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Brightest Star
Romance versus art in the life of John Keats
Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw in a scene from Bright Star
When the job market turns sour, people start thinking about their options. Instead of sending out resume after resume, maybe it’s time to follow that dream of becoming a scuba instructor or writing that play. For those in this dreamy mind state, the new British film Bright Star has come along just in time. It is a story of one of English’s greatest poets and his greatest love affair. One overarching theme is the incompatibility of creativity and domestic bliss. In the film, John Keats falls in love with his young neighbor, Fanny Brawne. Keats’ best friend and patron, after financially supporting the poor poet and his work, argues emphatically that an artist has no time or money to care for a wife. It’s the classic battle of the comfortable life and the artist’s life.
The argument is ended when Keats succumbs to a terminal illness after being sent away from his love and London to Rome for the benefit of his health. It is interesting that if the couple had money to marry, Brawne would have been with Keats at his deathbed instead of hearing the news of his demise via post, as seen in the film. It’s been said that Brawne could be found, even years after Keats’ death, pouring over his love letters. With this kind of tragedy and romance, it’s a wonder that Keats’ story hasn’t been dramatized a million times over.
Writer/director Jane Campion has not brought such an interesting project to the table since the nineties, when she stunned audiences with the dark cinematic tale of a love affair in The Piano. Campion’s storytelling strength lies in her female characters. In Bright Star, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) gets a strong voice. Keats, who is well documented as being quite the character, is more of a challenge to bring to life: a sensitive young man made breathless amidst natural beauty. Campion uses cinematography to enrapture the audience with the scenery of Hampstead Heath in the way Keats must have perceived it. Actor Ben Whishaw is a good choice for portraying such a complex character. Whishaw has shined on the West End, playing Hamlet at the Old Vic.
Don’t let the breathless kisses and strong female characters in Bright Star lead you to believe this film is for females, though some have bemoaned the film’s lack of sexual content. In reality, the combination of Victorian social mores and Keats’ consumptive condition prohibited the consummation of his relationship with Brawne, leaving her both virginal and unwed. Bright Star is a film for lovers of poetry, romance, and nature’s beauty. But it is also for those who cherish the whimsical idea of an artistic life without the domestic sacrifices, however short-lived.
Bright Star opens September 18.