oddly for a vital romantic story of one the key Romantic poets, rather cold.

This is an achingly beautiful and poignant tale. Visually stunning with amazing cinematography and superbly directed by Jane Campion. Abbie Cornish and Ben Wishaw are entirely convincing in their roles as Keats and Fanny ,their performances are nothing less than spectacular, they inhabit their characters in such a way that you truly care about them. This is a wonderfully evocative depiction of romantic love and is an absolute feast for the senses. Film making of the highest order.

[SPOILER WARNING - THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]I am 'a fan' of John Keats (if a dead Romantic poet can have fans!) and have recently purchased the Andrew Motion biography, which I am planning to start reading soon. I had heard of 'Bright Star' but I knew very little about it - I was completely unware, for instance, that it had been written and directed by Jane Campion. I was prepared for one of those 'period drama' style biopics, you know the kind of rather dull fare that the BBC and ITV churn out on a regular basis. Two people, both readers of Keats, had given me opposite reports so I really didn't know what to expect. Well actually, I was mainly prepared to be disappointed.Well, it's good to be wrong sometimes. Because I absolutely loved this film.When I realised from the opening titles that Jane Campion was behind it, my hopes were raised. I immediately thought that Abby Cornish' Fanny was superb; she reminded me of Nicole Kidman with a bit of Charlize Theron (fortunately, the latter only in terms of looks and not acting). Fanny is not a boring two dimensional damsel in distress type: she is a girl determined to get her man! Keats is played by Ben Whishaw and I must confess that in the first few scenes I had my reservations about him; he looked a bit like someone out of an indie band (especially the hair). A bit too 'hipster-like'. However within thirty minutes into the film I was totally won over by his portrayal of the poet. The acting was superb; what really, really stands out in this film is the fact that both Whinshaw and Cornish recite lines of Keats' poetry at various points but it never sounds 'hammy'. Poetry readings, even by professional actors, can often verge on the melodramatic - listen to the many audio versions of Keats' most famous works and you'll probably find parts of them slightly ridiculous. But Whinshaw just makes the poetry flow out of him so naturally that you don't even question it. In fact, I recommend that you watch the DVD right until the very end of the credits, because when the end music finishes you'll be treated to his reading of 'Ode to a Nightingale'. I am going to look for the soundtrack of this film so that I can play that very reading over and over again.The cinematography is absolutely stunning - this film is filmed as beautifully as a Keats poem itself and avoids the usual cliches' of period drama. It's never sickly sweet; in fact, Cornish's performance is rather restrained - which is why she reminds me so much of Nicole Kidman. You know that a lot is going on behind the ice and eventually it melts and pours out, in one of the final scenes when Fanny finds out about Keats' death.What I also didn't realise until the final credits is that the film was based on Andrew Motion's book and Motion himself worked with Campion during the making of the film. So what I thought would be one of those watered down, 'liberal' adaptations of the life of a poet was actually an accurate portrayal, albeit a partial one which only focussed on the last two years of his life.What else can I add except for the fact that this is a truly stunning piece of work, with a superb cast who could not have done a better job at portraying the doomed love between Fanny and Keats. I will most certainly watch this film again.

Probably not the greatest film ever made but I really enjoyed it this biography of the brilliant young poet John Keats because of a) the education into the excellence and breadth of the work he achieved before his death aged 25, b) the uncynical exploration of his romantic liaison with girl next door Fanny Brawne and c) the portrayal of a relatively normal & relaxed 19th century family, neither aristocratic nor poverty-stricken and not in service either and behaving to each other like normal non-dysfunctional people often do in real life.

This drama looks good, and everyone does what is required of them, but I can't escape the fact that Ben Whishaw is so physically unlike John Keats - famously small and pugnacious with it - that it jars to see him portrayed this way.John Keats's life, short and packed with real incidents and tragedies, is fascinating, and I'd like to see that dramatised.I don't think this does Keats or Fanny Brawne justice, really, even though Ben Whishaw reads the verse beautifully. One whose life was "writ in water" deserves more.

Arrived very quickly.Film is a gorgeous rendition of the romance between Fanny Brawne and John Keats. Gorgeous acting, scenery and poignant scenes between the two leads. Heart-breaking.Would definitely recommend for fans of Keats and of historical dramas, alike.

Very disappointing. I had looked forward to watching it but it was a very thin script and did not hold the attention.

Una garanzia è la firma come regista di Jane Campion, che è riuscita a trattare gli avvenimenti degli ultimi tre anni di vita del poeta inglese John Keats e del suo amore per una donna totalmente diversa da lui e dal suo entourages, con la sua solita sensibilità, impeccabile e riconoscibilissima. Curatissimo nei dettagli, nelle ambientazioni e nei costumi, nella regia e anche nella recitazione. Molto realistico, non si arrende ad un facile romanticismo. Se vi piacciono i film di Jane Campion e volete approfondire la vita di John Keats, questo film non potete perderlo.

Metto 5 stelle perché amo Keats, il film è interpretato da attori bravissimi, e ammetto che mi ha commossa alla fine. Speravo sviluppassero meglio la storia di lui però. Comunque consiglio a tutti coloro che hanno letto keats, anche perché nel film si parla ed escono riferimenti diretti alle sue opere, come l'endimione. Oppure per un frangente inquadrano il volume di lamia.

Sublime la delicatezza con cui la regista descrive la storia d'amore .I protagonisti "tessono una tela in un mondo immaginario " che saranno costretti a recidere loro malgrado. La struggente intensità di questo film risiede nelle linee invisibili che collegano i due protagonisti che nella loro estrema levità esprimono sentimenti ormai in disuso. Ben Whishaw interpreta il giovane Keats in maniera magistrale, ineccepibile per bravura, carisma e profondità tanto che ci si ritrova innamorati dell'amore , dell'animo di Keats ma anche,alla fine, di questo straordinario interprete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Un film che non si dimentica!!!!!!!

Un film intenso e bellissimo che narra di una passione, purtroppo, solo sfiorata, a causa delle avversità della vita, tra il poeta inglese Keats e la sua fidanzata Fanny. Del loro amore rimangono le stupende lettere di lui da poco pubblicate perché costudite gelosamente da Fanny fino alla sua dipartita.

Se avete voglia di conoscere un poeta importante come Keats, godervi paesaggi meravigliosi della campagna inglese, inebriarvi di parole d'amore come forse mai avete sentito o sentirete, ascoltare una colonna sonora bellissima e assaporare una (come sempre) splendida regia di Jane Campion... non potete non acquistare questo DVD!