Far from the Madding Crowd

Plot synopsis:
Gabriel Oak is a young shepherd. With the savings of a frugal life, and a loan, he has leased and stocked a sheep farm. He falls in love with a newcomer six years his junior, Bathsheba Everdene, a proud beauty who arrives to live with her aunt, Mrs. Hurst. Over time, Bathsheba and Gabriel grow to like each other well enough, and Bathsheba even saves his life once. However, when he makes her an unadorned offer of marriage, she refuses; she values her independence too much, and him too little. Feeling betrayed and embarrassed, Gabriel offers blunt protestations that only foster her haughtiness. After a few days, she moves to Weatherbury, a village some miles off.
When next they meet, their circumstances have changed drastically. An inexperienced new sheepdog drives Gabriel's flock over a cliff, ruining him. After selling off everything of value, he manages to settle all his debts but emerges penniless. He seeks employment at a hiring fair in the town of Casterbridge. When he finds none, he heads to another such fair in Shottsford, a town about ten miles from Weatherbury. On the way, he happens upon a dangerous fire on a farm and leads the bystanders in putting it out. When the veiled owner comes to thank him, he asks if she needs a shepherd. She uncovers her face and reveals herself to be none other than Bathsheba. She has recently inherited her uncle's estate and is now wealthy. Though somewhat uncomfortable, she employs him.
=== Bathsheba's valentine to Boldwood ===
Meanwhile, Bathsheba has a new admirer: the lonely and repressed William Boldwood. Boldwood is a prosperous farmer of about forty, whose ardour Bathsheba unwittingly awakens when – her curiosity piqued because he has never bestowed on her the customary admiring glance – she playfully sends him a valentine sealed with red wax on which she has embossed the words, "Marry me". Boldwood, not realising the valentine was a jest, becomes obsessed with Bathsheba and soon proposes marriage. Although she does not love him, she toys with the idea of accepting his offer; he is, after all, the most eligible bachelor in the district. However, she postpones giving him a definite answer. When Gabriel rebukes her for her thoughtlessness regarding Boldwood, she fires him.
When Bathsheba's sheep begin dying from bloat, she discovers to her chagrin that Gabriel is the only man who knows how to cure them. Her pride delays the inevitable, but finally she is forced to beg him for help. Afterwards, she offers him back his job and their friendship is restored.
=== Sergeant Troy returns ===
At this point, the dashing Sergeant Francis "Frank" Troy returns to his native Weatherbury and by chance encounters Bathsheba one night. Her initial dislike turns to infatuation after he excites her with a private display of swordsmanship. Gabriel observes Bathsheba's interest in the young soldier and tries to discourage it, telling her she would be better off marrying Boldwood. Boldwood becomes aggressive towards Troy, and Bathsheba goes to Bath to prevent Troy returning to Weatherbury, as she fears Troy may be harmed on meeting Boldwood. On their return, Boldwood offers his rival a large bribe to give up Bathsheba. Troy pretends to consider the offer, then scornfully announces they are already married. Boldwood withdraws, humiliated, and vows revenge.
Bathsheba soon discovers that her new husband is an improvident gambler with little interest in farming. Worse, she begins to suspect he does not love her. In fact, Troy's heart belongs to her former servant, Fanny Robin. Before meeting Bathsheba, Troy had promised to marry Fanny; on the wedding day, however, the luckless girl went to the wrong church. She explained her mistake, but Troy, humiliated at being left at the altar, angrily called off the wedding. When they parted, unbeknownst to Troy, Fanny was pregnant with his child.
=== Fanny Robin ===
Some months later, Troy and Bathsheba encounter Fanny on the road, destitute, as she painfully makes her way toward the Casterbridge workhouse. Troy sends his wife onward with the horse and gig before she can recognise the girl, then gives Fanny all the money in his pocket, telling her he will give her more in a few days. Fanny uses up the last of her strength to reach her destination. A few hours later, she dies in childbirth, along with the baby. Mother and child are then placed in a coffin and sent home to Weatherbury for interment. Gabriel, who has long known of Troy's relationship with Fanny, tries to conceal the child's existence – but Bathsheba agrees that the coffin can be left in her house overnight, from her sense of duty towards a former servant of the household. Her new servant, Liddy, repeats the rumour that Fanny had a child; when all the servants are in bed, Bathsheba unscrews the lid and sees the two bodies inside.
