by dks » Thu Oct 08, 2009 5:11 pm
Well...I saw it...last night. I will say that it was a surreal experience--I love Malia's and BL's description of "a kid at Christmas" because that is exactly what it felt like during the very first 10 or 15 minutes of the film--to hear everyone say his name over and over and to see all of the 'characters' of his life come to full fruition on the screen made me giddy--at one point I clapped my hands out loud when I first heard Whishaw speak--it was very real for me--she couldn't have selected a better actor for the job...even the wide mouth and full lips--and the Cockney accent--even in Whishaw's slighted form--not to mention the soft bass of his voice--it was all down pat. I began to attribute my own knowledge (or imagination) to little details in the film afterward, such as the color of Whishaw's hair vs. Keats's actual deep auburn, or the color of Cornish's eyes vs. Fanny's blue ones, etc...but they were triflings, really...I thoroughly loved and enjoyed every millisecond of it--it was a work of art, truly. There are scenes that almost take your breath away--the color, the costumes, the trees, the snow, the butterflies, the breezes...Campion managed to dazzle senses in a way that I think Keats would be proud. I wasn't disappointed one iota--Fanny wasn't the main focus as I had thought would happen--rather, their romance was. Keats's background was spared entirely--as were any delvings into his friends' lives--you do only get a minor idea of who was in his life (and funding it)--you get almost inadvertant mention of Hunt, Reynolds, Severn (yes, the clumsy tea moment was done well, I thought) and the like...I did love the way she had them almost blurred out as a ring of support for him, though--I think that is really the way it was--he had a circle of friends who truly saw his genius and, as a result, sought hard to preserve it--that came through--very well, I thought.
Brown's character was of a different matter--I would probably have to see it again to make solid comment on it--it was great acting for sure, but wow, was he an ass in the film. I am sure he was that in real life, as well (I mean, the biographies talk about it), but his bond with Keats (as strange and strained as it was) was played down in light of the romance--and perhaps that was Motion's final idea on it. You get the idea--clearly--that Brown was infatuated with Keats, not Fanny, from the movie...and not a romantic infatuation, but a weird, brotherly/fatherly obessesive one...interesting, to say the least. And the poetry--Campion did a stellar job weaving that in--such gorgeous readings of Nightingale, La Belle Dame..., Bright Star, etc...she delivered promptly with the poetry, I have to say...
I apologize for such a scatter-shot review, guys. My head is still processing it, really. I know I have much more to say about it, but I can't find words at the moment...I'm still swimming in it--I forgot to mention how many times I cried while watching it...I had a wet ball of tissues in my hand when I left the theater...
In any case, I adored it. I cannot wait to own it and watch it weekly. I came home after seeing it and stayed up until 2am and did what?...
...I wrote a poem.
Last edited by
dks on Thu Oct 08, 2009 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections and the Truth of Imagination."