The Power of the Dog

 

Based on the novel by Thomas Savage, The Power of the Dog is the story of a rancher in 1920s Montana whose thirst for power and control is confronted by the arrival of his younger brother’s new wife and her sensitive son. Written for the screen and directed by Jane Campion, the film is an exploration of a man trying to instill his will and ideals on the new people in his family including his nephew whom he feels is challenging his tough persona. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, Genevieve Lemon, Keith Carradine, and Frances Conroy. The Power of the Dog is a riveting and intoxicating film from Jane Campion.

Set in 1925 Montana, the film revolves around a rancher whose brother marries a local restauranteur whose son is known for acting a bit effeminate and talk with a bit of a lisp as he becomes uncomfortable with their presence as he becomes intimidating towards them. It is a film that explores a world where men and women have their place in the world but there is this sense of change where the definition of what men and women are begin to blur. Jane Campion’s screenplay is broken into a few chapters as it play into the relationship between the Burbank brothers in Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his younger brother George (Jesse Plemons) as the latter is an educated while the former prefers to maintain his lifestyle tending to the ranch as he has no interested in bathing nor show any kind of weakness. During a cattle drive where they stop at a nearby town at a restaurant run by Rose (Kirsten Dunst) whose son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a waiter where his lanky and effeminate presentation amuses Phil who would later mock Peter.

The first act is about the relationship between the brothers as well as George’s yearning to marry Rose as he would do so much to Phil’s annoyance as her presence would cause tension just as Rose is trying to bring a few changes as well as invite Phil and George’s parents and the governor (Keith Carradine) and his wife (Alison Bruce) for a dinner. The second act is about Peter’s arrival to the ranch following his time in college where he’s studying medicine and surgery where he tries to stay away from Phil and his ranchers but also makes a discovery about Phil that would change their relationship in the film’s second half. It is where this theme of masculinity come into play as Phil would become open to show Peter the ideas of being a rancher that Peter takes great interest in. Yet, Rose becomes uneasy about it as she turns to alcohol to cope as she would do something that only anger both Phil and Peter.

Campion’s direction is definitely intoxicating for the presentation she creates as it is set in the American West that is Montana though it is shot on the Maniototo plains in the Central Otago region in New Zealand with several interiors shot on sound stages in Auckland. Campion’s direction is often filled with gazing wide shots of these locations where they are major characters in the film as it play into this world that is untouched by modern society which suits Phil and the world he cares about. Campion would also use medium shots and close-ups to get a look into some of the attention to detail in the locations including a small flower in the field or something is symbolic. Most notably in a shrine for Phil’s mentor named Bronco Henry as he would tell stories about his exploits as it serves as this idea of what Phil wants to maintain with his cowhands who are also this embodiment of intense masculinity. Even as there is that moment where Phil notices some flowers made out of paper that Peter had created and burns it up as a form of intimidation and mocking.

There are also these shots that play into the tension between Rose and Phil such as a scene of the latter trying to play a piano piece with Phil on the floor above play that same piece with his banjo as a form of intimidation. Campion also play up the tension during a key scene where Phil and his cowhands are on the river with Phil at another location in the forest by himself where Peter makes this major discovery. This revelation for the second half is where Phil realizes that he and Peter are a lot alike in the way they see things but also that Peter is a lot stronger than both Phil and Rose would believe as Peter is fascinated by the idea of what it’s like to be a cowboy. For Rose, it’s a terrifying idea as she becomes more troubled and fearful as it adds some chaos in the film’s third act. It is Peter’s actions in the third act in what he’s learned from Phil is key to this unexpected bond between these two men who don’t feel like they belong in the modern world despite the things that Peter is studying yet he’s more intrigued by a world that is much simpler and uncompromising. Overall, Campion crafts a ravishing yet captivating film about a tough rancher’s encounter with his new sister-in-law and her effeminate son.

Cinematographer Ari Wegner does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its emphasis on natural lighting for many of the exteriors including some scenes in the forests are just gorgeous to watch while many of the nighttime interior scenes are used with available light to help set a mood. Editor Peter Sciberras does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama as well as some of the dramatic tension that occurs within the film. Production designer Grant Major, with supervising art director Mark Robins plus set decorators Gareth Edwards and Amber Richards, does amazing work with the look of the ranch and its interiors with how spacious the dining room is as well as Phil’s room that he shared with George and some of the exteriors including the stable where Phil keeps a lot of Bronco Henry’s possessions. Costume designer Kirsty Cameron does fantastic work with the costumes from the golden dress Rose wears to a dinner with the governor and others to the more rough-clothing and chaps that Phil and his cowhands wear.

Hair and makeup designer Noriko Watanabe does terrific work with the look of the characters from the dirty look of Phil as well as the hairstyle of the women during those times. Special effects supervisor Brendan Durey and visual effects supervisor Jason Hawkins do nice work with some of the effects as it relates to some of the horse riding and a few bits of set dressing for some scenes. Sound editor Robert Mackenzie and sound designer Dave Whitehead do brilliant work with the sound in the way cows and horses sound from afar as well as other sparse moments including the comb that Peter carries along with musical instruments as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Jonny Greenwood is phenomenal as its usage of discordant strings, eerie piano pieces, and lush orchestral string pieces add to the drama as it is a major highlight of the film while music supervisor Andrew Kotatko bring in a few classical and folk pieces that are performed in the film.

The casting by Nikki Barrett, Tina Cleary, Carmen Cuba, and Nina Gold is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles from Alice Englert as a young hooker who dances with a cowhand, Adam Beach as a Native American that wants to buy one of Phil’s rawhide, Maeson Stone Skuccedal as the Native American’s son, Sean Keenan and George Mason as a couple of Phil’s cowhands, Alice Bruce as the governor’s wife who is eager to meet Phil, Keith Carradine as the governor who is fascinated by Phil’s workmanship, Peter Carroll and Frances Conroy as Phil and George’s parents who are eager to see Rose in welcoming her to the family, Genevieve Lemon as the housekeeper Mrs. Lewis who kind of runs the ranch while telling Rose on a few house rules, and Thomasin McKenzie in a fantastic small role as the young maid Lola who works at the house and help Rose in a few things. Jesse Plemons is marvelous as George Burbank as Phil’s younger brother who is a more educated and kinder person than Phil as he would marry Rose as a way to have his own life instead of being intimidated by his brother.

Kirsten Dunst is incredible as Rose Gordon as a restauranteur who is intimidated by Phil as she is troubled by his presence that drives her to drink while becomes protective of Peter when he starts to befriend Phil where she does something that would upset them both. Kodi Smit-McPhee is phenomenal as Peter Gordon as a young man who has this effeminate presentation to him in the fact that he’s also very skinny yet Smit-McPhee makes Peter a far more intriguing individual who would do things that Rose would not approve of but Phil might’ve as well as show that he’s willing to learn as it play into his own ideas of life lessons. Finally, there’s Benedict Cumberbatch in a magnificent performance as Phil Burbank as a rancher who is more content with doing work with the ranch and living a rough and tumble lifestyle as he is wary at Rose believing she is being disruptive but takes a liking towards Peter in the film’s second half as there is this ambiguity and complexity to Cumberbatch’s performance that can be chilling but also has this air of sensitivity that is definitely a career-defining performance for Cumberbatch.

The Power of the Dog is an outstanding film from Jane Campion that features phenomenal performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Kirsten Dunst. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous locations, ravishing visuals, Jonny Greenwood’s unsettling score, a chilling soundtrack, and its themes on masculinity in an ever-changing world. It is a film that doesn’t play by the conventions of what it means to be a man or how to be one in a world that is removed from conventional society but rather to take an identity and own it no matter how hard society can hit. In the end, The Power of the Dog is a tremendous film from Jane Campion.

Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - An Angel at My Table - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - Holy Smoke! - In the Cut - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (Season 1) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) – The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

© thevoid99 2022

The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

Considered to be one of the most influential women filmmakers around the world, Jane Campion is someone who makes films on her terms while giving voice to female characters that hadn’t been displayed in a lot of films. Matching poetic imagery with stark stories about women struggling with their identities, Campion’s work has definitely made her standout against many of her contemporaries as she is one of four women in the world of film that was nominated for the Best Director Oscar as of 2013 while being the first woman to win the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. While she dabbles in all sorts of genres including her most recent work in the TV miniseries Top of the Lake, Campion puts her own ideas into her work to stray away from the convention of those genres.

The rest of the piece can be read here at Cinema Axis.

© thevoid99 2013

The Portait of a Lady

Based on the novel by Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady is the story of an American woman who travels to Europe with her inheritance to confront her destiny while meeting two American expatriates who would change her fortunes for the worse. Directed by Jane Campion and screenplay by Laura Jones, the film is an exploration of an independent woman who seeks to make something of herself only to be trapped by the world that she‘s chosen. Starring Nicole Kidman, Barbara Hershey, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Donovan, Viggo Mortensen, Christian Bale, Valentina Cervi, Richard E. Grant, Shelley Winters, Shelley Duvall, and John Gielgud. The Portrait of a Lady is an enchanting yet intoxicating film from Jane Campion.

The film is an exploration into the life of an American woman in the 1870s who craves independence and wants to explore the world as she’s been given an inheritance by her uncle. With her inheritance, Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman) travels through Europe where she meets Madame Serena Merle (Barbara Hershey) whom she met in England some time earlier as Merle would introduce her to another American expatriate in Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich). After rejecting several proposals from many suitors including her cousin Ralph (Martin Donovan), Isabel marries Gilbert only for the marriage to be not what it seemed as Isabel becomes concerned for the well-being of her stepdaughter Pansy (Valentina Cervi). Isabel is forced to face the destiny she’s chosen as she finds herself lost while coming to the conclusion that she’s driven away those she was close to but also couldn’t help those who really need her.

Laura Jones’ screenplay creates this very complex story as it plays into the world of Isabel Archer as the first act is about her in England as she’s approached by suitors including Lord Warburton (Richard E. Grant), Boston mill heir Casper Goodwood (Viggo Mortensen), and her cousin Ralph Touchett. They all mean well but Archer wants more as she knows that the world is changing as her friend Henrietta (Mary-Louise Parker) is already acting like a modern woman. Upon meeting Madame Merle and gaining her inheritance, Isabel is convinced that she will get the chance to live a life of great wonderment and independence where she meets Gilbert Osmond who shares her ideas about the world. Much of the first half is about Isabel’s search for herself and meeting Madame Merle and Osmond as they have plans about what to do with Isabel’s inheritance which brings a lot of suspicion from Ralph.

The film’s second half in the story is much darker where Isabel has to deal with not just the decision she made but also the people she unknowingly drove away like Ralph, Henrietta, and the suitors who still wanted her. The men would question about her happiness which Isabel chooses to dismiss them as she finds herself constrained by Gilbert’s world and what he wants as it takes a toll on her and his daughter Pansy who has fallen for a nice young man in Edward Rosier (Christian Bale) whom Gilbert dislikes. With Ralph becoming ill and Isabel realizing what she’s done, she finds herself in conflict about what to do and who to help. Even as she learns some truths about who is Pansy’s mother as well as into why Madame Merle would introduce her to Gilbert.

Jane Campion’s direction is really filled with exotic imagery and ravishing compositions in not just the way she creates the world of late 19th Century Europe but also a world that is changing where a woman like Isabel Archer seems to be part of these changes. It plays into this interesting conflict between the ideas of the Old World and New World where Campion creates a lot of scenes where it feels like the New World is emerging into the Old World and with new ideas. Even as she brings in some unique images in the way she puts the actors into a frame or how she captures a certain location like Italy and Britain where it’s starting to come in to the modern world. Even as Campion would use mirrors and glass to play into Isabel’s emotions as the world is changing where she’s oblivious to how bad things can become.

There’s also some unique visual effects sequences that Campion does that includes a montage of Archer traveling with Merle in different places of the world in surreal black-and-white images. All of which would play into the de-evolution of Archer as Campion’s presentation would become darker. Even as Campion would create slanted camera angles to play into a world that is returning to the old ways where things are becoming more complicated and constrained. Largely as the framing becomes tighter to play out the drama that is unfolding. Even as it would play into an ending where it’s not just about loss but uncertainty. Overall, Campion creates a very ethereal yet haunting film about a woman’s search for her identity in an ever-changing world.

Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh does fantastic work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the use of colors for many of the film‘s first half to play out something natural in some of its exterior and interior settings to more usage of filters in a few scenes set in the winter along with some lighting schemes for the interiors including Pansy‘s cotillion party. Editor Veronika Jenet does brilliant work in the editing as she incorporates a lot of stylistic cuts from the use of dissolves and jump-cuts along with transitional fade-outs to play with its structure. Production/costume designer Janet Patterson and supervising art director Martin Childs do amazing work with the set pieces and costumes from the look of the homes the characters live in to the dresses that Isabel and other female characters wear.

Hair/makeup designer Peter King does terrific work with the hair styles that the women wear in the film along with some of facial hair that some of the men sport. Visual effects supervisor Kent Houston does nice work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects to play up into Isabel‘s fantasies as well as her trip around the world. Sound designer Lee Smith does superb work with the sound to play into the intimacy of some of the locations and scenes as well as the parties that occur in the film. The film’s music by Wojciech Kilar is excellent for its flourishing and broad orchestral score that features sweeping string arrangements to play out the drama while its soundtrack also includes lots of classical pieces by Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

The casting by Johanna Ray is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features small yet notable appearances from Shelley Winters as Isabel’s aunt, Shelley Duvall as Gilbert’s flighty yet sympathetic sister Countess Gemini, and John Gielgud as Isabel’s uncle who would be the one to give her the inheritance. Viggo Mortensen and Richard E. Grant are terrific in their respective roles as Isabel’s suitors Caspar Goodwood and Lord Warburton where the latter is offered the chance to marry Pansy while Christian Bale is superb in a small but memorable role as Pansy’s young suitor Edward Rosier. Valentina Cervi is wonderful as Pansy whom Isabel cherishes as she’s a young woman who is confused by what she wants but to also please her father. Mary Louise-Parker is excellent as Isabel’s friend Henrietta who encourages Isabel to be independent only to realize where she ended up as she tries to help the ailing Ralph.

Martin Donovan is amazing as Isabel’s cousin Ralph who is devoted to her as he watches her be wooed by Gilbert from afar while dealing with his illness and what is happening to her. Barbara Hershey is fantastic as Madame Serena Merle as a woman who charms Isabel into confronting her destiny only to have things go too far as she realizes the damage that she caused. John Malkovich is marvelous as Gilbert Osmond as a man who marries Isabel in the hopes to become rich and powerful as he becomes controlling into ensuring what he wants and such. Finally, there’s Nicole Kidman in a tremendous performance as Isabel Archer as she goes from this independent yet ambitious woman wanting to seek new adventures in an ever-changing world only to fall prey by a couple of American expatriates who would trap her into something very dark as she tries to comprehend the decisions she’s made and who to help as Kidman brings a lot of grace and melancholia to her role.

The Portrait of a Lady is an exhilarating yet brooding film from Jane Campion that features an amazing leading performance from Nicole Kidman. Along with a great supporting cast as well as very strong themes on identity, destiny, and modernism. The film isn’t just this fascinating portrait of a woman trying to keep up and embrace the new world but also deal with the ideas of an older world that prove that some things don’t change. In the end, The Portrait of a Lady is a remarkable film from Jane Campion.

Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - An Angel at My Table - The Piano - Holy Smoke! - In the Cut - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (TV miniseries) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

© thevoid99 2013

Sweetie

Directed by Jane Campion and screenplay by Campion and Gerard Lee from a story by Campion, Sweetie is the story of a twenty-something woman and her tumultuous relationship with her troubled sister as well as their family. The film explores the dysfunctional world of family as well as one woman’s desire to define herself in that chaos as she also has a sister who emotionally-unstable. Starring Genevieve Lemon, Karen Colston, Tom Lycos, and Jon Darling. Sweetie is an entrancing yet captivating film from Jane Campion.

The film explores the life of a buttoned-down yet superstitious woman who has finally found herself in a relationship but is still repressed by her superstitions. When her younger yet emotionally-unstable sister makes an unexpected arrival, it only adds to the multitude of problems that Kay (Karen Colston) is having as she also learns that her parents had split up when her father (Jon Darling) also makes an unexpected arrival. For Kay, she has to think about how the presence of her sister Sweetie (Genevieve Lemon) is affecting her already dysfunctional family as well as her relationship with Louis (Tom Lycos). It’s a film that explores not just a woman’s repression but also the fears and insecurities she has while being unaware of how troubled her sister is who is the exact opposite of Kay.

The screenplay by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee is largely told from Kay’s perspective as she is a woman who is trying to find answers through a fortune teller in order to maintain a life that is safe and without complications. It is there that Kay would meet Louis as she unknowingly steals him away from a co-worker as there’s love in the relationship but Kay’s fear of sex and omens started to strain things. The arrival of Sweetie only adds more strain as Louis is fascinated by her but Sweetie is essentially a human tornado who acts very childlike and likes to have fun while hoping she would get a break into the music industry. Yet, Sweetie is also uncontrollable and vigorous where Kay and Sweetie’s father Gordon would eventually make an arrival as he is the only one that can talk to Sweetie though he’s admittedly guilty of indulging her and such. Even to the point that his wife Flo (Dorothy Barry) finally returns as the family tries to figure out how to help Sweetie.

Campion’s direction is truly mesmerizing in the way she presents the life of a young woman and her dysfunctional family including her sister. Notably in the way it plays into Kay’s life as she often narrates the film express not just her repression but also the sense of fear that she’s been living. A lot of the compositions that Campion creates is often full of close-ups and wide shots to play into the sense of fear that Kay is living in as she has a hard time trying to get into the next step of her relationship with Louis. Even to the point where Campion would bring in some sexual imagery to showcase Kay’s attempt to take that step but she feels uncomfortable in being fully nude to Louis. A lot of the first act has a sense of claustrophobia that is prevalent until the arrival of Sweetie where the film is carried with this new sense of energy that is unpredictable, exciting, and dangerous.

Shot largely in Sydney with parts of the film shot in New South Wales, Campion infuses the film with a lot of symbolism such as the porcelain horses that Kay has to the small tree that she pulled out of her backyard that she put under the bed because of an omen she might’ve had. Even as the film would have this very calm sequence of Gordon, Kay, and Louis going to the New South Wales desert to find Flo as it would be a moment to reinforce the idea of family but not everything is perfect where Campion goes to great lengths to display a depth of field to show how apart the family really is. Notably as Sweetie would find a way to get the family together but in the most troubling circumstances that forces Kay to realize more about herself. Overall, Campion creates a very tender yet harrowing film about family dysfunctions and a repressed woman’s relationship with her sister.

Cinematographer Sally Bongers does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the look of the exteriors to some of the more sepia-drenched look of some of the flashback scenes involving a young Sweetie as well as some lighting schemes for the interior scenes. Editor Veronika Jenet does excellent work with the editing in creating some montages that plays to Kay‘s fears as well as some simplistic yet steady cuts to play into the drama that unfolds throughout the film. Art director Peter Harris does superb work with the look of the house that Kay and Louis live in to the home that Flo and Gordon live in that includes the tree house that Sweetie loved as a child.

Costume designer Amanda Lovejoy does nice work with the costumes with the more buttoned-up clothing of Kay to the more punk-Goth clothes that Sweetie wears. Sound supervisor John Dennison does terrific work with the sound to play up some of the craziness that Sweetie causes in Kay‘s home as well as the low-key moments in the beaches and deserts. The film’s music by Martin Armiger is wonderful for its mixture of choir-based orchestral music that plays into the drama as well as a music soundtrack that includes elements of rock, alternative, and country music.

The film’s cast is fantastic as it features some notable small appearances from Jean Hadgraft as the fortune teller, Paul Livingston as the fortune teller’s mentally-challenged son, Louise Fox as Louis’ old girlfriend Cheryl, Emma Jane Fowler as the young Sweetie, Andre Pataczek as the adolescent neighbor Clayton whom Sweetie likes to play with, and Michael Lake as Sweetie’s boyfriend/music producer Bob who is always inebriated to the point that he later goes missing. Jon Darling and Dorothy Barry are excellent as Kay and Sweetie’s parents Gordon and Flo, respectively, with Darling providing a vulnerability as a father dealing with his guilt while Barry showcases a woman in need of a break while showcasing a remarkable talent that Kay never knew. Tom Lycos is superb as Louis as a young man who is attracted to Kay but becomes frustrated with her repression as he tries to deal with her family as well as Sweetie whom he is intrigued by as he later becomes overwhelmed by her.

Karen Colston is amazing as Kay as a woman who is driven by fear and superstition as she is upset about the arrival of her sister while dealing with herself as it would affect her relationship with Louis as Colston is engaging to display Kay’s issues and her reluctance to face up to them. Finally, there’s Genevieve Lemon in a sprawling performance as the titular character as a young woman who is a real firecracker as she does things that are very off-the-wall as she would sometimes act like a dog or do all sorts of things that is quite shocking. It’s definitely a performance that is a mixture of comedy, horror, and drama as it really indicates a look into a woman who is clearly troubled and in need of help.

The 2006 Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a newly-restored high-definition digital transfer under the supervision of filmmaker Jane Campion and cinematographer Sally Bongers. Presented in its 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio as well as a new 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound mix, the DVD includes many special features in relation to not just the film but also a trio of Campion’s early shorts.

The audio commentary track that features Jane Campion, co-writer Gerard Lee, and cinematographer Sally Bongers has the trio talk about the film as well as their years in film school. Campion and Bongers do a lot of the talking early on while Lee would later pop up into the conversation 25 minutes into the film. Lee admits that the Louis character is based on him while Campion said some of Kay is based on herself while Sweetie is sort of based on her sister Anna whom she dedicated the film to for helping her deal with their manic-depressive mother on the last days of shooting when Jane wasn’t available. Campion and Bongers point out a few technical things while Campion and Lee talk about the story and such. Even as all three reveal the inexperience they had which they admitted was fruitful as they had people that were supportive of them. It’s a very lively and fun commentary track that is full of laughter but also some sobering moments that relates to the dramatic elements of the film.

The 23-minute video conversation with actresses Genevieve Lemon and Karen Colston has the two actresses talking about their experience in making the film. Notably as it was their time doing a film as they both discuss the characters as well as working with Jane Campion. Even as Lemon reveals some making-of footage that she made during the film’s production. The two also talk about the film’s reception at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival where it did get some boos but also some cheers. Yet, the film did manage to give them vital careers in Australia with Lemon still working with Campion while Colston has become a producer. The 19-minute conversation between Jane Campion and film critic Peter Thompson entitled Jane Campion: The Film School Years is from a 1989 TV Australian TV special. It’s a short piece that includes clips from Campion’s trio of shorts as she talks about her experiences in film school as well as her thoughts about her filmmaking style. Even as she was on the verge of developing her cinematic style with her first feature film.

