Director Watch Podcast Ep. 170: 'Bright Star' (Jane Campion, 2009)

On episode 170 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by AwardsWatch contributor Josh Parham discuss the next film in their Jane Campion series, Bright Star (2009).

Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love.

It was six years between the reception for In the Cut and her next big screen project, and with it, Jane Campion went back to her comfort zone, making a period piece about a famous writer. This time the film focused on the last three years of the life of poet John Keats, and his relationship with Fanny Brawn, and their off and on courtship of each other. While Campion had worked on a documentary in the time between, her return to narrative filmmaking was a breath of fresh air, exploring the heartbreaking nature of these two people's lives mixed with their fascination with the written word; also featuring some of Campion's most gorgeous visuals. Ryan, Jay, and Josh break down their thoughts on the film, Campion's interest in period pieces, how tender this love story is while at the same time devastating, the career choices of Abbie Cornish, and why Ben Whishaw is an "important person" for Josh.

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page.

This podcast runs 2h10m. The guys will be back next week to conclude their series on the films of Jane Campion with a review of her next film, The Power of the Dog (2021). You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it.

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).