Troy then comes home from Casterbridge, where he had gone to keep his appointment with Fanny. Seeing the reason for her failure to meet him, he gently kisses the corpse and tells the anguished Bathsheba, "This woman is more to me, dead as she is, than ever you were, or are, or can be". The next day he spends all his money on a marble tombstone with the inscription: "Erected by Francis Troy in beloved memory of Fanny Robin ..." Then, loathing himself and unable to bear Bathsheba's company, he leaves. After a long walk he bathes in the sea, leaving his clothes on the beach. A strong current carries him away, but he is rescued by a rowing boat.
=== Climax ===
A year later, with Troy presumed drowned, Boldwood renews his suit. Burdened with guilt over the pain she has caused him, Bathsheba reluctantly consents to marry him in six years, long enough to have Troy declared dead.
Troy, however, is not dead. When he learns that Boldwood is again courting Bathsheba, he returns to Weatherbury on Christmas Eve to claim his wife. He goes to Boldwood's house, where a party is under way, and orders Bathsheba to come with him; when she shrinks back in surprise, he seizes her arm, and she screams. At this, Boldwood shoots Troy dead and tries unsuccessfully to turn the gun on himself. Although Boldwood is condemned to hang for murder, his friends petition the Home Secretary for mercy, citing insanity. This is granted, and Boldwood's sentence is changed to "confinement during Her Majesty's pleasure". Bathsheba, profoundly chastened by guilt and grief, buries her husband in the same grave as Fanny and the child, and adds a suitable inscription.
=== Ending ===
Throughout her tribulations, Bathsheba comes to rely increasingly on her oldest and, as she admits to herself, only real friend, Gabriel. When he gives notice that he is leaving her employ, she realises how important he has become to her well-being. That night, she goes alone to visit him in his cottage, to find out why he is deserting her. Pressed, he reluctantly reveals that it is because people have been injuring her good name by gossiping that he wants to marry her. She exclaims that it is "... too absurd – too soon – to think of, by far!" He bitterly agrees that it is absurd, but when she corrects him, saying that it is only "too soon", he is emboldened to ask once again for her hand in marriage. She accepts, and the two are quietly wed.

Tags: violence, murder, romantic

Review:
Based on Thomas Hardy's classic novel (which I much shamefully admit I have never read), Far From the Madding Crowd tells the tale of Bathsheba Everdene's rags-to-riches rise to become a farm-owner in rural Dorset in the 1870's, the title coming from the fact that Dorset is a long way from the hustle and bustle of London "200 miles away" as the opening title incorrectly declares - the longest direct driving route I could find was 155 miles!
Bathsheba is a magnet to men with her feisty and independent behaviour, and the film documents the "love square" between her and three men in her life: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), the hunk of a farm manager; William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), the wealthy neighbouring landowner; and Sergeant Troy (Tom Sturridge), a dashing Han-Solo style rogue, flash-as-you-like in his scarlet army uniform.
Direction is by the relatively unknown (to me at least) Thomas Vinterberg ("The Hunt"), but big kudos needs to go to Vinterburg's collaborator Charlotte Bruus Christensen for the stunning cinematography: some of the scenes (notably the harvesting scene towards the end of the movie) are bucolically gorgeous.Also worth noting is the soundtrack by the brilliant but sparingly used Craig Armstrong ("Love Actually", "The Great Gatsby") which is luscious and suits the film to a tee.
Today, 141 years later, that same question haunts Thomas Vinterberg's sumptuous, smart adaptation - one that tries valiantly, but doesn't wholly succeed, in celebrating the strength of a character that was always somewhat illusory to begin with.In a time ruled and defined exclusively by men, Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) stands apart as a free-spirited, independent young lass who refuses to bow to convention.
Small wonder, then, that Bathsheba draws the attention of three suitors, each one representing a different social class and a unique brand of manhood: stoic farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts); stern, serious-minded landowner William Boldwood (Michael Sheen); and sexy, emotionally scarred sergeant Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge).The main problem with Hardy's novel, which is largely replicated in Vinterberg's faithful adaptation, is its awkward attitude towards its lead female character.
And yet, on a deeper reading of the novel, it becomes far harder to tell whether Hardy is celebrating Bathsheba's independence, or punishing her for it.To their credit, Vinterberg and Nicholls do try a little harder to add a truly feminist bent to their version of Bathsheba's story.
