Movie Review: Bright Star (2009, Directed by Jane Campion)

Jane Campion’s Bright Star visually embodies the core principles of Romanticism. As an audience, we relish each scrumptious piece of eye-candy Campion puts before us, from the field of purple flowers, to the bubbling English brook, to the soft fall of rain in the countryside. Campion avoids making the easy mistakes that befall many creators of literary biopics. She understands that, although we are watching the story of a brilliant man of letters, the image must match the word in grace and beauty.

Bright Star tells the story of John Keats, the most brilliant of all the English Romantic poets to emerge as the 18th century gave way to the 19th century. Keats’ story is one of unfulfilled dreams and desires, much like the young lovers in his brilliant poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” The only love of his life is his neighbor Fanny Brawne. The relationship, excluding a few quick kisses, is kept entirely platonic. The possibility of a more intimate liaison looms over the narrative. However, the relationship is cut tragically short by Keats’ untimely death at the age of 25 from tuberculosis.

I’ve been mulling over the question of why I connected with this movie so much. Normally, I am not a fan of literary adaptations or biopics, even though (or, perhaps, because) I teach literature for a living. Perhaps I was drawn deeply into the story because John Keats is one of my favorite poets. I simply admire Campion greatly for not “messing up” this story. She avoids the temptation of “modernizing” the story. She doesn’t transform proto-Victorian restraint into unrelenting passion. Campion strikes the right balance between focusing on Keats the man and focusing on Keats the poet. Indeed, she doesn’t overuse excerpts from Keats’ poetry, but rather peppers the already interesting story with tiny bits of verse. The use of such classic poems as “When I Have Fears” and “Ode to Melancholy” never feels contrived. Campion only uses the lines from Keats’ oeuvre when doing so organically serves the story.

Although Bright Star is an engaging and beautiful film, it is by no means perfect. The ending, in particular, dragged on a bit too long for my taste. The film labored over Keats’ deadly ailment to an excessive degree. However, the stunning images, natural dialogue, and subtle performances by actors Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish more than make up for the flaws. To quote Mr. Keats himself, “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”