Bright Star (2009)

Australian writer/director Jane Campion (The Piano (1993), which won her the screenwriting Oscar and numerous other wins and nominations, and the wonderful Holy Smoke (1999)) has come back to the screen after 6 years with this story of Fanny Brawne, a young lady who enjoys designing and constructing her elaborate wardrobe and falls for her neighbor, the as-yet-unknown poet John Keats. Most synopses/reviews I've read put Keats first, but this is Brawne's story, and Abbie Cornish (a small part in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)) does a great job, better than Ben Whishaw (Brideshead Revisited, one of Bob Dylan's avatars in I'm Not There (2007), and the creepy lead in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)) as Keats, though perhaps his wispiness was intentional, this being a film by one of the foremost feminist directors of our time. Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl (2007)), who hails from North Carolina, uses a thick Scottish-ish accent to play Keats' best friend and patron, Charles Brown. Judy and I had some difficulty figuring out what their relationship was supposed to be, though I haven't read of anyone else who had that problem. It would've been much more interesting (and not at all unexpected in the movie) if Brown and Keats were lovers, but apparently they were not and the big obstacle to Brawne's and Keats' love was money: she had little and he had none. The real stars of this movie are Cinematographer Greig Fraser and Production and Costume Designer Janet Patterson (Oscar-nominated for Costume Design for Oscar and Lucinda (1997--definitely worth seeing anyway), and Campion's The Portrait of a Lady (1996) and The Piano). The photography is stunning and the costumes are brilliant, especially the hats! Look for another nomination for Patterson next year. If a romantic costume drama is your cup of tea, see this on a big screen.