Far from the Madding Crowd
In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writers: Thomas Hardy (novel), David Nicholls (screenplay)
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
The story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba's choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love - as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.
Far from the Madding Crowd User Reviews
Sorry I'm just not a fan of the original author Thomas Hardy's writing, thus the lackluster headline summary. However, the headline summary of this review speaks true. In my opinion, this movie is an interesting way to spend two hours investigating English class, gender, and money issues in the 1870s. In many way, this version of Hardy's novel should feel very familiar to fans of the long-running British TV series "Lark Rise to Candleford." The time period is similar, the costumes identical, the rural farm settings are very reminiscent of "Candleford," and the strong feminist statement just as visible. (Hardy was apparently ahead of his time.) The lead character in this movie, Bathsheba (played quite well and quite strongly by Carey Mulligan), greatly resembles the female protagonist in Candleford, Dorcas Lane, in appearance and demeanor. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say it the other way around since the Candleford novel was written 65 years later than Hardy's and the TV series was written more than 100 years later.
The acting in this movie is solid and the cinematography is both luscious and modern. The plot...well it's from a 19th century novel about a strong-willed female making every possible wrong choice (affording numerous growth and learning opportunities) until finally "doing the right thing" after consuming nearly two hours of screen time. I'm certain that Jane Austin and Thomas Hardy fans will love this movie.
We saw this movie as part of the Camera Cinema Club series in San Jose, California.
Sorry I'm just not a fan of the original author Thomas Hardy's writing, thus the lackluster headline summary. However, the headline summary of this review speaks true. In my opinion, this movie is an interesting way to spend two hours investigating English class, gender, and money issues in the 1870s. In many way, this version of Hardy's novel should feel very familiar to fans of the long-running British TV series "Lark Rise to Candleford." The time period is similar, the costumes identical, the rural farm settings are very reminiscent of "Candleford," and the strong feminist statement just as visible. (Hardy was apparently ahead of his time.) The lead character in this movie, Bathsheba (played quite well and quite strongly by Carey Mulligan), greatly resembles the female protagonist in Candleford, Dorcas Lane, in appearance and demeanor. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say it the other way around since the Candleford novel was written 65 years later than Hardy's and the TV series was written more than 100 years later.
The acting in this movie is solid and the cinematography is both luscious and modern. The plot...well it's from a 19th century novel about a strong-willed female making every possible wrong choice (affording numerous growth and learning opportunities) until finally "doing the right thing" after consuming nearly two hours of screen time. I'm certain that Jane Austin and Thomas Hardy fans will love this movie.
We saw this movie as part of the Camera Cinema Club series in San Jose, California.
0 comments:
Post a Comment