Three of Campion’s early shorts films are included in the special features. The first of which is the 9-minute An Exercise in Discipline: Peel. The short revolves around a family going on a road trip when a boy gets in trouble by throwing orange peels out of the car as his father orders to pick up the peels. It’s a very entrancing short that explores the dynamic of family as well as the idea of discipline where things don’t go exactly as the father has planned. Filled with some entrancing close-ups and images, it’s definitely the work of someone who clearly has ideas of her own.

The 12-minute Passionless Moments is a short co-written and co-directed with Gerard Lee that features many vignettes about the lives of various people doing mundane things. It’s an interesting short that features some unique compositions as well as some strange stories such as a fat man doing yoga, a woman thinking about a pig, and a man cleaning his jeans as he thinks about the Monkees’ song Daydream Believer. Shot in black-and-white that includes camera work from future Australian filmmaker Alex Proyas and featuring a narrator, it’s a short that is quite engaging to way people do things in their lives.

The 27-minute A Girl’s Own Story is a black-and-white short film that explore two young girls fascination with sexuality in the 1960s. Notably as one girl becomes pregnant while another is dealing with the marriage of her parents as it is a coming of age film that features an entrancing musical section towards the end of the film. It features a lot of strange images and compositions that would be a trademark of Campion’s work as it’s definitely the best of the three shorts.

The DVD special features also include the film’s original theatrical trailer as well as a photo gallery from Regis Lansac on the film’s production. The DVD also features a booklet that includes an essay by film scholar Dana Polan called Jane Campion's Experiment. The essay has Polan talking about the film and its quirkiness and how the film seems to be the bridging point between Campion’s trio of shorts that she made in films school to the subsequent films she would make in the years to come. Polan also discusses the film’s unique style of narrative as it relates to the titular character and how crucial she is to play into Kay’s development as a person as it’s a wonderful read that accompanies a great DVD release.

Sweetie is a remarkable film from Jane Campion highlighted by the performances Karen Colston and Genevieve Lemon. The film isn’t just a compelling portrait of a dysfunctional family as well as a look into the relationship between two sisters. It’s a film that also explores a woman’s journey into self-discovery through her dysfunctional family as she had been constrained by her fears. In the end, Sweetie is an enchanting film from Jane Campion.

Jane Campion Films: An Angel at My Table - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - Holy Smoke! - In the Cut - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (TV Miniseries) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

© thevoid99 2013

Top of the Lake (TV Miniseries)

Top of the Lake is a seven-part TV miniseries about a detective who is trying to find a 12-year old pregnant girl whose father is a local drug lord in a small yet remote New Zealand town. Written and created by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee and directed by Campion and Garth Davis, the miniseries is a suspense story that involves a world where many people are carrying secrets and some are trying to hide from the secrets just as a girl is disappearing from the world. Starring Elisabeth Moss, Peter Mullan, David Wenham, and Holly Hunter. Top of the Lake is a chilling yet mesmerizing miniseries from Jane Campion, Garth Davis, and Gerard Lee.

A 12-year old girl named Tui (Jacqueline Joe) is pregnant as she is the daughter of a local drug lord named Matt Mitcham (Peter Mullan) where people are wondering who got her pregnant. An investigation happens led by Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) as she questions Tui about who the father is where the only thing Tui reveals are the words “no one”. When Tui suddenly disappears, a manhunt happens where Griffin turns to her former boyfriend and Tui’s half-brother Johnno Mitcham (Thomas M Wright) for help while getting aid from Detective Sergeant Al Parker (David Wenham). While the investigation progresses as it involves land disputes, drug trades, and all sorts of things in the underworld while a group of women are seeking sanctuary in a camp led by the enigmatic GJ (Holly Hunter).

Things eventually take an emotional and mental toll on Griffin, who was the victim of a rape at the age of 15, as her mother (Robyn Nevin) is dying while she becomes troubled by her own past. Secrets are unveiled that leads to Griffin to get more questions about Tui’s whereabouts as well as the mystery into who is the father of Tui’s baby. What the miniseries does is create a story that isn’t just a suspense-drama but a woman’s exploration into facing her own demons just as she is trying to find this young girl. Even as she is surrounded by women who are victims of abuse, neglect, or something incomprehensible as they try to save themselves in this camp led by this strange figure. Just as the series progresses in each episode, the stakes of trying to find Tui becomes much more troubling as it’s not just the police that are trying to find her but the girl’s father who is descending into madness over her disappearance.

The teleplay by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee does play with some of the conventions of a mystery where little clues do arrive to reveal something big or small. By breaking the story into seven parts, it allows each episode to reveal little clues on not just Tui’s disappearance but why Robin Griffin is so personally invested in this case as it relates to her own demons from the past. Even as each clue she finds brings her closer to not just about Tui but also a dark underworld involving the drug trade and prostitution. She also has to confront the people around her including her boss, her former boyfriend, and her ailing mother about these secrets where her mother is carrying one of her own that would later impact Robin to the brink of an emotional breakdown.

The script also plays into characters like Matt Mitcham, Johnno Mitcham, and Al Parker as they’re these three different men who are all connected to Robin Griffin as well as the case. While Matt Mitcham may be this local drug lord with a dark reputation as well as having casual conversations with the police, he’s also a man that is becoming troubled by Tui’s disappearance. Either he’s in denial or he might be involved about what happened to Tui yet he is someone that does have good intentions to get his daughter back. Matt’s estranged son Johnno is a man trying to start a new life after serving an eight-year prison in Thailand as he was living with Tui’s mother. Having Robin back in in his life creates complications as he remembers the night Robin was raped while his presence makes her mother uncomfortable which relates to the secret that she carries during her visit to GJ’s compound.

Al Parker is just as mysterious as the other characters as he is a leading police figure who is very rich and lives in a lavish home which causes Robin to raise questions about how he makes his money. Although he would help Robin and even ask her to marry him, there are still things about him that makes Robin uneasy as well as his connection to Mitcham. Then there’s the camp compound leader GJ who is easily the most mysterious person of the entire story. Though she doesn’t really do much when it involves Tui or the case, she is someone who provides shelter to women yet she says mysterious things that are very eccentric. Yet, she knows what these women are going through but doesn’t provide answers that will help them but rather point them in the right direction.

The direction of Jane Campion and Garth Davis is very entrancing for the way it presents this small town in New Zealand that is surrounded by mountains and a big lake where these locations are characters in the miniseries. Shot in the cities of Queenstown and Glenorchy, the miniseries does have this air of chilling ambiance in its settings where there’s a lot of bluish, grey colors while there is this mix between nature and the city. Notably for the scenes set in the day where there is this sense of unease throughout the town where there is something that is secretive but no one wants to speak out. The images that Campion and Davis create are full of mesmerizing imagery and lots of little tidbits such as deer heads, bones, and other things to establish a world that is modern but still reveled in something that harkens back to the idea of an old world order.

Filled with a mixture of shots ranging from hand-held to gazing establishing shots of the location, the direction is quite stylish but also intimate at times to play out some of the drama that occurs. Notably as it has this air of suspense that happens throughout including some flashback scenes where it plays into Griffin’s past and her motivation to find Tui. There are twists and turns that happens throughout the miniseries where it does reach a climax that isn’t just horrifying but also maintains an air of ambiguity where some answers are revealed though are also questions that don’t get answered. Overall, Jane Campion, Garth Davis, and Gerard Lee create a hypnotic yet engrossing suspense-drama that explores the world of demons and dark secrets.

Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw does excellent work with the look of the miniseries with its exotic blue-grey color to create an air of despair and uncertainty to many of the miniseries‘ locations as well as keeping things natural for the scenes at night and the scenes at the forest. Editors Alexandre de Franceschi and Scott Gray do fantastic work with the editing to give each episode some stylish cuts from jump cuts and fade-outs while building up the suspense with slow yet methodical cuts. Production designer Fiona Crombie does amazing work with the set pieces from the look of Parker‘s posh home to the more cabin-like home of Matt Mitcham that includes a drug lab under his bathroom.

Costume designer Emily Seresin does nice work with the costumes as a lot of it is mostly casual though the clothes do help out in establishing key parts of the film as it relates to clues about Tui‘s whereabouts. Sound designer Tony Vaccher does superb work with the sound to create an atmosphere in some of the party scenes as well as in the suspenseful moments to maintain that air of dread. The music by Mark Bradshaw is exquisite for its hypnotic mood with its plaintive sounds of guitar and piano to create a sense of melancholia and dread throughout the miniseries.

The casting by Kirsty McGregor is brilliant for the ensemble that is created for this miniseries. Notable appearances include Genevieve Lemon and Robyn Malcolm as a couple of women at the compound, Darren Gilshenan as the real estates agent Bob Platt who is hiding a dark secret about the town, Luke Buchanan as Tui’s friend Jamie, Mirrah Foulkes as Jamie’s mother Simone who also works for Mitcham, Kip Chapman and Jay Ryan as two of Mitcham’s adult sons, Calvin Tuteao as Jude Griffin’s Maori boyfriend, and Lucy Lawless as Platt’s wife who tells Robin about the secrets in Bob’s computer. Jaqueline Joe is excellent as the young girl Tui who finds herself the subject of a mysterious hunt about who the father of her baby is as she suddenly disappears. Robyn Nevin is wonderful as Robin’s mother Jude who is dealing with her illness while carrying a secret that would shake up Robin’s relationship with Johnno.

Thomas M. Wright is terrific as Matt’s estranged son Johnno who helps Robin out in finding Tui while dealing with his own issues as it relates to his relationship with Robin in the past as he yearns to start a new life for himself. Peter Mullan is great as the drug lord Matt Mitcham who is man eager to find his daughter while coming undone by her disappearance as he tries to hold on to his drug empire and finding some redemption. David Wenham is amazing as Detective Sgt. Al Parker who heads the investigation to find Tui while he being very ambiguous about his connection with Mitcham as well as his finances.

Holly Hunter is superb as GJ as she is just this very strange woman who is the head of a sanctuary as she says very weird things that would later prove to be helpful. Finally, there’s Elisabeth Moss in a remarkable performance as Robin Griffin where Moss brings a chilling intensity to a woman eager to find this young girl and face her own demons where Moss displays a sense of rawness and vulnerability to a role where a woman is trying to do something good in a chaotic world.

Top of the Lake is a phenomenal TV miniseries from Jane Campion, Garth Davis, and co-writer Gerard Lee that features top-notch performances from Elisabeth Moss, Peter Mullan, David Wenham, and Holly Hunter. It’s definitely one of Jane Campion’s fine works in terms of creating a suspense film led by a female protagonist while adding layers that makes the project far more compelling. It’s also a very provocative miniseries that explores a dark underworld as well as secrets that people don’t want to unveil. In the end, Top of the Lake is a fantastic TV miniseries from Jane Campion, Garth Davis, and Gerard Lee.

Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - An Angel at My Table - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - Holy Smoke! - In the Cut - Bright Star - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

© thevoid99 2013

In the Cut

Based on the novel by Susanna Moore, In the Cut is the story about an English teacher who is haunted by a series of gruesome murders as she falls for a detective who is investigating the murder. Directed by Jane Campion and screenplay by Campion and Susanna Moore, the film is an exploration into a woman dealing with her own sexual desires while dealing with a series of murders involving women. Starring Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Patrice O’Neal, and Kevin Bacon. In the Cut is an entrancing but very meandering thriller from Jane Campion.

In the schematic of thrillers, if it involves something where a character learns about a murder and believes that she’s falling for someone who could be a suspect. The film does play into that schematic as it revolves around this high school English teacher living in Manhattan where she’s questioned about a series of murders nearby her neighborhood. One of the people Frannie Avery (Meg Ryan) is questioned by is a brash detective named Malloy (Mark Ruffalo) who carries a small tattoo in his right wrist as she suspects that he could be the killer all because she saw someone with that tattoo getting a blow job at a bar she was at. Still, Malloy is investigating these deaths where the two also play a game of sexual dominance as the often repressed Frannie is intrigued by Malloy’s dominance.

The screenplay that Jane Campion and its novelist Susanna Moore create tries to play into the world of a woman seeking someone who can fulfill her needs yet there is this air of mystery into the murders that is happening around her. There are some aspects of the story that raises interests but it often meanders into lots of discussion of sexual interplay while the mystery itself starts to lose some steam in its suspense. Notably as the deaths have Frannie becoming suspicious of Malloy as well as a few other people including a student named Cornelius (Sharrieff Pugh) and a former boyfriend (Kevin Bacon) become suspects. Yet, the mystery does become evident in the third when a key supporting character is killed but the way things are handled and who the killer really ends up becoming uninspiring.

Campion’s direction is quite stylish though sometimes, Campion’s stylish approach tends to overwhelm things as she uses a lot of blurry images as backdrops. While she does use some interesting framing and close-ups to help capture the drama including some of the sexual interplay between Frannie and Malloy. Campion doesn’t do enough to build up the suspense as there’s an unevenness to the film where it wants to be a sexual drama but it also wants to be a suspense film. Both end up becoming very tedious while characters like Frannie’s former boyfriend and her sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) just pop up every now and then not given anything to do. Overall, Campion creates a film that isn’t sure what it wants to be while not doing enough to make its suspense be impact for its ending.

Cinematographer Dion Bebe does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography that is awash with lots of lush colors for some of the film‘s daytime setting in New York City along with some low-key lights for the scenes at night. Editor Alexandre de Franceschi does nice work with the editing by using jump cuts to play out some of the drama as well as slower ones for the suspenseful moments. Production designer David Brisbin, along with set decorator Andrew Baseman and art director David Stein, does terrific work with the look of Frannie‘s apartment to showcase her bookish lifestyle while creating a more wilder look for Pauline‘s apartment.

Costume designer Beatrix Aruna Pasztor does pretty good work with the dresses that the ladies wear to display their personalities. Sound designer Peter Miller does some wonderful work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the strip club that Pauline works at as well as the scenes in the city. The film’s music by Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson is superb for its low-key yet haunting orchestral score that plays out some of the drama that occurs. Music supervisor Laurie Parker creates a fantastic soundtrack of music that features songs performed by Annie Lennox, Macy Gray, Diana Krall, the Temptations, and Dusty Springfield.

The casting by Kerry Barden, Mark Bennett, Billy Hopkins, and Suzanne Smith do some stellar work with the cast as it features some noteworthy small performances from Patrice O‘Neal as a club bouncer, Sharrieff Pugh as a student of Frannie‘s, and Nick Damici as Malloy‘s sexist partner Rodriguez. Kevin Bacon is OK as Frannie’s former boyfriend who just pops in every once in a while trying to stalk her where his character has no depth. Jennifer Jason Leigh is good as Frannie’s sister Pauline though she isn’t given much to do but show up and tell Frannie how to flirt with a guy.

