Bright Star (film)

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Bright Star
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJane Campion
Written byJane Campion
Produced byJan Chapman
Caroline Hewitt
Starring
CinematographyGreig Fraser
Edited byAlexandre de Franceschi
Music byMark Bradshaw
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Entertainment UK (United Kingdom)
Pathé Distribution (France)[1]
Hopscotch Films (Australia)[2]
Release dates
  • 15 May 2009 (2009-05-15) (Cannes)
  • 6 November 2009 (2009-11-06) (United Kingdom)
Running time
119 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Australia
France
LanguagesEnglish
French
Budget$8.5 million
Box office$14.4 million[3]

Bright Star is a 2009 biographical romantic drama film, written and directed by Jane Campion. It is based on the last three years of the life of poet John Keats (played by Ben Whishaw) and his romantic relationship with Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Campion's screenplay was inspired by a 1997 biography of Keats by Andrew Motion, who served as a script consultant.

Bright Star was in the main competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and was first shown to the public on 15 May 2009. The film's title is a reference to a sonnet by Keats titled "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art", which he wrote while he was with Brawne.

Plot[edit]

In 1818 Hampstead, the fashionable Fanny Brawne is introduced to poet John Keats through the Dilke family. The Dilkes occupy one half of a double house, with Charles Brown occupying the other half. Brown is Keats' friend, housemate, and associate in writing.

Fanny's flirtatious personality contrasts with Keats' notably more aloof nature. She begins to pursue him after her siblings Samuel and Toots obtain his book of poetry, "Endymion". Her efforts to interact with the poet are fruitless until he witnesses her grief for the loss of his brother, Tom. Keats begins to open up to her advances while spending Christmas with the Brawne family. He begins giving her poetry lessons, and it becomes apparent that their attraction is mutual. Fanny is nevertheless troubled by his reluctance to pursue her, as to which her mother surmises, "Mr. Keats knows he cannot like you, he has no living and no income."

It is only after Fanny receives a valentine card from Brown that Keats passionately confronts them and asks if they are lovers. Brown sent the valentine in jest, but warns Keats that Fanny is a mere flirt playing a game. Fanny is hurt by Brown's accusations and Keats' lack of faith in her; she ends their lessons and leaves. The Dilkes move to Westminster in the spring, leaving the Brawne family their half of the house and six months rent. Fanny and Keats then resume their interaction and fall deeply in love. The relationship comes to an abrupt end when Brown departs with Keats for his summer holiday, where Keats may earn some money. Fanny is heartbroken, though she is comforted by Keats' love letters. When the men return in the autumn, Fanny's mother voices her concern that Fanny's attachment to the poet will hinder her from being courted by a more obviously eligible suitor. Fanny and Keats secretly become engaged.

Keats contracts tuberculosis the following winter. He spends several weeks recovering until spring. His friends collect funds so that he may spend the following winter in Italy, where the climate is warmer. After Brown impregnates a maid and is unable to accompany him, Keats finds accommodation in London for the summer, and is later taken in by the Brawne family following an attack of his illness. When his book sells with moderate success, Fanny's mother gives him her blessing to marry Fanny once he returns from Italy. The night before he leaves, he and Fanny say their tearful goodbyes in privacy. Keats dies in Italy the following February of complications from his illness, as his brother Tom did.

In the last moments of the film, Fanny cuts her hair in an act of mourning, dons black attire, and walks the snowy paths that Keats had walked many times. It is there that she recites the love sonnet that he had written for her, called "Bright Star", as she grieves the death of her lover.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

In addition to "Bright Star" several other poems are recited in the film, including "La Belle Dame sans Merci" and "Ode to a Nightingale". Both Campion and Whishaw completed extensive research in preparation for the film. Many of the lines in the script are taken directly from Keats' letters.[4] Whishaw, as well, learned how to write with a quill and ink during filming. The letters that Fanny Brawne receives from Keats in the film were actually written by Whishaw in his own hand.

