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Campion in Cannes
Director Jane Campion, the only woman ever to win a Palme d’Or (for “The Piano”), made another appearance in the official competition Friday with the premiere of “Bright Star.”
The new pic is based primarily in the letters of John Keats and focuses on his relationship with Fanny Brawne, a woman of similar background whose family was financially insecure. In the Campion tradition, the movie is told from Fanny’s perspective, giving it a feminist vibe.
Abbie Cornish plays Fanny, while Ben Whishaw is Keats, who’s dying of consumption throughout most of the movie but nevertheless strikes up a passionate love with Fanny.
Campion said she was nervous about bringing the new film to Cannes, and that she had “butterflies” Thursday night when looking at the final edit. But she handles herself well in front of the media and made an impassioned statement about the neglect of Keats and his sense of humor and joyousness, even amid his illness.
The movie can seem like something of a romantic throwback, which is partly the point. After all, Keats was one of the Romantic poets. Campion, however, does not pretend that she was an expert on Keats before tackling the project. Instead, she says the making of the movie was like a discovery of his poetry.
Whishaw also said he was relatively clueless about Keats before playing him. “I didn’t really know much about him. I had a prejudice against the Romantics, preferring the modern poetry…. But I’ve grown to love the luxury and sensuality of his poetry.”
For American audiences, “Bright Star” may seem a bit slow. To cut to the chase, there’s a lot of sewing. And that’s just one step above watching paint dry, if you must know. But the sewing has a point. At the beginning, Fanny is sewing a white cotton dress, symbolizing the possibility of romance or a wedding. And at the end, she’s sewing a black funereal dress.
Campion defends all this sewing, saying bluntly, “Women of this period did two things. They sewed and they waited.” They obviously did a bit more than that, as Campion acknowledged, since they have borne everyone in the world. But the sewing metaphor takes precedence in “Bright Star.”
Cornish also stepped up to defend the sewing. “Sewing is the thread of the film,” she said.
For all you sewing enthusiasts out there, please note that I don’t hate sewing. My mother sewed — a lot. But I’m not sure it’s going to be a big box-office draw. That’s all I’m saying. Then again, sewers of the world might unite and surprise me. We’ll see.
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