Mark Ruffalo is excellent as the ambiguous detective Malloy who is a man that has a unique idea about women while often being a bit charming at times as well as brooding that adds a layer to his performance. Finally, there’s Meg Ryan as Frannie where Ryan isn’t bad but doesn’t really do much to make her character more interesting. In fact, she’s very miscast in a role that requires some dramatic weight and Ryan just couldn’t rise up to the expectations though the script doesn’t really do her any favors either.

In the Cut is a very disappointing and off-the-wall thriller from Jane Campion. Despite some moments in the technical department and Mark Ruffalo’s performance, it’s a film that doesn’t do enough to make it into an interesting thriller while spending too much time exploring a woman’s sexual fulfillment. It’s also a film that could’ve been more interesting if it took more time to invest in the mystery as well as putting an actress who can get her hands more dirty into a film like this. In the end, In the Cut just doesn’t make the cut as far as someone that is known for doing so much more in Jane Campion.

Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - An Angel at My Table - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - Holy Smoke! - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (TV miniseries) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

© thevoid99 2013

Holy Smoke!

Directed by Jane Campion and written by Jane and Anna Campion, Holy Smoke! is the story about an Australian family who hires an American counselor to retrieve their daughter who had just ventured into a religious cult. The film is an exploration into the world of spirituality and sexuality as it is a mixture of drama and comedy. Starring Harvey Keitel, Kate Winslet, Sophie Lee, Paul Goddard, and Pam Grier. Holy Smoke! is a witty and compelling film from Jane Campion.

When one finds spiritual enlightenment, it is for someone to fulfill itself through God in some form. Yet, the search for spiritual enlightenment can also be dangerous if it involves cults as a young woman named Ruth (Kate Winslet) seems to lose herself in enlightenment forcing her family to take action by bringing her to the Australian Outback where they hire a man named PJ Waters (Harvey Keitel) who is known for bringing people back to the real world after dealing with some dangerous religious cults. Yet, he faces some challenges in Ruth as he also becomes attracted to her where it conflicts with his intentions as his attempts to bring her back into the real world would end up having dire consequences for both of them.

The screenplay by Anna and Jane Campion explores the world of religious cults where Ruth’s trip to India has her embracing this figure known as Baba much to the concern of family and friends where Ruth’s mother (Julie Hamilton) travels to India to make claims that Ruth’s father (Tim Robertson) suffered a stroke in order to get her home. Once Ruth returns to Australia and learns the truth, she’s understandably upset as she is forced to live in the Outback with PJ while her family live in a house nearby. Still, things become difficult as PJ tries to break into Ruth’s mind as she tries to use her sex appeal to play up his machismo where it would work as PJ is eventually becoming confused as he starts to fall for her. Trouble eventually happens as the Campions do explore a man’s cynicism towards faith against a woman’s love for it yet the way it becomes a bit muddy towards the third act. Notably as it involves PJ’s own realization about himself while Ruth questions herself about who she is where it leads to an ending that is a bit overdrawn.

Jane Campion’s direction is quite interesting for the way she explores the world of spirituality and a man’s attempt to stray a woman away from that world to get back to reality. Campion creates a lot of mesmerizing images including some visual effects scenes that plays to Ruth’s enlightenment as if she did find God. Still, Campion remains grounded in reality as she shoots the film largely in the Outback as well as scenes in Sydney and India. Campion uses close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots to capture the dramatic tension between Ruth and PJ while also adding a sense of comedy for the scenes involving Ruth’s family. Campion also pokes fun a bit at the world of religious cult while exploring the world of sexual power play to see who can outwit who. Though Campion balances that mixture of comedy and drama for the first two acts, the script’s unevenness in the third act does sort of mess things up for her. Overall, Campion creates a very fascinating and unique film about spirituality that sort of falters a bit in its third act.

Cinematographer Dion Bebe does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful and lush cinematography for the many location scenes set in India and Australia in its exteriors as well as some rich lighting schemes for some of the film‘s interiors. Editor Veronika Jenet does nice work with the film‘s stylized editing with the use of some stylized montages in Ruth‘s enlightenment scenes as well as jump-cuts to play with some of the film‘s dramatic and comedic moments. Production/costume designer Janet Patterson, with art director Tony Campbell and set decorators Rebecca Cohen and Lisa Thompson, does wonderful work with the look of the houses in the Outback as well as a bar that Ruth and PJ attend with some of Ruth‘s family members while Patterson also creates costumes from the black clothes of PJ to the white sari of Ruth.

Visual effects supervisor Andy Brown does some terrific work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects to play out the world of spiritual enlightenment that Ruth is hit by. Sound designer Lee Smith does some very good work with the sound to capture some of the intimacy of the locations as well as the chaos in the scenes in India. The film’s music by Angelo Badalamenti is brilliant for its haunting yet low-key orchestral score to play out some of the drama that occurs in the film. The soundtrack features an array of music from artists like Neil Diamond, Alanis Morrisette, the Shirelles, and Annie Lennox.

The film’s cast is remarkable as it features some standout performances from Paul Goddard and Daniel Wyllie as Ruth’s brothers, Sophie Lee as Ruth’s sister-in-law who tries to seduce PJ, Julie Hamilton and Tim Robertson as Ruth’s parents, and Pam Grier as PJ’s girlfriend/accomplice Carol who shows up late in the film to see exactly what PJ is trying to do. Harvey Keitel is excellent as PJ Waters as a man who is trying to deprogram Ruth only to face new challenges as he’s attracted to her while dealing with his own faults as a man. Kate Winslet is fantastic as Ruth as a woman who believes she’s found faith only to realize that she could really be lost while trying to find something to believe in.

Holy Smoke! is a stellar yet captivating film from Jane Campion that is highlighted by the performances of Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel. While it’s a film that is quite flawed at times while having some nice commentary about the world of faith and some of its downsides involving cults. It is still an engaging film for the way it reveals a man’s attempt to take away a woman’s enlightenment only to face his own faults. In the end, Holy Smoke! is a very good film from Jane Campion.

Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - An Angel at My Table - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - In the Cut - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (TV miniseries) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

© thevoid99 2013

An Angel at My Table

Based on the three autobiographies of Jane Frame in To the Is-Land, An Angel at My Table, and The Envoy from Mirror City, An Angel at My Table is the story about the life of New Zealand author Jane Frame in three parts of her life from childhood to adulthood. Directed by Jane Campion and screenplay by Laura Jones, the film explores the life of the author through her trials and tribulation in this unconventional bio-pic as she’s played in three different ages by Karen Fergusson, Alexia Keogh, and Kerry Fox. The result is a fascinating yet engrossing film from Jane Campion.

The film is a three-part story about the life of Janet Frame from childhood to adulthood as each chapter is named after her three autobiographies. Throughout the entirety of the film, Frame is shown in very different periods of time as she encounters all sorts of things such as tragedy, alienation, low self-esteem, craziness, love, success, and eventually finding herself. It’s a film that doesn’t play to the conventions of a bio-pic as it explores Frame’s life where she goes through a lot including an eight-year stay at a mental hospital where she endured shock treatments. Eventually, all of the things she would experience in her life she would put into her work as it would make her one of New Zealand’s most celebrated authors.

Laura Jones’ screenplay definitely does have a traditional structure yet it doesn’t play into any kind of conventions. The first act named after the first book To the Is-Land is about Frame’s life as a child (Karen Fergusson) and then a teenager (Alexia Keogh), and later as an adult (Kerry Fox) where she lives in a small town in New Zealand with her family that included three other sisters and a brother as she’s the middle child. Notably as Frame deals with being an oddball in this small town where her most distinctive feature is her red hair. As an adolescent, Frame would deal with her first brush with alienation as well as discovering the world of poetry that would eventually lead to her become a writer. As a teenager, Frame would not only deal with her first encounter with death but also moments that would impact her life as a woman and a writer.