Janet Patterson, who has worked with Campion for over 20 years, served as both costume designer and production designer for the film.[5]

The Hyde House and Estate in Hyde, Bedfordshire, substituted for the Keats House in Hampstead. Campion decided that the Keats House (also known as Wentworth Place) was too small and "a little bit fusty".[6] Some filming also took place at Elstree Studios.[7]

Composer Mark Bradshaw can be seen in the film as the conductor while the male choir performs the track Human Orchestra, which Bradshaw arranged from the third movement of the serenade for twelve winds and string bass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.[8]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

The film garnered positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 83% out of 175 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 7.26/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Jane Campion's direction is as refined as her screenplay, and she gets the most out of her cast – especially Abbie Cornish – in this understated period drama."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]

Mary Colbert of SBS awarded the film five stars out of five. "If Campion intended to inspire an appreciation and rediscovery of Keats' poetry," she writes, "she has not only succeeded but herself created an artistic monument to his life, love, poetry and soul." Craig Mathieson stated in the same review that Bright Star is Jane Campion's "best work since The Piano, her epochal 1993 masterpiece."[11] Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars out of four.[12]

Poet and scholar Stanley Plumly, the author of Posthumous Keats: A Personal Biography, wrote of the film's writing and direction: "Jane Campion has understood the richly figurative in Keats' life without sacrificing the literal wealth of its texture. She has evoked the mystery of his genius without giving up the reality of its dailiness."[13] In 2019, The Guardian added the film in its 100 best films of the 21st century list.[14] In 2019, the BBC polled 368 film experts from 84 countries to name the 100 greatest films directed by women; Bright Star was voted at No. 54.[15]

Box office[edit]

Bright Star grossed $3,110,560 at the box office in Australia[16] for a worldwide total of $14.4m.[3]

Awards[edit]

Award Category Subject Result
AACTA Awards
(2010 AFI Awards)[17] 		AFI Members' Choice Award Jan Chapman & Caroline Hewitt Nominated
Best Film Nominated
Best Direction Jane Campion Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Best Actress Abbie Cornish Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Kerry Fox Nominated
Best Cinematography Greig Fraser Won
Best Editing Alexandre de Franceschi Nominated
Best Original Music Score Mark Bradshaw Nominated
Best Production Design Janet Patterson Won
Best Costume Design Won
Academy Awards[18] Best Costume Design Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards[19] EDA Award for Most Beautiful Film Won
EDA Award for Best Supporting Actor Paul Schneider Nominated
EDA Female Focus Award – Women's Image Award Jane Campion Nominated
EDA Female Focus Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry Nominated
EDA Female Focus Award for Best Woman Director Nominated
EDA Female Focus Award for Best Woman Screenwriter Won
ACS Awards[20] Cinematographer of the Year Greig Fraser Won
ASE Awards Best Editing in a Feature Film Alexandre de Franceschi Nominated
BAFTA Awards[21] Best Costume Design Janet Patterson Nominated
British Independent Film Awards[22] Best Director Jane Campion Nominated
Best Actress Abbie Cornish Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Kerry Fox Nominated
Best Technical Achievement Greig Fraser (For cinematography) Won
Cannes Film Festival[23] Palme d'Or Jane Campion Nominated
César Awards[24] Best Foreign Film Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[25] Best Cinematography Greig Fraser Nominated
Best Actress Abbie Cornish Nominated
Chlotrudis Awards[26] Nominated
CinEuphoria Awards Best Actress – International Competition Won
Best Costume Design – International Competition Janet Patterson Won
Top Ten of the Year – International Competition Jane Campion Won
Critics' Choice Movie Awards[27] Best Costume Design Janet Patterson Nominated
Denver Film Critics Society Awards Best Actress Abbie Cornish Nominated
Evening Standard British Film Awards Best Film Jane Campion Nominated
Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association Dorian Award for Film of the Year Nominated
Heartland Film Festival Truly Moving Sound Award Jane Campion Won
Houston Film Critics Society Awards[28] Best Actress Abbie Cornish Nominated
Inside Film Awards Best Cinematography Greig Fraser Nominated
Best Editing Alexandre de Franceschi Nominated
Best Sound Craig Butters Nominated
John Dennison Nominated
Tony Vaccher Nominated
Best Production Design Janet Patterson Won
International Cinephile Society Awards Best Picture Nominated
Best Cinematography Greig Fraser Nominated
Best Actress Abbie Cornish 2nd Place
IMOA Awards Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle Awards[29] Best British Film of the Year Nominated
Best Actress Abbie Cornish Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Awards[30] 3rd Place
Best Supporting Actor Paul Schneider Won[a]
Online Film & Television Association Awards[31] Best Costume Design Janet Patterson Won
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards[32] Best Actress Abbie Cornish 2nd Place
Best Supporting Actor Paul Schneider Nominated
Satellite Awards[33] Best Film Nominated
Best Director Jane Campion Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Best Actress Abbie Cornish Nominated
Village Voice Film Poll[34] Best Supporting Actor Paul Schneider Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle Awards[35] Best Actress Abbie Cornish Won
Best Movie by a Woman Jane Campion Nominated