In my eyes at least, and I suspect in the eyes of many others, it has become the definitive version; I cannot re-read the novel- it is a favourite of mine and I have read it several times- without picturing Bathsheba as Julie Christie, Gabriel as Alan Bates, Troy as Terence Stamp or Boldwood as Peter Finch.Like Schlesinger, Vinterberg sticks fairly closely to Hardy's story, although of necessity some minor episodes have had to be omitted.
If you have read Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel or seen director John Schlesinger's 1967 (and far more energetic) screen adaption starring Julie Christie, or even if you are a High School Literature student with the novel on your summer reading list, you will probably be interested in this more modern-day thinking approach from director Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt).
It's more modern not in look, but rather in the feminist perspective of Bathsheba Everdene (one of my favorite literary character names).Carey Mulligan plays Ms. Everdene, and she is exceedingly independent and ambitious for the time period, while simultaneously being attractive in a more timeless manner.
It is my intention to astonish you all." Bathsheba (Carey Mulligan) Thomas Hardy would make a fortune today writing soap opera period pieces like Far from the Madding Crowd for HBO.
His more famous Tess of the d'Urbervilles is the finest example of the strong-willed, suffering heroine, who, because of weak men, is mercilessly buffeted by the fates and her own weakness.One of Bathsheba's suitors, the painfully shy William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), personifies the aging Victorian society, bound in property and loneliness; to her he importunes, "I want very much to protect you  for the rest of your life." However, the temporary prize of Bathsheba is given to the crimson-uniformed rake, Sergeant Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge), another character waiting for Hardy's punishment.The obvious right guy for her is farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), whose steadfast love for the heroine could only be compared to Job's suffering.
No, these are the, slightly paraphrased, words of Valentine Low a correspondent of the London Times commentating on the birth of Prince Charlotte in May 2015.There's an argument to say that unlike Valentine Low, Thomas Hardy was a man ahead of his time, willing to give female characters in his novels, like Tess, unfashionable strength of character (although some accuse him of misogyny).In this latest film adaptation it's clear that Thomas Vinterberg is looking to the modern end of this particular spectrum and in casting Carey Mulligan as the film's undoubted hero, Bathsheba Everdene (great name), he's looking to celebrate female characters in a way that quite rarely gets a screen outing.I personally believe Carey Mulligan is work in progress for one of the all time great female cinema actors and unquestionably this is another CV highlight.
But for this viewer at least it was simply a gentle and rewarding unveiling of a classic tale with a strong cast Jessica Barden has a sweet supporting role as Miss Everedene's companion, Michael Sheen is brilliant as the bereft suitor Mr Boldwood and Tom Sturridge is suitably creepy as Miss Everdene's ill fated first husband and caddish Sergeant Francis Troy.So if you're looking for accomplished film making in every single department with a great (but slightly unlikely) story, and you're in no hurry, then this is the movie for you..
Also, a lot of the details are there, but subtly shown, with a very clever use of lighting, close ups vs long sweeping shots and locations, with most of it being set outdoors in great contrast to other much more confined or intimate surroundings.Whilst the film does cut out a lot from the book and changes some scenes, it is quite a faithful adaption and stays true to the characters and story.
And Bathsheba accepts the challenge, happily and with enthusiasm, without an instant of hesitation.Pretty rather than beautiful or lovely and rather resembling a more pensive and less-effervescent young Sally Field, to the viewer unfamiliar with Hardy's work it might be confusing that so many men are so quickly drawn to Everdene, but Mulligan eventually captures the point handily: She leads with her spirit, and that spirit grows on you.As Gabriel Oaks, Bathsheba's primary suitor, actor Matthias Schoenaerts is a stolid, laconic but not lurking countenance who, except for one key scene, misses the wry and quiet humor of the character in Hardy's original novel.
In this film he plays his character in a manner rather reminiscent of Anthony Hopkins' performance in The Remains of the Day: Sheen's Boldwood is so buttoned-up and unaccustomed to his emotional yearnings that he seems mentally unbalanced, trembling his lid prior to flipping it.Tom Sturridge relishes his appearance as Sergeant Francis Troy, although the character seems, as in the novel, to have stepped in from an entirely different literary work.
