In Jane Campion's film, Bright Star, the viewer follows the love story of a young fashionable woman, Fanny Brawne, and an aspiring young poet, John Keats. The story follows them through their 3 year romance which came to an untimely end when Keats dies from complications of Tuberculosis. The film clip shown here is from the last scene of the movie which proves to be a powerful but extremely emotional. In this scene, the viewer is overwhelmed with the feeling of Fanny's desperation and loneliness. The previous scene also contributes to the disparity that is felt in the closing scene. In that scene the tight camera angles, the encroaching blackness that surrounds Fanny as she takes in the heart wrenching news, the chiaroscuro, and her clothing that once was so lively and colorful has taken on a dreary color palate. The bleak coloring of the scene in conjunction with the low key lighting of the painterly background of snow contrasts with Fanny's black attire creates empathy toward the characters emotions. The contrast gives the viewer a sense of the dark path that she travels along with Keats and his death. As she walks along the path that Keats so often wandered down, she recites the poem that he wrote for her, Bright Star. Fanny recites this poem so eloquently but you can her her great sorrow in her voice. The close shot camera angle used in this scene gives the viewer a clear picture of the pain she is going through from the loss of a loved one. The solemn nature of the closing scene provides the viewer with a rush of all the emotions the characters have felt and are feeling - love, pain, sorrow and unfortunate loss. The viewer, at this point, knows that Fanny with never stop loving or forget the great love that her and Keats had for one another.
In this particular still, you made a wonderful analysis. However, I think it is significant that the chosen background, the snow, is important. As you mentioned, this particular setting is the place where Ms. Brawne and Mr. Keats walked down several times within the movie. The audience was able to notice how much has changed since then. I think the setting in particular serves a purpose. When Mr. Keats was alive, his walks with Ms. Brawne was surrounded with life, which included the forest. For instance, the trees had flowers and the lighting was bright, which could have either been spring or summer. In contrast, it is now winter. The forest is dead along with Mr. Keats. Despite the gloomy atmosphere, Ms. Brawne recites Bright Star as she walks alone. In addition, the camera focus in on her to remind the audience that Ms. Brawne is and always will be Mr. Keats’ Bright Star.
ReplyDeleteI liked the image you chose because the picture is descriptive even for someone who has not seen the movie. I enjoyed your analysis of the shot, particularly your comment about the snow contrasting with Fanny’s dark clothes. I also noticed that the image has a blue cast, which is the trademark color of sadness. This further underscores Fanny’s grief. Also, the close-up shot, in addition to forcing the audience to focus on Fanny’s pain, suggests that Fanny has withdrawn into herself. She attempts to escape from a world that is as cold as the English winter, which is creates a blurred background. As she walks, she recites Keats’ poem to her in a voice so low that the audience can barely hear her. This also makes the close-up shot necessary, as the audience needs to lean closer to hear her hushed voice. Overall, great post and picture selection!
ReplyDeleteI liked the picture you chose, as I viewed it as one of the most striking images in the film. The dark lighting in the scene tells all of the emotions that the scene is portraying. One could know what is going on in this picture without even watching this scene. The snow also gives a very cold feeling which also emotes the mood of the scene. The very striking part of this scene is the close up angle that the camera takes on Fanny's face. Her expression is cold just like the scenery behind her. Her clothing is also dark which just adds to the macabre feeling. The imagery in this scene is great and the it was a great choice from the film!
ReplyDelete