By the time she becomes an adult, she gets an opportunity to become a teacher as she goes through a training period at the Dunedin College of Education. In this act named after second book, Frame wouldn’t just experience alienation in a much bigger way as she becomes a far more introverted person. She also endures uncertainty as she becomes confused about what she wants to do with her life that would eventually have her be institutionalized for eight years at Seacliff Lunatic Asylum where she would endure all sorts of treatments including shock treatment while being diagnosed as schizophrenic. Another with more encounters with death, she would also get her first taste of success as well as a period to develop herself as a writer.

The third act would have Frame leave New Zealand for Europe where she does endure a bit of culture shock but it would prove to be fruitful as she finds love in Spain but would return to Britain feeling more unsure of herself as she would find revelations about her diagnosis and more. Still, she is drawn to her homeland where she does return home due to another death yet she returns a more confident woman. While it’s a story that covers Frame’s life from the 1920s to the late 1950s, Jones manages to find ways to ensure a sense of realism while often having some voiceover narration from the adult Frame that comes from her novels reveal a lot into what she was feeling at the time without explaining too much.

Jane Campion’s direction is truly evocative in the way she presents the film that is about the life of this unique woman. Notably as she creates a lot of unique framing devices to tell the story where a lot of it is shot on location in New Zealand where it’s a world that is unlike anywhere else. Campion creates images that are just captivating to watch such as a young Frame sitting on a hill with the blue sky as a backdrop. The use of crane shots to display the seas and cliffs of the countryside along with other stylistic shots to create these images that can be described as poetic. Notably a tracking shot in which Frame walks out of a classroom and through the hallway where she starts to have an emotional/mental breakdown.

While a lot of the scenes in the New Zealand countryside are loose and wide-open as well as some of the locations in Paris and Spain. The scenes in the cities including London are much tighter in its presentation. Notably in the way it represents Frame’s troubled state of mind as she becomes more insecure and more alienated by her surroundings. The scenes at the hospital are just as startling for the way Campion presents those scenes without really playing into clichés as the lobotomy scenes are just chilling to watch. Campion shifts things around for the presentation of many scenes as definitely creates something that is intimate but also grand in the way she showcases Frame’s life. Overall, Campion creates a truly magnificent yet powerful film about the life of Janet Frame.

Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh does great work with the film‘s cinematography from the very colorful look of the New Zealand and Spanish landscapes to the more stylistic look of the scenes in the hospital with its emphasis on blue colors to capture Frame‘s tense mood. Editor Veronika Haeussler does amazing work with the editing by creating some effective jump-cuts to play up Frame‘s emotions as well as some of the film‘s dramatic moments. Production designer Grant Major and co-art director Jackie Gilmore do fantastic work with the sets from the look of the Frame household in the New Zealand countryside to the chaos that is the Seacliff asylum.

Costume designer Glenys Jackson does wonderful work with the costumes to display the growing development of Janet Frame from her frumpy look early on to someone more confident in her look. The sound work of John Dennison and Tony Vaccher is terrific for the way it plays to the atmosphere of the Seacliff asylum as well as some intimate moments in scenes involving the countryside. The film’s music by Don McGlashan is brilliant for its intoxicating score that features a mix of playful woodwind pieces, low-key piano, and folk-based cuts while the soundtrack is a mixture of classical music and pop songs of the 1950s.

The casting of Diana Rowan is incredible for the rich ensemble that is created for this film. Notable small roles include Carla Hedgeman and Caroline Somerville as Janet’s friend Poppy in different ages, Natalie Ellis as Janet’s superficial aunt Isy, Eddie Hegan as her ailing uncle George, Fiona Kay as family friend Marguerite, Harry Lavington as the Seacliff psychologist, and Gerald Bryan as Dr. Cawley. In the roles of Frame’s family, there’s terrific performances from Kevin J. Wilson and Iris Chum as her parents. In the roles of her epilepsy-stricken brother Bruddie, there’s Mark Morrison, Christopher Lawrence, and Andrew Robertt in the different ages while Melina Bernecker is wonderful as the eldest Frame child in Myrtle.

For the role of Frame’s younger sister Isabel, there’s Katherine Murray-Cowper, Samantha Townsley, and Glynis Angell. While in the roles of the youngest sister June, there’s Sarah Llewellyn, Susan McGregor, and Sarah Smuts-Kennedy as both of them are terrific. Great supporting roles include Martyn Sanderson as Frank Sargerson who would become a mentor for Frame while William Brandt is superb as the American professor Bernhard who Frame would have an affair with in Spain. Karen Fergusson is amazing as the adolescent Janet who deals with her oddball personality while Alexia Keogh is excellent as the teenage Janet who deals with death and her own insecurities.

Finally, there’s Kerry Fox in an outstanding performance as the adult Janet Frame. Fox’s performance is definitely eerie to watch in the way she portrays a young woman unsure of what to do with her life as she finds herself lost and troubled. Notably in those scenes in the hospital where she wanders around while playing up the sense of childlike moments that Frame has when things become too complicated for her. It’s really a performance for the ages as Fox just goes all out for that role.

An Angel at My Table is an extraordinary film from Jane Campion that features a radiant performance from Kerry Fox. The film is definitely one of the most intense yet ethereal portraits of a woman that tries to find herself against unusual forces while not playing to the conventions of a bio-pic. Even as it stands as one of Campion’s defining works of her career as well as introducing the world to the world of Janet Frame. In the end, An Angel at My Table is a triumphant film from Jane Campion.

Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - Holy Smokes! - In the Cut - Bright Star - Top of the Lake (TV miniseries) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

© thevoid99 2013

2011 Cannes Marathon: Bright Star

(Premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in Competition for the Palme D’or)

When The Piano came out in 1993 and co-won the Palme D’or w/ Chen Kaige’s Farewell, My Concubine. Jane Campion received international attention after helming two feature films as she also became the second woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. Since then, Campion’s follow-up films to The Piano has divided audiences and critics that included an adaptation of Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady, the spiritual searching Holy Smoke!, and the 2003 erotic drama In the Cut. Campion took a break from feature-film making to do a couple of shorts for anthology films as she made her return in 2009 for a film about John Keats’ final years entitled Bright Star.

Written and directed by Jane Campion, Bright Star tells the story of John Keats’ final years as he finds a muse in a woman named Fanny Brawne. During these final years, Brawne would become more than his muse as the two would embark in a relationship that would shape Keats’ writing. Based on Andrew Morton’s biography on Keats, it’s a film that explores a man finding his muse in a woman who is different from many others. Starring Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider, Thomas Sangster, and Kerry Fox. Bright Star is a poignant yet mesmerizing romantic drama from Jane Campion.

It’s 1818 in London as Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) is a woman who creates her own clothes and actually makes a living off of it. While she lives with her mother (Kerry Fox) and her two younger siblings in Samuel (Thomas Sangster) and Toots (Edie Martin). During a visit to meet Mrs. Dilke (Claudie Blakley), they meet a man who shares a house with Dilkes in Charles Brown (Paul Schneider). It is there that Fanny meets John Keats (Ben Whishaw) who is trying to write some new poems. Fanny is intrigued by Keats as Keats is amazed by Fanny’s sense of individuality and her ability to create her own clothes. While Fanny admits to not really understanding about poetry, Keats helps her as he decides to give her poetry lessons.

Despite having written a book of poems, Keats hasn’t been able to gain any financial success as Brown tries to help fund their lifestyle as they keep working. Keats and Fanny’s attraction increases though her mother isn’t so sure about this friendship until Brown writes a Valentine to Fanny as a joke. The joke upsets Keats as does Fanny as she ends their poetry lessons. When Fanny’s mother learns that the Dilkes are giving them the house they share with Brown as Fanny sees Keats again. The two renew their relationship as it blossoms into a romantic one until Keats had to leave with Brown to work in other places leaving Fanny upset. Though Keats and Fanny would write letters to each other, the longing for contact proves to be painful.

