Mark Bradshaw Brings Voice to John Keats in the Soundtrack to Bright Star
Bright Star is a quiet, beautiful film, tragic in the life and death of a man so fearful of living. Keats wouldn’t even allow his name to be placed on his tombstone. Instead, he asked that is say: “Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water”. Now, it is written hauntingly in film as well.
Jane Campion has written and directed a gorgeous film – one of the best I’ve seen in the last couple years. It’s a shame it took so long to watch it. I encourage you to do so. It’s quite the counterpoint to the popcorn cinema in theaters now. Encore is playing the film right now and you can pick it up from Netflix too.
Most of the music in the movie Bright Star is comprised of a quiet, pensive score by Mark Bradshaw that incorporates the poems of Keats directly, including Ode to the Nightengale playing over the end credits. I also enjoyed the Human Orchesta, which is comprised of a half dozen men singing music notes in the middle of the film. Here’s the song:
As for the actual songs in the movie, there are three, including two songs by Mozart and another from Wilson, written in 1816, and featured in an album of period music labeled the era of Jane Austen. Here are the songs:
- Serenade in Bb K361 Adagio by Mozart – Mark Bradshaw
- The Sussex Waltz K536 No. 2 (Trio) by Mozart – Spare Parts
- Scotch Reel and Bonnie Highland Laddie Written by Wilson (1816) – Spare Parts
- Original music for Bright Star – Mark Bradshaw
