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Gems and the Cannes Film Festival - The Seoul Times

Sat, 30 May 2009 00:00:00 PDT

By Gautaman Bhaskaran
South Asia Correspondent

Jane Campion's period piece
"Bright Star"

Amid the economic depression and cinematic
disappointments with most masters ending up with minor pieces, the Cannes Film Festival offered a few gems to take back home. Maybe my tastes are old world, but I enormously seemed to like Jane Campion's period piece, "Bright Star" the best. True to the era it was set in, 19th century England, the movie ran at a delightfully leisurely pace from one picture postcard image to another of poet John Keats' meandering countryside, magnificent balls, yards of shimmering gowns and warm handwritten letters that pumped the adrenal into young hearts.

Indeed a treat for romantics and poetry lovers, "Bright Star" may well be a joy forever marking Campion's return to Cannes after her 1993 Palm d'Or winner, "The Piano" Tracing the love story between a young Keats and his Hamstead neighbour, Fanny Brawne, Campion never losses sight of period details. Scenes of Brawne with a fine needle and thread, Keats with his pen and paper creating poetic pleasure that much after his death helped the world realise his genius and the passion between the two only restrained by the rigid social mores of the day have been frozen on frame with a classic touch.

Critics may argue that "Bright Star"is nothing more than a Merchant-Ivory production with its alluring locales and marvellous costumes, but the film goes beyond captivating colours, and scripts a story with extraordinary feeling that the two main actors, Abbie Cornish (Brawne) and Ben Whishaw (Keats), help bring to the screen.

NEW! Catch a first glimpse of Abbie Cornish's new film 'Bright Star'

Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Check out 6 NEW clips from Director Jane Campio's new Romance Drama!

Click here to watch the clips

Pathe sparkles at Cannes with Bright Star

Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 PDT

By Audrey Ward

Pathé International had a busy time at the Cannes Marche with over 75 deals sealed across its slate.

Following its world premiere, Jane Campion’s Bright Star sold to Atlantic Film for Scandinavia, SSG for Taiwan, Babilla for Colombia, Phars for the Middle East, PT Camila for Indonesia, Golden Village for Singapore and Myndform for Iceland.

As previously reported on ScreenDaily, it also sold Spanish rights to Vertigo and the film was acquired for the US prior to the festival by Bill Pohlad and Bob Berney’s new distribution venture. The film is now virtually sold out.

Bright Star tells the story of the love affair between John Keats and Fanny Brawne and stars Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw.

Biteback: At Cannes

Sun, 24 May 2009 00:00:00 PDT

From The Sunday Times Richard Brooks

Tonight’s Palme d’Or victor at Cannes is a tough call: it’s between Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet, Jane Campion’s Bright Star, Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon and The Time That Remains by the Palestinian Elia Suleiman. I’d like to see the last movie win, not only because it’s very good, but to make up for Waltz with Bashir, yet another fine Middle Eastern movie, which should have won last year.

This year the chairman of the jury is French (Isabelle Huppert), as was last year’s winner, The Class, so it might seem chauvinistic for the French to triumph again. I admired Bright Star, the story of the love affair between John Keats and Fanny Brawne, but was not smitten. Well acted, well directed and well shot, it lacked a point. I was amused when its producer, Jan Chapman, told me she was determined not to make a costume drama. What? Brawne (Abbie Cornish) parades in about 30 different outfits. I know she was a good seamstress, but she was only 18 and her mum was widowed, with two other youngsters to bring up. How was this not a “frocks” movie?

richard.brooks@sunday-times.co.uk

Cannes 09 'Bright Star' Press Conference with Abbie Cornish

Tue, 19 May 2009 17:21:06 PDT

We sat down for a chat with Abbie Cornish this week at the 62 ^nd annual Cannes Film Festival to chat about her role as Fanny Brawne in Jane Campion's latest work "Bright Star". The movie is about the life, love and work of the famous English romantic poet John Keats.