Soundtrack[edit]

Lakeshore Records released the soundtrack for Bright Star digitally (iTunes and Amazon Digital) on 15 September 2009 and in stores on 13 October 2009. The film's soundtrack features original music by Mark Bradshaw with dialogue from the film voiced by Cornish and Whishaw.[36][37]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Negative Capability" – 3:55
  2. "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" – 2:28
  3. "Return" – 0:58
  4. "Human Orchestra" – 1:48
  5. "Convulsion" – 0:52
  6. "Bright Star" – 1:49
  7. "Letters" – 3:49
  8. "Yearning" – 2:24
  9. "Ode to a Nightingale" – 5:24

Book of Love Letters and Poems[edit]

A collection of Keats's love letters and selected poems was published in 2009 as a companion to the motion picture, entitled Bright Star: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne. The 144-page book was published by Penguin and includes an introduction written by Campion.[38]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Tied with Christoph Waltz of Inglourious Basterds

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Film #32284: Bright Star". Lumiere. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Bright Star (Australian release)". Box Office Mojo.
  3. ^ a b "Bright Star". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  4. ^ Beal, Jane (24 October 2009). "Bright Star". The Poetry Place. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  5. ^ McElheny, Meghan. "Five minutes with Bright Star costume designer Janet Patterson: Editors' Blog". W. Archived from the original on 12 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  6. ^ Singh, Anita (15 May 2009). "Cannes 2009: film charts John Keats' romance with Fanny Brawne – in Luton". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  7. ^ "Film and TV Search Bright Star". Elstree Film Studios. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  8. ^ "Interview : Mark Bradshaw, composer of the "Bright Star" soundtrack". filmsdelover.com. 24 April 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Bright Star (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  10. ^ "Bright Star Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  11. ^ Colbert, Mary; Mathieson, Craig. "Bright Star (review)". SBS. Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  12. ^ Ebert, Roger (23 September 2009). "Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness: Keats and Fanny Brawne". RogerEbert.com.
  13. ^ Plumly, Stanley (22 October 2009). "Bright Stars: Campion's Film of and from Keats". Poems Out Loud. W.W. Norton & Company. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  14. ^ "The 100 best films of the 21st century". The Guardian. 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  15. ^ "The 100 greatest films directed by women". BBC Culture. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  17. ^ "AACTA Awards 2010". www.aacta.org. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  18. ^ "2010 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  19. ^ "2009 EDA Awards Winners – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS". Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Greig Fraser wins ACS Milli Award for Bright Star". IF Magazine. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Film in 2010 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Winners Nominations 2009". British Independent Film Awards. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Bright Star". www.festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Bright Star: Butterflies". NFSA. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  25. ^ "22nd Annual Chicago Film Critics Awards". Chicago Film Critics. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  26. ^ "16th Annual Awards". Chlotrudis Awards. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  27. ^ Pond, Steve (13 December 2009). "'Inglourious Basterds,' 'Nine' Lead Critics Choice Nominations". TheWrap. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Houston critics judging films". Houston Chronicle. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  29. ^ "An Education leads London Film Critics' nominees". Screen Daily. 21 December 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  30. ^ Kilday, Gregg (3 January 2010). "'Hurt Locker' tops critics group nods". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  31. ^ "14th Annual Film Awards (2009) - Online Film & Television Association". Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  32. ^ "2009 Awards". sdfcs.org. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  33. ^ "2009 Satellite Awards". International Press Academy. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  34. ^ "10th Annual Film Critics' Poll: The Abridged Results". Village Voice. 22 December 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  35. ^ "Cornish and Foster win WFCC awards". UPI. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  36. ^ "Bright Star Soundtrack". Fanbolt.Com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  37. ^ "Bright Star Soundtrack CD". Cduniverse.com. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  38. ^ Bright Star – John Keats – Penguin Group (USA). Us.penguingroup.com. 16 September 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2022.

External links[edit]

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