Product Details

• Actors: Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider, Kerry Fox, Edie Martin
• Directors: Jane Campion
• Writers: Jane Campion, Andrew Motion
• Producers: Cameron McCracken, Caroline Hewitt, Christine Langan, David M. Thompson, Emma Mager
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click .
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 26, 2010
• Run Time: 119 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (111 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002WY65VA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,064 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Bright Star" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Add Jane Campion's rich, sensuous, quietly thrilling Bright Star to the very short list of admirable films about writers. In this case the writer is John Keats (Ben Whishaw), the Romantic poet who died at age 25 believing himself a failure. The movie, set during his last several years, focuses on his playful friendship with and evolving love for Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), the independent-minded young woman who lived next door in Hampstead Village and was, in her own fashion, an artistic spirit. Completing an ineffably fraught constellation--not exactly a romantic triangle--is Keats's host Charles Armitage Brown (Paul Schneider), who loves, esteems, and regards Keats with both pride and envy, and engages in an unstated rivalry for Fanny. All three performances are superb, with Whishaw adding to his gallery of artist figures (the olfactorily obsessed murderer in Perfume, one of the Bob Dylans in I'm Not There), and Cornish and Schneider taking top acting honors for 2009. As in Campion's The Piano, others are party to the central story, and they have identities, personalities, and claims to intelligence and understanding that we appreciate without having it announced in dialogue. Kerry Fox (redheaded wild girl of Campion's An Angel at My Table nearly two decades ago) evokes Fanny's mother with a few brushstrokes, and Fanny's young sister and brother are watchful presences and de facto co-conspirators in the courtship. In addition, Bright Star is the rare period movie to convey--without being insistent--what it was like to be alive in another era, the nature of houses and rooms and how people occupied them, the way windows linked spaces and enlarged people's lives and experiences, how fires warmed as the milky English sunlight did not. And always there is an aliveness to place and weather, the creak of boardwalk underfoot and the wind rustling the reeds as lovers walk through a wetland. Poetry grows from such things; at least, Jane Campion's does. --Richard T. Jameson

Product Description

From Jane Campion, Academy Award winner of The Piano, comes a sweeping love story that will carry you back through time to experience the passion and romance between acclaimed poet, John Keats and his beloved muse. London 1818: a secret love affair begins between 23 year old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of high fashion. This unlikely pair began at odds, he thinking her a stylish minx, while she was unimpressed not only by his poetry but also by literature in general.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything... February 2, 2010

By Andrew Ellington VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

My wife, bless her soul, did something wonderful for me this past week. Despite her personal regard for this film (she fell asleep in the theater), her knowledge of my personal respect and admiration for John Keats (my favorite poet to ever walk the earth) and my feelings towards this film (one of the top five best of this past year, easy) moved her to buy this movie for me last Tuesday. She even found herself searching store after store since, for some reason, a lot of places weren't carrying it.

Alas, I've already watched this three times this past week.

Jane Campion is a marvelous director who has stunned me many times, and if you have ever wondered what a Jane Austen adaptation would look like under her sensual guidance, you have your answer in `Bright Star'. I will say this; this movie is by far one of the most sensually stimulating films I've ever seen. That isn't to say that it is an explicit film (nothing close to `The Piano') but Campion has a wonderful way of eliciting in the viewer a raw and natural emotion, that of longing and desire, and she paints such a beautifully desirous picture that we are left with baited breath.

The way Keats caresses Fanny's hand; the way she removes a key from her necklace; the way the press their bodies against a wall just to be nearer to one another. Every frame is captured in such a provocative way that we are so entranced and so, excited.

If you've seen the film, then you may recognize where the title of my review is pulled from.

The film tells of the final years of Keats' life. Keats' story is tragic because, at the young age of twenty-five he died of tuberculosis. Sadly, he considered himself a failure, yet today he is renowned as one of the (if not the) best romantic poets who ever lived.... This splendid film follows his relationship with two very important people; his dear friend Charles and his muse (and love) Fanny. As Keats attempts to make a name for himself, he finds that he is spellbound by Fanny, a self professed artistic soul, and realizes that finding love in her stirred something magical in him (his letters to Fanny are some of the most moving and provoking words ever penned). Sadly, their relationship was marred by jealousy (on the part of Charles) and social status (he was poor, and thus never wed Fanny) and was eventually cut drastically short by Keats' tragic death.

Campion is a goddess as far as I'm concerned, lacing this film with such glorious emotion and tender affections.

Breaking down this film and trying to explain all that I find so amazing is hard. To say that this film flows like poetry seems rather clichéd beings that it is about a poet, but the statement would be a true one. There is a rich fluidity that exudes every frame and just milks the entire film. The cinematography is easily the best I've seen all year, with some of the most beautiful screen shots of any film, ever. I mean, the butterflies, the bluebonnets, the windows, the hands...everything breathes a life of its own, and it is simply stunning (and soul reaching). You can feel every frame beneath your skin. The score is simple yet refreshing, and the vocal harmonies add a layer of depth and humanity to the film. The costumes and sets are outstanding. I love how one review stated that this film really made you feel as though you were LIVING in that era, and it is so true. Everything feels authentic, yet it's painted with such lush brushstrokes it appears almost dreamlike.

