Bright Star, Briefly

I finally got around to seeing Bright Star yesterday. I had high hopes for this film since Jane Campion's The Piano is easily in my top 5 favorite movies ever and was one of my first experiences with artistic cinema.

I have to tell you, though, that I was majorly disappointed. I was completely aware that I was watching a movie, watching actors, the entire length of its running time. And I was not affected at all emotionally, even though I'm quite positive the filmmakers expected me to be. Bright Star just didn't speak to me.

That being said, the below-the-line work here is phenomenal. Beautiful cinematography, art direction, set and costume designs. In particular I'm remembering a scene in which a room is filled with living butterflies. The visual aesthetic is breathtaking and deserving of recognition this year, though it would have been nice if there were a powerful narrative to match.

I wish Bright Star had moved me, that it was another among countless period romances that have my heart. But it's not. I'm in the minority with this opinion, so buy a ticket and let me know what you thought.

BRIGHT STAR

Written and directed by Jane Campion
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Abbie Cornish
Ben Whishaw
Paul Schneider
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Premiere date: May 15, 2009 (Cannes Film Festival)
PG for thematic elements, some sensuality, brief language and incidental smoking.
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In 19th century London a secret love affair begins between 23-year-old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of fashion. This unlikely pair started at odds; he thinking her a stylish minx, she unimpressed by literature in general.
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It was the illness of Keats’s younger brother that drew them together. Keats was touched by Fanny’s efforts to help and agreed to teach her poetry.
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By the time Fanny’s alarmed mother and Keats’s best friend Brown realised their attachment, the relationship had an unstoppable momentum. Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, the young lovers were swept into powerful new sensations, “I have the feeling as if I were dissolving”, Keats wrote to her. Together they rode a wave of romantic obsession that deepened as their troubles mounted. Only Keats’s illness proved insurmountable.

AWARDS INFO COMING WHEN AVAILABLE

Mars and Venus

In 81 years of Best Director, Men: 395, Women: 3

AMPAS is notoriously biased against female filmmakers. It snubbed Barbra Streisand not once, but twice, for her acclaimed films Yentl and The Prince of Tides. Babs called it "a great step back in the cause of women" when her name was left off the ballot for a second time in 1991.

This famous prejudice could likely be righted this year. Some of the biggest films this season are helmed by women. Jane Campion (a nominee in 1993 for The Piano) is in the fray with Bright Star, Lone Scherfig has the festival fave An Education, and Kathryn Bigelow is a strong contender for the critical smash The Hurt Locker.

What do you think? Are we finally going to see a bit of balance in the director race or are more unthinkable snubs ahead?

Bright Stars On The Rise

Below is the trailer for Bright Star, the Jane Campion film that debuted at Cannes this year to favorable reviews, with more than a few critics calling it "a return to form" for Campion.

I'm pretty excited about this one. Jane Campion's classic The Piano is a very special film to me, personally. Not only is it an astonishing film, but it's the first movie I watched when I was young that made me realize that film could be art, not just entertainment.

Bright Star has its limited release on September 18th, so when it reaches a theater near me I'll definitely be catching it. It's the story of the poet John Keats and his love affair with neighbor Fanny Brawne, which inspired his work. It stars relative newcomers Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish, who both received some praise for their work back at Cannes.

I'm still a little upset with Abbie Cornish for being a low-life homewrecker, but it's exciting nonetheless when new talent is on the horizon. We'll see soon enough if she can give that other newcomer a run for her money during awards season.