As she draws near the table, she sits down slowly exhales. She is wearing a dainty lace top that looks delicate and light atop a darker black under shirt. I noticed immediately she is back to a lighter hair color as she was dark haired for the movie. She smiles as we start to chat about working with Jane Campion, what it meant to her to accept this role and what she expects on the set of her next movie with Zach Synder which she starts shooting in June.

Q: Welcome, so, how is the festival? Having fun?

A: A lot of fun. It's been a lot of really exciting. Showing the film the other night was the best feeling.

Q: Is this your first Cannes?

A: It's my third. The first time in competition. The first time I was back packing throughout Europe. Laughter. I had a film that was being sold here. I got myself a little badge and would sit in the theater and watch three films a day all week. Then I went and travelled through Europe. The second time was for Summersault which was in Un Certain Regard.

Q: How is this different that from the first time when you were a backpacker?

A: Well, I remember being on the Croisette and I remember watching Cate Blanchett walk down the red carpet. (Laughter). So it's a little bit weird that I did that.

Q: Have you heard from your friends and family back home? They must be tremendously supportive?

A: Yeah. The Family is pretty proud.

Q: Did you love any poetry before going into this project and did you already know about John Keats ?

A: Actually I didn't know them about John Keats. I had heard his name. But I didn't know about his poems, I didn't know about his life. After I read the film I remember jumping onto he net and checking it out. And when we made the film it was quite beautiful to be exposed to this incredible poet. I mean he really is amazing.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your approach for selecting a role? What are the elements, whether it's the story or the director or the cast?

A: Well it's important to me it's always the story and the character. And the director. Those are the three most important elements... then the cast and whose producing it also plays a part. You have to want to play that character. You have to want to put that story on screen. And you have to be in safe hands. It's really important.

Q: Can we talk about that scene towards the end of the movie when Fannie breaks down when she hears of Keats's death. Up till then she's been very repressed since she is a 19^th century girl, but that's a very impactful scene. Can you talk a little about that?

A: I think anyone who has ever lost someone that they love in their life understands that and I don't think, I don't feel like I need to explain it.

Q: Was it hard to prepare for or anything?

Then we experience a long, pregnant and quite pause. It's as if she was contemplating how to best respond without being evasive.

A: No. No. It was difficult to do. But now, I didn't prepare for it.

Q: What did you find was most surprising about working with Jane or what did you find most surprising that you didn't expect to learn or have drawn out of you?

A: For me it was the rehearsal process. I was really frightened about how long it was. Three weeks of rehearsals is a lot. I was like how do you rehearse this for three weeks? After week one I was ready to go shoot the film. I think I had thought about the film so much and [processed it already. I didn't want to sit in a room and over talk it and over analyze it. As an actor I like to just go it as long as the research is all there. So I kind of thought, gosh three weeks. During that time we learn a lot of each other. We went through every single scene in the movie. By the time we shot I know all my lines even the whole movie. You knew exactly what Jane wanted and what she was searching for and what she wanted to explore and she wanted to get across on to the screen. You kind of let go then of over analyzing the script or the dialogue. That was a difference experience for me but that is unique to Jane. That is how she likes to work. She likes intensity and focus and concentration.

Q: So what's coming up next for you?

A: My next film is going to be "Sucker Punch." Directed by Zach Snyder. He did ‘300' and the ‘Watchmen'. It's totally different to anything I‘ve ever done. It's going to be a little wild and a little crazy.

Q: Have you started already?

A: No, I start in June.

Q: Who will you be playing?

A: I play the character of Sweet Pea. Essentially it's the story of five girls in the 1950's who get together and try to escape a psychiatric ward. They are all in this thing and they are all like let's get out of here. The interesting thing to me is that the films Zach has directed he hasn't written. They haven't been his concepts from the beginning. This is the first time he's ever made a concept film that he wrote. I am interested to see what he does with it. I think he has an incredible talent in regards to contemporary cutting edge cinema. I think he is a bit of the master at the action sequences.

