Capo
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Post by Capo on Nov 18, 2009 18:14:10 GMT
I thought this was stunning. It floored me quite early on, and though it's a very intense, concentrated script, it remains mostly sustained. It's visually gorgeous; there's an austerity to this period production, an unembarrassed simplicity that at times feels very stylised but never sappy. All of the performances are great. Ben Wishaw has my vote for leading male of the year (so far at least), and I can't see many surpassing Abbie Cornish; both feel very honest. In a supporting role, Paul Schnieder is also brilliant, at once sincere and repugnant.
It's always moving, there's a lot going on, and yet there's a strong sense of it having been pared down, quite quiet and minimal. I was reminded very much of The New World, actually.
Anyone else seen it?
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Omar
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Post by Omar on Nov 18, 2009 22:52:49 GMT
I had a chance to see it about a month ago, but now it is out of my city. Funny you mention "The New World". I just rewatched it (brilliant!), and was on the message boards for it, and someone on there was recommending "Bright Star" as similar in some ways. After that comparison and your thoughts, I really regret missing it now, especially considering how bullshit this year is for films.
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Kino
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Post by Kino on Nov 19, 2009 0:54:26 GMT
After that comparison and your thoughts, I really regret missing it now, especially considering how bullshit this year is for films. I've seen a handful of great films so far. It's a very good year. As for Bright Star, I liked it. I loved the film for the first hour or so. Cornish is amazing in it, but I have her third behind Carey Mulligan in An Education and Tilda Swinton in Julia. Right now I can't think of any other upcoming lead female performances that could move Cornish down other than Cotillard and Cruz in Nine. I didn't think of The New World, and other than a few shots of foliage, I don't see any similarities between that and Bright Star.
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Kino
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Post by Kino on Nov 19, 2009 1:05:38 GMT
It's visually gorgeous; there's an austerity to this period production, an unembarrassed simplicity that at times feels very stylised but never sappy. The only time for me that the film felt stylized was when the camera became very sensual like with the closeups of the fabric, the butterflies sequence in the bedroom, and the field of flowers. Other than that, the film felt like it put me at that time and place, it felt very homely. Felt like life in that life doesn't feel stylized (that is not to say that the film is neorealist or anything). All of which may not have anything to do with what you meant.
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Capo
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Post by Capo on Nov 19, 2009 10:53:18 GMT
Yeah, it was more the feelings I was experiencing when watching it that reminded me of when I first saw The New World. That sense of loss long before it actually happens. It's very melancholic.
Re stylised camera, yeah, that's exactly how I felt; and all instances, I think, came in the second half of the film, in the physical absence of Keats, with nothing but his letters to grasp onto.
Absolutely loved the shot of Fanny on the bed, with the drape blowing towards her; it reminded me very much of Edward Hopper.
The impromptu male choir very early on... Then Keats encountering a mind-blank when trying to recite some poetry to the Brawns. *Weep*
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Kino
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Post by Kino on Nov 19, 2009 17:16:33 GMT
Yeah, it was more the feelings I was experiencing when watching it that reminded me of when I first saw The New World. That sense of loss long before it actually happens. It's very melancholic. I see. Even though I knew how the their story was going to end, for some reason, the film didn't have a melancholic tone for me.
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