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IMDbPro

Bright Star

  • 20092009
  • PGPG
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
28K
YOUR RATING
Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw in Bright Star (2009)
A drama based on the three-year romance between 19th century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keats' untimely death at age 25.
Play trailer2:27
7 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaRomance
The three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.The three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.The three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
28K
YOUR RATING
    • Jane Campion
    • Jane Campion(screenplay)
    • Andrew Motion(biography "Keats")
  • Stars
    • Abbie Cornish
    • Ben Whishaw
    • Paul Schneider
    • Jane Campion
    • Jane Campion(screenplay)
    • Andrew Motion(biography "Keats")
  • Stars
    • Abbie Cornish
    • Ben Whishaw
    • Paul Schneider
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 120User reviews
    • 213Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos7

    Bright Star
    Trailer 2:27
    Watch Bright Star
    A Guide to the Films of Jane Campion
    Clip 1:54
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Jane Campion
    "Letter" from Bright Star
    Clip 1:06
    Watch "Letter" from Bright Star
    "Valentine" from Bright Star
    Clip 0:52
    Watch "Valentine" from Bright Star
    "Sleeping in my bed" from Bright Star
    Clip 1:02
    Watch "Sleeping in my bed" from Bright Star
    Bright Star: Fanny in the Room with Butterflies
    Clip 1:24
    Watch Bright Star: Fanny in the Room with Butterflies
    Bright Star: Keats and Brawne Through the Wall
    Clip 1:03
    Watch Bright Star: Keats and Brawne Through the Wall

    Photos683

    Abbie Cornish in Bright Star (2009)
    Jane Campion in Bright Star (2009)
    Abbie Cornish in Bright Star (2009)
    Abbie Cornish in Bright Star (2009)
    Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw in Bright Star (2009)
    Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw in Bright Star (2009)
    Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw in Bright Star (2009)
    Ben Whishaw in Bright Star (2009)
    Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw in Bright Star (2009)
    Paul Schneider and Ben Whishaw in Bright Star (2009)
    Abbie Cornish in Bright Star (2009)
    Abbie Cornish and Edie Martin in Bright Star (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Abbie Cornish
    Abbie Cornish
    • Fanny Brawne
    Ben Whishaw
    Ben Whishaw
    • John Keats
    Paul Schneider
    Paul Schneider
    • Mr. Brown
    Kerry Fox
    Kerry Fox
    • Mrs. Brawne
    Edie Martin
    Edie Martin
    • Toots Brawne
    Thomas Brodie-Sangster
    Thomas Brodie-Sangster
    • Samuel
    Claudie Blakley
    Claudie Blakley
    • Maria Dilke
    Gerard Monaco
    Gerard Monaco
    • Charles Dilke
    Antonia Campbell-Hughes
    Antonia Campbell-Hughes
    • Abigail
    Samuel Roukin
    Samuel Roukin
    • Reynolds
    Amanda Hale
    Amanda Hale
    • Reynolds Sister
    Lucinda Raikes
    Lucinda Raikes
    • Reynolds Sister
    Samuel Barnett
    Samuel Barnett
    • Mr. Severn
    Jonathan Aris
    Jonathan Aris
    • Mr. Hunt
    Olly Alexander
    Olly Alexander
    • Tom Keats
    François Testory
    • Dance Master
    Theresa Watson
    • Charlotte
    Vincent Franklin
    Vincent Franklin
    • Dr. Bree
      • Jane Campion
      • Jane Campion(screenplay)
      • Andrew Motion(biography "Keats")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Keats' poems used in the film are: Endymion, When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be, The Eve of St Agnes, Ode to a Nightingale, La Belle Dame Sans Merci and Bright Star.
    • Goofs
      The large blue butterflies featured in the 'butterfly' sequence are tropical and would not have been found in Britain at that (or any other recent) time.
    • Quotes

      Fanny Brawne: I still don't know how to work out a poem.

      John Keats: A poem needs understanding through the senses. The point of diving in a lake is not immediately to swim to the shore but to be in the lake, to luxuriate in the sensation of water. You do not work the lake out, it is a experience beyond thought. Poetry soothes and emboldens the soul to accept a mystery.

      Fanny Brawne: I love mystery.

    • Crazy credits
      Ben Whishaw recites Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" over the closing credits.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Cannes Film Festival 2009 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Serenade in B flat, K361, Adagio
      (1781)

      Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as Mozart)

      Arranged by Mark Bradshaw

    User reviews120

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    A thing of beauty is a joy forever
    I just had the pleasure of seeing Bright Star tonight. I was hoping it would be as good as the trailer, and it was. The trailer is not misleading in this sense but a pretty good representation of the movie.

