Bright Star reviews, ratings etc. *SPOILERS*

[AsphodelElysium]

Has anyone else watched the YouTube clips from the movie? I feel as if I shouldn't have, saved myself for the complete film, but I couldn't resist. I'll definitely have to watch the whole movie by myself.

[Malia]

I admit to watching all the clips several times. I'm trying to keep my watching to a minimum though, so I don't feel as if I've already seen it and be bored when the time to watch the actual full-length show comes around. I don't feel *too* spoiled by the clips, though. More, I wish I hadn't read so many reviews . . . especially the negative ones. (I highly recommend against reading reviews now that I've been tainted by them! )

[AsphodelElysium]

Okay, whew, I don't feel so bad now. I admit I haven't read any reviews at all. Rarely, rarely, do I ever agree with the critics, so...I don't bother. But I am curious, were reviews mostly bad or mostly good?

[Malia]

The reviews I read were pretty much split down the middle. There were one or two outstanding "raves" and several "don't bother, it's too boring and they don't even have sex!" But overall, the movie has been getting what I'd consider a B or B+ rating. The main criticism I've read is that it runs too slow--that the relationship takes forever to gain speed--and apparently, there are many who are upset there is no sex scene. I think, though, that for people really interested in the subject matter, it will be a worthwhile show. Everyone says the cinematography is excellent and that Abbey Cornish does a fantastic performance. Ben's performance is critiqued as either great or OK or he does the best with what he's been given; this is a movie about Fanny Brawne, not Keats.

[dks]

It is a movie about her...you're right...but you know, after watching the clips--I am pleasantly surprised at the reserved, yet affecting way Abby Cornish carries the role--I only have the clips, but at least it is something to chew on--I mean, she appears to be deftly portraying Fanny's innocenctl emotionality with regard to the entire ill-fated romance--judging from one clip when they are talking while she is setting the table (the one where he is petting the cat, which, by the way, was a brilliant, nuanced touch of Campion's--Keats liked cats) she emits forth a beguiled, yet gentle sense of fascination with him...I really liked that--and I'll wager it was that particular brand of affection she freely offered up to him that made him fall so deeply for her...

[Malia]

she emits forth a beguiled, yet gentle sense of fascination with him...I really liked that--and I'll wager it was that particular brand of affection she freely offered up to him that made him fall so deeply for her...

I think you are right on the money, dks. Keats, himself, said once that he was grateful to her for loving him for himself alone. Unlike other women who would like to be married to a poem and given away by a novel.

[Malia]

I found a website with a US Release Date for Bright Star--September 18. Looks like it will be a *limited* release, however--which most likely means only the major cities will get it.
http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=43643

But wait. . .upon trolling the internet again, I find another website that shows the release date as being September 18, with no mention of a limited release. Hm. . .I'm placing my hopes with this website's release information

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/movie/bright-star/

[Malia]

Just out: An official poster for Bright Star. Kind of reminds me of a Romance novel. . .but it's nice to see both Keats and Fanny shown; the poster used at the Cannes film festival, albeit more beautiful than this one (at least in my opinion), only showed Fanny.

http://two-pocketsinc.blogspot.com/2009 ... -star.html

[Malia]

Here's a little more about the new movie poster and some Oscar "pre-buzz" from Ropesofsilicon.

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/os ... r#comments

[Saturn]

Hmm nice poster, I'm still annoyed they couldn't have got someone who actually looked like Keats

I mean have they never read any of the descriptions of Keats or seen any of the portraits?

Was it a purely aesthetic decision to have him look more like an archetype of the romantic poet?

In all the pictures he looks more like a young Byron; he'd be perfectly cast in a film about Byron, but Keats??

Grumble grumble...

[Saturn]

Nice eye candy for you girls I'm sure.

I'm not complaining too much, Abbie Cornish is particularly fine eye candy for the guys too

[Malia]

Saturn, you're right that he doesn't look a lot like Keats--they have a similar nose, though. I think Whishaw portrays more in the way of the Victorian interpretation of our poet (which makes me sigh and shake my head a little--when will we ever shake off Shelley's interpretation?!). After reading several interviews, I think Campion sees Keats as a tender, emotionally vulnerable, almost ethereal figure. Certainly, Keats contained those elements within his personality. Whishaw studied him more in-depth than Campion, however, when preparing for his role and he concedes in at least one interview that there was more to Keats (a darker side and a more "robust" side) that he found intriguing, but conflicted with Campion's vision, so he wasn't really able to utilize those aspects of Keats's character as readily.

Interestingly, Whishaw says in an interview that he does not see Keats as a particularly romantic lover--Keats's jealous nature and suspicion of women in general tended to poison any romantic tendencies.

As far as finding someone to be a double in looks for Keats, I still don't think that is *as* important as how his character is portrayed. Looks wise, I'd say Whishaw would be more of a double for Tom Keats than John. Perhaps they could have lightened his hair for the role, but as for the rest of it, I'm fine with Whishaw. . .as long as he's *not* a Shelleyan-Victorian pining and wilting flower. That would be hard to handle.

[Malia]

Nice eye candy for you girls I'm sure.

I'm not complaining too much, Abbie Cornish is particularly fine eye candy for the guys too

Whishaw is not too bad looking, himself (even if he doesn't look exactly like our poet)
A little eye candy for the ladies indeed.

[Malia]

The trailer is out

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/07/21/ ... ight-star/

[Saturn]

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Malia.

Now I'm in two minds as to whether to watch it or not.

I just hope it doesn't have a voice-over by one of those cheesy voice-over guys who always starts [regardless of the film] with "In a time...[In ridiculously exaggerated voice].