Bright Star

Joining the rank of BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, Jane Campion’s Bright Star shines boldly among period pieces. Like the period from whence it came, a time when days were spent languishing in novels and letter writing and sewing, this film creates a generous space in which to dream of love’s tenderness as experienced through John Keats and Fanny Brawne’s love. Not only do the actors’ performances (Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, and Paul Schneider are excellent) impress, but the cinematography and directing is just as heart stopping as Fanny’s loss of John (Keats dies young of tuberculosis.) Caught in a field of purple heather or hanging onto the elegance of Keats' poetry inspired by Fanny, the viewer falls in love right along with the couple. It’s impossible not to be taken by such beauty and art. Finally, the movie’s romance—those stolen kisses and burning glances, his head on her bosom, them face to face on a small bed—carry more heart than anything Mike Fleiss could conjure. It reminds us of a time when love, even at its most unlikely, most damned, most impossible, was still so simple and genuine. They both long for each other and we hear it in their most intimate letters and verse. We see it when they align perfectly, head to head, hand to hand, against the wall that separates their bedrooms. It’s quite possibly the most romantic film I’ve seen this year.

We need some of that.

Here’s a preview:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IwhVQa8Uk&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Here’s the score which is just so lovely:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVTW8-dceOY&feature=related