And then there are the performances.

What can I say really? I mean, I have been a huge fan of Paul Schneider since his breakout year in 2007 (he just oozes sensual chemistry) and he doesn't disappoint. Some have attacked his accent, but I found it authentic and unwavering; and his eventual breakdown ("I failed John Keats!") is so touching and heart-tugging. Ben Whishaw is a new talent, and an agreeable one. I do find that this film paints Keats as a canvas for those around him (much like Benjamin Button was last year) and so he comes off a tad less interesting or captivating, but Whishaw has some remarkable moments. The life of this film is, without doubt, Abbie Cornish. I was crossing my fingers this morning for a surprise Oscar nomination for her, since outside of Carey Mulligan, she delivers the best performance of the entire year, in any category. The way she captures the edginess of this woman (her sharp wit, especially when conversing with Charles, is catching) while never discarding her tender affections (the way she describes her adoration of Keats is the pure definition of poetry) is just spellbinding. There is such natural warmth and progression of character, and that final breakdown (shaky hands, gaping breaths, near seizure-like panic) is so authentic, so powerful and so...unforgettable.

I want to cry.

So, now I have to end this review. I'm not sure what else I can say outside of SEE THIS MOVIE. If you are not a fan of the period piece then you probably should avoid it, since this is really a film that defines that genre, but if you are a fan of Jane Austen, Jane Campion (this is her best film since `The Piano') and or poetry then you will fall in love with this film; quite literally. Read more ›

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow-paced and subtle February 4, 2010

By Val VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

I wanted to adore Bright Star, especially after reading some wonderful sounding reviews. I think my expectations where a bit high going into this and I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed and indifferent. Bright Star is a beautiful film filled with wonderful, rich colors, lovely costumes and quiet performances.

Based on actual characters, it is hard to say what was real and what was not. A few points in the film seemed embellished, mostly to do with the actual extent of the relationship between Ben Whishaw's character and Abbie Cornish's character. This being the early 1800's, I found it a tad difficult to believe their relationship was allowed certain liberties, especially with Cornish's mother constantly around and pretty informed of all that went on. Again, who is to say what really happened but it almost seemed unrealistic for that particular time period.

The performaces themselves where subtle, though effective. Ben Whishaw as John Keats was the more understated of the 2 leads and I found his character to be the more indifferent one in the relationship. Cornish as Fanny Brawne was more passionate but again, she seemed almost too 'modern' and forward for the time period. Their budding relationship starts almost suddenly and seemingly out of the blue, or at least that is how I perceived it. I found their connection genuine in some instances and bland the next.

Bright Star is a slow-moving film and a bit confusing in the beginning and may not be for everyone, even those who love Period films, as I do. While I ended up liking it, I can say that I certainly wasn't in love with it by any means. Again, I think I wanted to love it so badly and it didn't meet my expectations, sadly.... The ending was very touching and felt very genuine and perhaps, oddly, the best part of the film. There is nothing better than a drama done right and the latter part of the film was certainly proof of that.

Bright Star is an uneven film at times and though not perfect by any means, is still worth watching for those desperately in love with the genre. Read more ›

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars John Keats at Last! February 1, 2010

By Elizabeth Fiorito

Format:DVD

I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!! Yes it's quiet, yes it is methodically paced but it is so real, so haunting, so unrequited. It is a love story, that is all. A love story of passion and poetry. It doesn't try to be anything else. I have it in my dvd player and have watched it a dozen times already. I do not understand the 1 star reviews for this movie. Either they believed they were going into a romantic comedy or they are not fans of historical pieces. John Keats died at 26, alone in Rome. That should tell us from the beginning that this will not be a happy movie. But what is magnificent is that in many, many respects, it IS a happy movie. The love that is created, built slowly and surely is a real thing. Campion allows Fanny to be infinitely more sympathetic than history would suggest and Abbie Cornish feels a bit like all of us, trying to keep up with John Keats. Fanny Brawne was no poet, no scholar, indeed would have been forgotten entirely if Keats had not immortalized her with his poetry. In Bright Star, we see that she is more than aware of all of this, but that she is worthy of it, her own steadfast love makes her worthy of it. It is this, accompanied with Ben Wishaw's exquisite tenderness that make the story so powerful. It is hard not to believe the actors are mad for each other and Cornish's reaction to Keats' death is one of the most powerful I've ever seen. There is also an especially poignant scene between Keats and his dying brother Tom, so quiet and so touching, reminding us that Campion is a master. I was grateful they did not make us watch Keats waste away, grateful Campion gave him the dignity he so deserves and that we were allowed to be witness to the golden summer (or should I say "Autumn") of his life.