I've never read the novel on which this is based but decided to give the film a try seeing as it featured the always very watchable Carey Mulligan and a screenplay by David Nicholls (One Day).It may not please everyone but I think the director has managed to create a strong love story that allows the central character to develop throughout the two hour run.
Mulligan captures every aspect of the character well and despite her making lots of bad choices we still stick by her.Michael Sheen does well in his role and there are plenty of twists that kept me on the edge of my seat.In this age of franchises and big blockbuster superhero nonsense it is refreshing that this film manages to tell a good story with a wonderful cast and hopefully will be enjoyed by many..
(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.
The novel is about tragedy, honesty, and the consequences of choice, set in the 19th Century West Country of England and this adaptation is faithful to the spirit of its time.With highly intelligent actors in the cast we end up with a slightly underdone version, it is all a little too flat, we, the audience want to swept away by Frank's passion, and to be more impressed by Boldwood's wealth and folly.
I am not sure if I am biased because of the lovely Julie Christie who played Bathsheba in the 1967 version of the film, which she did virtually perfectly in my view.In comparison Carey, for me, does not portray the complexity or character of a strong-willed woman like Bathsheba.
It might not seem so surprising therefore that the Swedish director should direct a film of a Hardy novel; except that 'Far From the Madding Crowd' is more like a rom-com than a typical Hardy book, inviting us to sympathise with a feisty heiress surrounded by good-looking suitors.
A lot of his scenes were cut, so it's harder to understand him (without previous knowledge of the book or a longer movie), which is a shame because I think this actor was a way better choice than the one used for that role in the 1998 version.Then the ending--I won't go into detail because I like to keep my reviews spoiler-free--but the big finale of the story completely falls flat because they altered so many little pieces of it (the main events happen, but not in the way or in the setting that they did in the book).
These subtle character traits add much to the overall viewing experience and are almost enough to counter Schoenaerts' banality, almost.If Carey Mulligan as Miss Everdene is the shining star of 'Far From the Madding Crowd' then Michael Sheen as William Boldwood comes close to her level of greatness or in some scenes matches it.
Far from the Madding Crowd is handsomely mounted, and Michael Sheen especially does so much with only so much character, and Carey Mulligan is fine in the lead role as a woman who fights for her independence in simple, direct ways (in the first half of the film).
This conversationally and cinematographically poignant character piece which is set in England in the late 19th century and where the story revolves around the mysterious ways of the compatibly mysterious human heart, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, rhythmic continuity, comment by Fanny: "I thought you said all s not all s" and by Bathsheba: "It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in a language chiefly made by men to express theirs." and the genuinely revering acting performances by English actress Carey Mulligan and Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts.
For most of the rest of the adaptation, themes, ideas, and even the scenery are presented with the subtlety and restraint characteristic of Hardy, but I feel the independent woman stuff unfortunately didn't work as well - which is a shame.As such, it makes it difficult for me to recommend this film unless you've read the book first, as seeing this adaptation could possibly impair the experience of what is a wonderful novel.
The cinematography is breathtaking but motivation of the characters is often fuzzy.As for the performances Carey Mulligan is a more somber Bathsheba than Julie Christie was, that's not bad just different and Matthias Schoenaerts is very good as Gabriel Oak. Michael Sheen is the main sufferer, along with Juno Temple as Fanny Robin, from the editing of the story losing a great deal of character depth that allowed Peter Finch in the original make Boldwood such a compelling figure but he does what he can.
You can understand why men immediately fell for her.Mulligan's Bathsheba Everdene is a modern, independent Victorian woman trying to make the Dorset farm she has inherited into a success.Stoic Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) is the neighbouring sheep herder who falls into hard times.
In 1874 in the farming country of southern England, a young woman (Carey Mulligan) of independent means and spirit is wooed by three very different men (Matthias Schoenhaerts, Michael Sheen, and Tom Sturridge).The story of the film is enjoyable though rather simple at times, veering occasionally into soap opera territory.
