Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

Since seeing the 2012 film The Hunt earlier this year,the memory of this magnificent, emotionally raw work has stayed with me. Hearing about director Thomas Vinterberg's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's book a few years ago,I was pleased to spot it airing on the BBC,which led to me joining in with the crowd. The plot-England 1870:Working on her aunts farm, Bathsheba Everdene catches the eye of neighbour Gabriel Oak. Falling for her,Oak asks for Everdene's hand in marriage, but is turned down by Everdene,due to her being too independent,which Everdene believes Oak would end up hating. As Oak leaves the village to go in search of work, Everdene inherits a farm from her uncle,and receives marriage proposals from William Boldwood and Sergeant Frank Troy, but turns them down to retain her independence. View on the film:Largely filmed in Dorset, director Thomas Vinterberg replaces the dour darkness of The Hunt with a beautiful English countryside landscape,with Vinterberg reuniting with the Hunt's cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen to get down on the farm of rolling hills, a water colour palate,and the men offering Everdene their hearts in magic hour lighting. Separating from the crowd, Vinterberg uncovers Everdene's most inner feelings via smooth as silk tracking shots that close in on each subtle emotion that goes across her face.Giving this adaptation of Thomas Hardy's book more of a feminist slant, the screenplay David Nicholls displays a real precision in the dialogue of capturing Everdene's inner straighten, and refusal to be viewed as a damsel waiting for her prince charming. Kept to a brisk 112 min run time, (not the 119 IMDb say) the limitations of time lead to none of the men being as fleshed out as Everdene,with Michael Sheen giving more emotional depth to William Boldwood ,than appears on the page/dialogue.Joined by Sheen, Juno Temple and Matthias Schoenaerts, Carey Mulligan gives a magnetic performance as Everdene,thanks to Mulligan showing Everdene's startling femininity in close-up,and delivering the dialogue with a confident firmness that makes the maddening crowd go wild.

I watched this adaptation of Hardy's novel for the first time this evening, hoping it would at least have some of the spark of the original 1967 version. It does not. Carey Mulligan was cool, distant and just not convincing, whereas Julie Christie was sexy and emotional as well as being a hard-headed business woman. The male leads in this new version were equally like cardboard cut outs, although Gabriel Oak did have something of the original Gabriel about him. The memorable scenes from the original version just were not there, for example the meeting of Troy and Bathsheba at Maiden Castle, the actual Iron Age hill fort, was played out in a wood.....and was not at all sexy. The lesser characters also did not come over as country farm workers....the scenes where they sang and got drunk just were not good enough. If you want to get the closest feel to what Thomas Hardy was writing about, stick to the 1967 version and read the novel too.

Thomas Hardy witness life in England during the Victorian Era, a time of mental and emotional oppression and fundamental values played out by a dominate religious male sect. Hardy showcases his characters against pastoral settings and mists, rural roads, candle light, tight interiors, and a love story usually develops among the literary painting. Hardy also plays on the purity of his characters, void of ego. In Far From The Madding Crowd there is a pure character who is rejected by the vanity of feminism. Yet, pure love is present and remains on the sidelines throughout the film. Gabriel Oak is the focus in study. "Do What Is Right" he states to a fearful and distraught Bathsheba. Matthias Schoenaerts plays Gabriel Oak, a hardworking and gifted shepherd. He has a spirit of a saint and a warrior, a man to strive to be. He reminds me of Jude, The Obscure, another character who was seen as pure and placed in the vanity of the institution and feminism. In Tess of The Durbervilles, Tess was the pure individual raped by the institutions controlled by the male world. One can see where feminism would rise. Remember that this was written in a time where a woman with three suitors would seem unfitting. Hardy loves to play on the circumstances that keeps pure love from blossoming, making the protagonist go through much hardship and strife before they have a second chance to act again on what once was and always eternally felt. Hardy also lives in a handsome world surrounded by handsome people. A lovely film and story.

Far from the Madding Crowd is a movie that lets us dig into the extraordinary Thomas Hardy genius that gorgeously scales his unique style of story building. David Nicholls knits a fine screenplay to complement the powerful Hardy plot. Thomas Vinterberg on the other hand helms sheer magic. His direction is subtle, focuses on the call of the hour and displays only the best bits he thinks worth depicting.Born in this era I didn't have the good hap of watching the first one first, so I decided to accept whatever was flung before me. The setup even though modishly shot doesn't even for once gives away the intended timeline. You can't help but compare it to the likes of Gone with the Wind. There are magnificently shot landscapes that will compel you to marvel at innate scenery our planet offers. Lush farms and the tranquility surrounding it will force you to have second thoughts about all the urban choices you made.SPOILERS AHEAD: When we look at the cast, Carey Mulligan was an extraordinary find. The role she plays – Bathsheba Everdene is a girl with education, an independent woman who doesn't want to be tied down by promises of love. She can't be picketed down like someone's property, until she hits an infatuation herself in the form of Sergeant Francis Troy played by Tom Sturridge. She becomes bewitched at once, slave to her emotions and that's when a terrible mistake happens. Like she puts it "between jealousy and distraction" she marries him. It is hard not to feel sorry for her to find the inconsiderate guy that doesn't give two rats about her, and two jilted lovers who only hoped for the best in the backdrop. Carey's character will also peeve you beyond limit when she turns down brilliant advices by Gabriel Oak played by Matthias Schoenaerts. But isn't that how life happens to us all? One moment we think we are right only to tumble and rise again. Bathsheba is quite relatable in that respect, and she gets forgiven as well.The sheep bit in the beginning was one of the gloomiest unfortunate events to have befallen Oak. It was impactful in a way that was capable of flinging you in a sudden gush of emotions. There was nothing Oak could have done to stop that from happening. As the sheep fell all I could remember was being the "The Catcher in the Rye". Really powerful stuff! The thing that miffed me was Gabriel Oak's acting. Even though the script desired him to stay taut like a rock, we don't see him nail any kind of emotion ever. His act is banal and makes you wonder if he was the right choice for the role. William Boldwood played by Michael Sheen, au contraire acted brilliantly and aced his character to perfection. Jilted finds a meaning on his face, as he takes the gun to pass the eventual poetic justice. Also, I couldn't help but notice there was no such gut-wrenching drama to it, presence of which could have possibly made the movie even better. However, in the end every frame was worth it.A very well written, acted and shot flick! Far from the Madding Crowd will impel you to question the choices your reckless head makes.