    Most of the negative reviews I've read for this have something to do with how the film is "little" or "slow." Rarely, they comment that it's "melodramatic." Which it's NOT by any means. It is not mawkishly sentimental at all. It's not epic, it is small in a way, and there's never any seizing moment of action. That doesn't make it boring; it's engaging throughout.

    This is different from any period film I've ever seen, or really, imagined. It's not like typical period pieces in trying to wow you with its aesthetic recreation of the time, it's not so much about the visual splendor, though it looks very lovely and is thoroughly convincing as a representation of that period. It's visually quite different from other period pieces, it has a more realistic and kind of earthy look rather than pastel-colored and with a glow around everything. There are slums and less-than-palatial places. This isn't Pride and Prejudice. Neither does it have sort of a broad, sweeping narrative. At heart it's a deep love story about famed poet John Keats and his love and muse, Franny Brawne, whose relationship was cut short by a tragic death. It delves deeply into the small details of their courtship, and is pretty involved psychologically.

    These people are portrayed realistically. Even the more minor characters, they all seem to be real people, with actual personalities, rather than caricatures or types of stuffy Regency people who are preoccupied with propriety and good marriage matches. Fanny's mother is nice, the main issue with her marrying Keats is that he literally can't support her, and the people they know aren't mindlessly concerned about it. They actually have FUN and do more interesting things than stand at ballroom dances and sit at dinner. Who would have thought people in a Regency period movie could actually climb trees, walk in the mud, or do quirky, whimsical things? Their ease and naturalness and relative candor in moving around, interacting with, and talking to each other was refreshing and definitely different from the idea you generally get. And this is the first period piece I've ever, ever seen where anyone has actually picked up and held their pet cat and treated it like you would your pet. You can actually hear it purring, it's a real part of their surroundings. I liked that cat, it was cute.

    The dialogue was superb. It wasn't this sloppy, general, or comical/absurd stuff. It was precise, clear, charged with personality, and often beautiful. When you hear the conversations between Fanny and John, it's brilliant, real, and a pleasure. I have never seen such intelligence, subtlety, or elegance in a movie in this way. To hear Fanny respond to something John said, even just a word, as if she were actually thinking about it, as would happen in real life, as if she were an intelligent, feeling, witty person, was so nice. And so DIFFERENT. It's a little hard to explain if you haven't seen it. Suffice it to say, the dialogue is delicate and nuanced. They are articulate but not pretentious, they are sensitive, individual people - not unreal types who don't pick up on details. And it being about Keats, the characters have a lot of literary intelligence. You will enjoy the poetry in the movie.

    The acting was great. Keats - I would probably fall in love with him, too. He seems like such a sensitive, romantic, and intelligent guy. Ben Whishaw was perfect for him. And Abbie Cornish as Fanny is wonderful - while not extravagantly gorgeous exactly, her face has such clear features that she has an extraordinary appeal. She is a very striking character, and deeply feeling about Keats. You get a real sense of love, real responses to grief instead of just a pretty swoon. It was a real romance - their tender kiss was beautiful, the things they said to each other, and the things they felt.

    This movie is one of those rare films that are almost perfect to me. That doesn't make it my favorite movie, but it means I didn't find much wrong with it. The emotion isn't overwhelming, it's not exactly visceral, but it's moving and penetrating, it has its own style. It's NOT sappy or conventional. The extreme intelligence, realism, and emotional depth of this movie truly set it apart from all others. I heard a review say something like about how it's just about "old British speech and mannerisms," which couldn't be farther from the truth. It is NOT driven by quaintness or generic period speech like other period films. The dialogue is not stiff, pretentious, or artificial, though it's accurate. Sweet, moving, and intelligent, Bright Star has rare depth. It's definitely like no other movie. You should go see it if you think you'd be into it at all, by any stretch. You might not like it - it is rather "slow," but very interesting, at least for me - but it would be a thick or insensitive person indeed who couldn't appreciate it in some way. It's like how Keats described Fanny - "the brightest, most delicate thing."

    My favorite quotes are:

    "A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Its loveliness increases. It will never pass into nothingness."

    "I almost wish we were butterflies, and lived but three summer days. Three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain."

    There are many others, much of Keats' letters to Fanny is so beautiful, but I can't remember them off the top of my head. These are two that appear in the trailer.
    helpful•112
    18
    • trypanophobic34
    • Sep 19, 2009

    FAQ3

    • Is "Bright Star" based on a book?
    • Does the title of the movie come from a work by Keats?
    • Is it possible to read Keats' letters to Fanny Brawne online?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 9, 2009 (United States)
      • Australia
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Pathé Renn Productions
      • Screen Australia
      • BBC Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 59 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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