Keats eventually returns in the fall as he and Fanny renew their relationship once again as they decide to be secretly engaged. Keats suddenly becomes ill during the winter as friends try to help create funds for his new work and for his health. With suggestions for Keats to go to Italy for his health, Brown reveals that he couldn’t go because he needed to be with the Brawne’s new maid Abigail (Antonia Campbell-Hughes) whom he impregnated. Fanny wants to go to Italy to be with Keats as she helps him find a place to live. Instead, his illness worsens with Fanny taking care of him before he leaves for Italy as she hopes that they would marry upon his return.

While it is a love story about John Keats and his muse Fanny Brawne, it’s really about a relationship between two different artists and personalities that grows into something far more powerful. Brawne is a woman who is a bit flirtatious though is really an individual who finds her talents in creating her clothes with fashions that are quite ahead of its time. Yet, she has managed to make a living for herself while helping her mother and two siblings. Keats meanwhile, is a writer who has the talents but couldn’t gain any success as he tries to make a living while living off funds of others. He’s also a character that is a bit unaware of his surroundings while being a bit naïve at times.

When he and Fanny are together, there is a side to them that is innocent but also a bit chaotic due to their personalities. Even as there’s a few people wary about the relationship such as Mr. Brown and Fanny’s mother. Brown is someone who’s had a very testy relationship with Fanny whom he’s known for some time while often thinks he’s not good enough for a man as introspective as Keats. Fanny’s mother is more cautious as she sees how Fanny reacts to Keats even to the point where she is bewildered by Fanny’s attempt to kill herself because she hadn’t heard from Keats.

Jane Campion’s screenplay succeeds in studying the behaviors and personalities of its main characters while not delving into a lot of heavy drama that often hinders most films about famous figures. Yet, Campion isn’t interested in historical context or facts but rather explore the relationship between Keats and Brawne. Even as characters like Fanny’s mother and Mr. Brown get some development since they’re watching the relationship from afar. Campion’s script also uses Keats’ poems and letters to help emphasize the emotional longing for both Keats and Brawne. Notably the poem Bright Star that is recited in the film a couple of times. While the ending is obvious since it is about Keats’ final years, her approach is more about showing it from Brawne’s perspective.

Campion’s direction is truly mesmerizing in the way she tells the story by shooting largely on location near where Keats and Brawne spent their time together along with a small scene in Rome, Italy where Keats died. Campion creates compositions that allows the audience to see what Keats and Brawne are making in their respective trades. Notably in moments where she has the camera shooting close-ups on Fanny’s hands sewing or Keats’ writing. For a large portion of the Keats-Brawne scenes, it’s always about the dramatic elements yet it is approached with a sense of restraint with some anguish used. One notable scene that allows Campion to present humor is when Keats and Brawne are walking behind Brawne’s sister Toots as Toots looks back and they freeze.

The subtle moments such as that scene along with scenes where Fanny and Toots surrounded themselves in a room full of butterflies or a scene where Keats is just having a lovely time with the Brawne family. Part of Campion’s brilliance is a director is to just soak up the world that the characters live in as there are many scenes where the characters surround themselves with nature. There are some gorgeous compositions that include a shot of Keats lying on top of a tree. It’s shots like that along with its broad presentation that does give the film a poetic tone which isn’t surprising since the film is about a poet’s final years. Overall, this is Campion at her best as she creates a solid yet engaging romantic drama.

Cinematographer Grieg Fraser does a superb job with the cinematography from the naturalistic yet lush look of the scenes of trees and flowers in the spring/summer periods to the rainy/winter looks that play to the dreary mood of the characters. Fraser’s work for many of the exteriors along that the interiors of the home that Keats lived in with Brown and the Brawnes is truly exquisite for its intimacy and dark look against its wooden walls. Editor Alexandre de Franceschi does an excellent job with the editing as it’s mostly straightforward while using fade-to-black for many transitions. Particularly in creating a pace that, while slow, is methodical to build the burgeoning relationship between Keats and Brawne.

Production/costume designer Janet Patterson, along with set decorator Charlotte Watts and art director Christian Huband do a great job with the set decorations in the look of early 19th Century housing and objects while Patterson‘s costumes are the real technical highlight of the film. Particularly with the dresses made and worn by Fanny to reflect her personality. Sound editors John Dennison and Tony Vaccher do a wonderful job in capturing the broad world of 19th Century London with its horse trots and homes along with the sparse yet intimate world of the natural surroundings the characters encounter.

The film’s music by Mark Bradshaw is brilliant for its melancholic tone with an array of somber string orchestral pieces and dramatic flourishes to play to the love of Keats and Brawne. Bradshaw also helps create arrangements for a couple of pieces by Mozart including a vocal piece from Mozart that some of the actors sing in a party scene for the film.

The casting by Nina Gold is amazing for the ensemble that is assembled for the film. Notable small roles include Samuel Roukin as a critic in a party scene, Olly Alexander as John Keats’ ailing brother Tom, Gerard Monaco as Mr. Dilke, and Samuel Barnett is a friend of Keats who helps fund is trip to Italy. Other notable but memorable small supporting roles include Claudie Blakley as family friend Mrs. Dilke who wonders about Fanny’s relationship to Keats and Antonia Campbell-Hughes as the young maid Abigail whom Mr. Brown is smitten with. Edie Martin is very good as Fanny’s youngest sister Toots in whom brings her playful side while Thomas Sangster is also good as Fanny’s younger brother Samuel who enjoys the company of Keats.

Kerry Fox is excellent as Fanny’s mother who observes her daughter’s behavior while wanting her to be cautious about embarking on this relationship. Notably in scenes when she sees her daughter in despair while being very calm about what’s happening though does like Keats despite his aloof personality. Paul Schneider is brilliant as Mr. Brown, Keats’ longtime friend and colleague who tries to keep things going only to cause trouble about Keats’ relationship with Brawne. While Schneider gets to be funny in a few scenes, it’s a very surprising role for the North Carolina-based actor who proves to have a lot of range of a man who is good but does a lot of bad things while admitting his faults.

Ben Whishaw is superb as John Keats, a brilliant but introspective poet who is attracted to Fanny Brawne as he starts a relationship with her. Whishaw brings a calm yet chilling performance as a man who is very insecure while he finds inspiration in Fanny. It’s a remarkable performance for the actor as he also has a wonderful yet touching chemistry with his co-star Abbie Cornish. Abbie Cornish delivers what is definitely her most radiant performance to date as Fanny Brawne. Cornish delivers a performance that is full of grace of a woman who is definitely one-of-a-kind as she keeps things to herself while being a great artist of her own. In her scenes with Whishaw, Cornish brings a restraint to the way she reacts to him while showing anguish in her scenes of heartbreaking and longing. It’s definitely a stunning performance from the Australian actress.

Bright Star is a magnificent yet ethereal drama from Jane Campion featuring great performances from Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw. Fans of John Keats work will definitely see this as a great dramatic interpretation on his life as well as his relationship with Fanny Brawne. Fans of Jane Campion will no doubt see this as a return-to-form following the disappointing 2003 film In The Cut. It is a very poignant yet beautiful film about John Keats and Fanny Brawne as Bright Star is definitely an amazing film from Jane Campion.

Jane Campion Films: Sweetie - An Angel at My Table - The Piano - The Portrait of a Lady - Holy Smoke! - In the Cut - Top of the Lake (TV Miniseries) - (Top of the Lake-China Girl) - The Power of the Dog - The Auteurs #25: Jane Campion

© thevoid99 2011