Not long ago I was watching Doctor Who series five and weeping for Vincent Van Gogh. Now my heart is breaking for John Keats. I spent the last couple of hours watching Jane Campion's
Bright Star.
"Bright Star" is a poem Keats wrote for Fanny Brawne and perhaps another woman named Isabella. Jane Campion's film of the same name is GORGEOUS. And maybe this is the residual euphoria talking, but it rivals Romeo and Juliet as a tragic tale of young love. I guess in this case Fanny is more the flirtations, flighty Romeo which I guess leaves Keats as Juliet? Not as good a parallel there.
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The film is so patient and quiet and unfolds at a leisurely pace, but it is never boring. One of my very favorite things to watch in films is behavior. I love to just watch moments where there is no dialog or the actions, movements, looks that underscore/emphasis dialog. This film is full of behavior and also nature. Abby Cornish (Fanny Brawne) is so easy to watch and the photography is so beautiful. I have to say it again, the photography is so beautiful. I made it a priority to watch this film after seeing a still photo on
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chatchien's Journal.
I have to admit that I was rather unimpressed by John Keats at first. Not the actor just the character. He's kind of a scrawny, contemplative fellow. But I fell for him as the film went on. Fanny was kind of flighty I guess, but I admired her boldness and her creativity. In the beginning it was delightful just to look at Fanny Brawne's clothing creations and watch her younger brother and sister play. By the end I couldn't take the suspense of Keats' illness and so I frantically googled him.
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http://englishhistory.net/keats/death.htmlBright 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 steadfast, 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.
Of course the movie isn't only sad. I mean it's... so beautiful. The cinematography, the art direction, the clothes, the writing, their love. <3 Both Keats' and Brawn talk about how they never believed in love as intense as the love they felt for each other. It kind of makes me reconsider my stance on TRUE LOVE. I don't know that I really believe in it. This film makes me want to and also makes me a bit fearful of it. I highly recommend the film and can't wait to explore more of Keats' poetry.
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cloiser_trish for the gif
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