There's certainly no shortage of drama going on in Far From the Madding Crowd, so much so that ardent watchers of BBC dramas and period pieces will be lapping up and loving every well framed minute of famed The Hunt director Thomas Vinterberg's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's revered novel to levels that will likely see Crowd be found on your grandparents Downtown Abby clad DVD shelf for years to come.While the love will abound from adorers of dramatic romances (and when I say dramatic I mean every single frame here seems to hold more drama than a full season of Home and Away) it's got nothing on the amount of love that runs through Hardy's tale and Vinterberg's directional take as Carey Mulligan's determined Bathsheba Everdene fends off romantic advances from men of all shapes and sizes whilst surrounded by the green pastures of England of old.Acquitting herself well to yet another similarly themed role as the at times frustrating Bathsheba (a romantic choice Bathsheba makes is an almost "oh come on" moment) Mulligan is a likable figure in a time that rarely saw women stick it to the men and she's ably supported by Matthias Schoenaerts kindly shepherd Gabriel and Michael Sheen's somewhat underused statesman William Boldwood while young British actor Tom Sturridge overplays it as the thoroughly unlikeable Francis Troy.
It's been several decades since I last read Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd" and even longer since I watched the 1967 movie version thereof, so it's virtually impossible for me to evaluate just how faithful this latest edition is to either the original source material or that earlier adaptation (which starred Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Peter Finch and Terrance Stamp in key roles).
Take that for what it's worth.The story revolves around Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), a strong-willed 19th Century woman who inherits her uncle's farm on the moors of England, and her complex relationships with three potential suitors: the rugged shepherd, Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts); the wealthy, middle aged bachelor, William Boldwood (Michael Sheen); and the dashing but callow army officer, Sergeant Troy (Tom Sturridge).
Far From the Madding CrowdBack in Victorian times it was highly illegal for an unmarried woman to be a millionaire.Unless, of course, she inherited her wealth, as does the woman in this romantic movie.Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) is an impetuous young girl whose uncle bequeaths her his farm.Quick to shake up the countryside status quo with her no-nonsense approach to both farmhands and her customers, it's no surprise she attracts three suitors: a soldier (Tom Sturridge), an aristocrat (Michael Sheen) and her herdsman (Matthias Schoenaerts).Unfortunately, her lure towards recklessness results in a regrettable relationship one of them, while ostracizing her true love.The latest adaption of Thomas Hardy's 1874 love story, this pastoral period piece is Victorian storytelling at its finest: a feisty female lead, the bucking of social etiquette and unrequited love from multiple sources.Incidentally, falling madly in love with the wrong person was a popular Victorian past time.
She later attracts the interest of two more suitors; a wealthy, but older, bachelor, named William Boldwood (Sheen), and a military Sergeant, named Frank Troy (Sturridge).The film is beautifully shot, and it starts out engaging; with two pretty likable characters (Bathsheba and Gabriel).
I like how empowering and strong Bathsheba is, at the beginning of the film, which is why I was very disappointed with the direction the movie takes her character; when she falls for Sergeant Troy.
just go see the bloody thing and then check if you should have gone or not) Anyway, independent, and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (the lovely and charming Carey Mulligan), is like a British Scarlett O'Hara; of course she has plenty of suitors, including Gabriel Oak, a loyal and upstanding sheep farmer played by an appropriately rugged and approachable Matthias Schoenaerts, Frank Troy, a feckless and reckless military officer (an overly coiffed and elaborately manscaped Tom Sturridge); and William Boldwood, a brooding older and wealthy gentleman who sees their pairing as a pleasant and logical convenience (the always brilliant Michael Sheen).
But I am a huge admirer of young actress Cary Mulligan who takes the central role in this 2015 remake by Danish director Thomas Vinterberg, so I was willing to revisit the bucolic Dorset of 1870.As always, Mulligan is excellent and her three co-stars - Matthias Schoenaerts as the grounded Gabriel Oak, Michael Sheen as the wealthy William Boldwood, and Tom Sturridge as the rakish Sergeant Troy - give assured performances.
It is wise to remember the meaning of the word 'madding' is 'frenzied'.Hardy's story, set in Victorian England, is that of an independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (a perfect Carey Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (the very handsome and gifted Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen who shines in this role), a prosperous and mature bachelor.
It is adapted from the novel by Thomas Hardy.The movie stars Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba Everdene, a poor woman who inherits a farm and becomes (potentially) wealthy overnight.
(The farm has been mismanaged, so that's why she's "potentially" wealthy.) Bathsheba is an attractive, independent woman, and three men vie for her affections: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts)--a fairly successful farmer until disaster strikes, William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a wealthy landowner, and Sergeant Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge), a dashing cavalryman.Thomas Hardy was one of the great English 19th Century novelists, and his novel reflects the customs and culture of rural England.