BRIGHT STAR - Keatsian love story comes to DVD next week (Reviewed by David Van Der Haeghen)

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First Love Burns Brightest...

—> DVD Review by David Van Der Haeghen »
EXCERPT: What happens as "Bright Star" plays out is nothing short of quality filmmaking. The romance so many have raved about in "Bright Star," an upcoming release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, looks and feels authentic. It isn't over or under done, lacks any real flashy components and also captivates the individual characters involved so intensely that one has a nervous breakdown and the other doesn't survive. Apparently, nineteenth century love was a big deal.

If there is a flaw, it is the film's pace. It's snail-like at best, and the action, while dramatic, isn't always stunning or engaging. This is a minor criticism, however, to what is otherwise a well-made movie with strong lead performances. Both Cornish and Whishaw are appropriately cast in the title roles. Neither is overdone with makeup or asked to act outside his or her bubble. Their natural chemistry carries over with little difficulty, and it emphasizes just how important and united things like love and art can truly be.

"Bright Star" was nominated for the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm, and also was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival. Accolades aside, it is well made and simple, which is still possible to do, even in this day and age of special effects and fancy technology. It may not seem like there's much to it, but if you lift the veil, you'll enjoy what you find.

I think I look at romance films like I look at a subject such as Economics: you either like 'em, or not. I liked "Bright Star" because it shows that good films can be made without unnecessary fluff, and because it ties in a historically relevant relationship with an engaging feel. It's pleasant and genuine enough to share with all ages, even if you think some in that group are too young to know what love is.

(Click thru the Link above for the full review)

Sony Pictures presents the John Keats romantic-themed "Bright Star", available on DVD January 26. Initially the film was to also be released on Blu-ray, but a studio publicist confirmed that "Bright Star" will only be available on DVD.

Set at the heart of the British Romantic movement, when popular ideology celebrated emotion over reason, this ravishing love story centers on the wistful poet John Keats and his love affair with the clever Fanny Brawne. The memoir is brought to the silver screen by Oscar®-winning auteur Jane Campion (Best Original Screenplay, "The Piano," 1993) and the characters are flawlessly captured by the talents of Ben Whishaw ("Perfume: The Story of A Murder," "Brideshead Revisited") as Keats and the lovely Abbie Cornish ("A Good Year," "Stop-Loss") as his "Bright Star."

Focusing on the three-year period when Keats was a boarder at the Brawne home in Hempstead, England, this sweeping story is as full of grace and beauty as it is of pain and sorrow. Artfully capturing the story of young love at its purest, Keats' and Brawne's story forms an enchanting tale that never goes out of fashion.

DVD Bonus Features:
• Deleted Scene
• Becoming "Keats" and "Fanny" Featurette
• Setting the Scene Featurette
• An Inspiring Romance Featurette

Rated PG for thematic elements, some sensuality, brief language and incidental smoking

BRIGHT STAR — Explore further:
—> Visit the film's Official site »
(from Apparition and Sony Pictures)

—> Visit the film's Official Blog & Production Info site » (from Sony Pictures)

—> View the Theatrical Trailer (w/HD) »
(from Apple.com Trailers website)

Film Synopsis:
First Love Burns Brightest...
From Jane Campion, Academy Award winner of The Piano, comes a sweeping love story that will carry you back through time to experience the passion and romance between acclaimed poet, John Keats and his beloved muse.

London, 1818: a secret love affair began between 23-year-old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, who was an outspoken student of fashion. This unlikely pair was initially at odds--he thought she was a stylish minx, while she was unimpressed by literature in general. Yet it was the illness of Keats' younger brother that brought them together. Keats was touched by Fanny's efforts to help and agreed to teach her poetry. By the time Fanny's alarmed mother and Keats' best friend Brown realized their attachment, the relationship had an unstoppable momentum. Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, the young lovers were swept into powerful new sensations. "I have the feeling as if I were dissolving," Keats wrote to her. Together they rode a wave of romantic obsession that deepened as their troubles mounted.

"Bright Star" is executive produced by François Ivernel ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Christine Langan ("The Queen"), Cameron McCracken ("Slumdog Millionaire") and David M. Thompson ("Men Who Stare at Goats"); and produced by Jan Chapman ("The Piano," "Holy Smoke") and Caroline Hewitt ("The Hitchhiker´s Guide To the Galaxy".

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Please Note - More details:
Be sure to check out the full details under related releases.

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