Review of Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) by Jonathan B — 30 Aug 2015

Having to study the work of an author at school often puts a person off him for life. Mr. Yates would be pleased to know that his choice of Thomas Hardy as a subject was a good one and left me with a liking for this great, English writer's work that has endured for nearly 40 years now.

I can't claim to be an expert but evrything of his I have read, I've enjoyed and revisited from time to time. I remember being shown the Julie Christie/Terence Stamp 1960s version in class in the early days of videotape and there are so many scenes from that film that have stuck with me.

This 2015 version repeats many of the scenes I remember so well and adds some lovely touches that are perhaps more in keeping with the novel. Bathsheba Everdene ranks very highly in the ranks of most loved of the heroines of English literature and is one of the more complex, being at times headstrong and stubborn, romantic and loving and silly and impetuous.

It takes real care to portray her and make her well rounded and Carey Mulligan manages to pull this off marvellously. Mulligan is a fine actor and is utterly believable as this character. She looks the part and brings to the role an innocence and freshness coupled with the grit and steel that makes her so appealing in the novel.

Hardy's Wessex is brought vibrently to life without ridiculing the fiddle playing, folksong singing locals, raising the sheep and threshing the crops as the seasons change around them. Bathseba's three suitors are each well drawn and true to the novel.

Frank Troy, played by Tom Sturridge is as dashing a figure as is possible to be in his army uniform. His character has become something of an archetype in fiction, the handsome soldier who steals a young girl's heart and proves to be untrustworthy and reckless.

Sturridge manages to give the character some depth and his portrayal gives the character motivation and explanation. Michael Sheen makes for a sympathetic William Boldwood. Handsome and wealthy but lonely he is perhaps the most understated and tragic of the three male leads.

However, it is Gabriel Oak that has the greatest role. He is everpresent and supportive being the steadying hand and the voice of reason to whom Bathseba can turn in times of crisis. Played by Matthias Schoenaerts he is given a dignity and integrity that the charecter really deserves.

This is a great movie, very enjoyable and honest to the spirit of the novel and Thomas Vinterberg has done well to stick to the plot and not be afraid of revisiting the pivotal scenes of the older movie.

In doing so, he has allowed the story to flow naturally, at a pace that is in keeping with Hardy's story. The movie has an integrity and natural feel where everyone behaves in a believable manner given their circumstances.

It's a movie where it is really possible to lose yourself for a couple of hours and just get engrossed in the story, empatise with the characters and enjoy the setting.