Q: So that is the secret behind your character? What's your angle?

A: (Laughter) Well, she is actually sane. (More laughter) Even though she is in a psyche ward. She's in with her younger sister. They ran away from home but her younger sister got into trouble and chucked in. So she went in with her to try and look after her and get her out. My character is in there just looking to surviving and looking after her. And so it's kind of cool to have this same girl in this totally wacky world. She is pretty strong. She is like the mother of the gang. Like she is the one who looks out for everyone. She is like the gang leader in a way.

Q: So it comes out next year? Yeah.

A: I think yeah, end of next year. But it's going to be fun and it's different. It's going to be very physical. The film kind of switches in and out between reality and this kind of dream like world. So we have to train for it and learn martial art.

Q: So were those hands embroidering?

A: You know on the close up? Their not my hands. I said to Jane I don't know if I want the pressure. I could have done it but also I didn't want the pressure of having to make the perfect stich. That close up and so we'll just get someone who is an expert to do it.

Q: Was is different to play with dark hair. Did it affect your play?

A: In a weird way, yeah. If I leaned forward what I would see and my peripheral vision was dark. And it makes a difference. It does. Even though hair styles and everything is slicked back. It's not me.

Q: Will you be going to Comic-Con this year? Zach is typically down in San Diego in July.

A: (Laughter) Oh I don't know... right... well we'll probably be down there.

Q: Who are the co-stars?

A: Jenna Malone, Emily Browning, Jamie Chun and Vanessa Hudgens.

Interesting assortment.

Well, we look forward to seeing some behind the seeing some behind the scenes action as soon as it becomes available.

With that our visit with Abbie was over. We wished her all the luck with "Bright Star" at the festival and we look forward to seeing her in her next new film ‘Sucker Punch'. This next project is expected in theaters in 2011.

Check out tons of production stills from Bright Star at the Sitelet, as well as our video coverage of the press event.

2009 Oscar Update #1: ‘Tetro,’ ‘Bright Star,’ ‘Taking Woodstock’ and More

Mon, 18 May 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Photo: Pathe

BY: Brad Brevet | May 18th 2009 at 12:11 AM

One film many were anxious to see at Cannes was Jane Campion’s Bright Star, the director’s first feature length film since 2003’s In the Cut, a film I almost wish I had never seen. However, her Oscar nominated film The Piano makes sure we will keep an eye on all of her upcoming projects and it would seem Bright Star is a film shining “bright” enough to conjure up comparisons.

Allan Hunter at Screen Daily says in his opening, “Sixteen years after The Piano, Jane Campion has found renewed artistic inspiration in a tragic romance to match the haunting intensity of that Palme D’Or winning feature.”

I can’t help but wonder, will Abbie Cornish follow in the footsteps of Anna Paquin who won a Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar for her performance in The Piano? Hunter continues his praise of the film with praise for Cornish saying, “She captures all the youthful impetuosity of the English Fanny [Brawne] and portrays her as a young woman trying to maintain control of a life torn apart by all the fresh emotions and new sensations that she is experiencing. It is a performance that should win her awards season consideration and emphatically underlines why she is one of the most highly regarded performers of her generation.”

Joan Dupont at The New York Times continues praise of Cornish calling her performance the “bright star” in a film that left “few dry eyes” in the house.

Jane Campion Presents Another Resilient Heroine

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Jane Campion, who won the Palme d’Or for “The Piano” (1993), is back in competition. Her new film, “Bright Star,” takes place during the last two years of John Keats’s young life, when he fell hopelessly in love with Fanny Brawne, his neighbor, an impossible liaison because he was poor and sick.

In Ms. Campion’s film, the bright star is Fanny, played by the Australian actress Abbie Cornish as a girl more passionate about sewing and fashion than poetry. This 19th-century romance resonates: at the end of the screening, there were few dry eyes.

"...I didn’t want to make a biopic, but rather a voyage to show these people in their daily intimacy..."

Read the full interview here

The New York Times
By: Joan Dupont