Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a hardworking young sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.
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29 films that influenced Far from the Madding Crowd
What critics say influenced Far from the Madding Crowd
Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), whose surname was the inspiration for author Suzanne Collins' character Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games" series, is as resilient a character in 2015 as she was in 1874 when Hardy's novel was published.
One small element that might interest younger audiences of today is that the name of its lead character, Bathsheba Everdene, was Suzanne Collins' inspiration when it came time to give a surname to the heroine of The Hunger Games.
And “Everdene” has a new contemporary context from Katniss Everdeen, the strong-willed heroine of The Hunger Games franchise whose last name is borrowed from the protagonist of Thomas Hardy’s 1897 novel, Far from the Madding Crowd.
Bathsheba Everdene is the acknowledged inspiration for "The Hunger Games" heroine Katniss Everdeen , and even if Bathsheba doesn't have Katniss' archery chops, she battles against an oppressive regime with at least as much chutzpah as her dystopian-future namesake.
Hardy’s self-reliant heroine — who reportedly inspired the surname of a more recent one, Katniss of “The Hunger Games” — is in good hands with Mulligan, a subtle actress whose face speaks volumes even when she’s just quietly observing.
Before Suzanne Collins gave us The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen, there was Thomas Hardy’s Bathsheba Everdene in Far from the Madding Crowd, another novel about a rural girl and her career and romantic suitors.
Vinterberg adds a scene to the last of these which is incredibly moving, reminiscent of Hitchcock's "Rebecca" yet evoking a different emotion.
In the end, their film might not be in the same vaulted league as such classic romantic period pieces as James Ivory’s “A Room With a View” (1985) or Martin Scorsese’s “The Age of Innocence” (1993), but “Far From the Madding Crowd” is one the most satisfying, finest romantic period dramas to grace screens, big or small, in awhile.
My thoughts keep drifting to the vivacious spirit of James Ivory's "A Room with a View" and Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility," which didn't suffocate the comedy from the productions, laden with cinched bodices and delicately situated pince-nez as they are.
I can't help but wish this new "Far From the Madding Crowd" came with the thrill of interpretive discovery, the way Jane Campion gave Henry James' "Portrait of a Lady" a good shaking-up or, more conventionally, the way James Ivory mainstreamed E.M. Forster in "A Room With a View" and "Howards End."
I can't help but wish this new "Far From the Madding Crowd" came with the thrill of interpretive discovery, the way Jane Campion gave Henry James' "Portrait of a Lady" a good shaking-up or, more conventionally, the way James Ivory mainstreamed E.M. Forster in "A Room With a View" and "Howards End."
In the end, their film might not be in the same vaulted league as such classic romantic period pieces as James Ivory’s “A Room With a View” (1985) or Martin Scorsese’s “The Age of Innocence” (1993), but “Far From the Madding Crowd” is one the most satisfying, finest romantic period dramas to grace screens, big or small, in awhile.
This is for audiences who enjoy films such as “The Age of Innocence,” anything by Jane Austen and television’s “Downton Abbey.”
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This conundrum has faced, and arguably gotten the better of, all three previous attempts to put the novel on the screen, most notably John Schlesinger's lavish, well-cast but lethargic 1967 version, which even Julie Christie, in the wake of her Darling/Doctor Zhivago ascendency, couldn't help bring to ground.
It worked in Lawrence of Arabia; in “Hardy Country” a plaintive, period ballad fits better.
Seemingly incapable of cracking a smile, he fits securely in the stoic-farmer tradition that stretches from John Wayne in “The Quiet Man” to Russell Crowe in “The Water Diviner.”
This conundrum has faced, and arguably gotten the better of, all three previous attempts to put the novel on the screen, most notably John Schlesinger's lavish, well-cast but lethargic 1967 version, which even Julie Christie, in the wake of her Darling/Doctor Zhivago ascendency, couldn't help bring to ground.
Julie Christie (hot after her best actress Oscar for another Schlesinger film, Darling) stars as Bathsheba Everdene, the headstrong country girl made good after inheriting her uncle's estate, who captivates devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), lonely landowner Boldwood (Peter Finch) and dashing soldier Sergeant Troy (Terence Stamp).
Like Vinterberg, Schlesinger would not appear at first blush to be a director eager to adapt Hardy since he emerged as a maker of “angry young man” films such as “Billy Liar” that were in their way defied conventional filmmaking esthetics like Dogme 95 did.
So he would certainly be perplexed by the current debate surrounding his first great novel, which has little to do with his writing and all to do with which film is better: the 1967 John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man) version starring Julie Christie or the new one with Carey Mulligan.
So he would certainly be perplexed by the current debate surrounding his first great novel, which has little to do with his writing and all to do with which film is better: the 1967 John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man) version starring Julie Christie or the new one with Carey Mulligan.
While Hardy's tale is incredibly modern for its time, Vinterberg has further freshened the material, most notably with Janet Patterson's ("The Piano," "Bright Star") costuming.
While Hardy's tale is incredibly modern for its time, Vinterberg has further freshened the material, most notably with Janet Patterson's ("The Piano," "Bright Star") costuming.
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If you like this, try: the earlier version with Julie Christie and the book by Thomas Hardy, and “My Brilliant Career”…
Director
Thomas Vinterberg
Critics compare Far from the Madding Crowd to 4 of Vinterberg’s own films.
In adapting Hardy’s novel, director Vinterberg – a Dogme 95 founding member traveling far afield from his already-wide sweep of subject and stylization (The Hunt, It’s All About Love, The Celebration) – and screenwriter David Nicholls (One Day) have two precedents to consider: not just Hardy’s source material, but also John Schlesinger’s 1967 witty, feverish go at the story.
Probably the Danish Vinterberg’s most accomplished foray into English-language filmmaking (after the gun-control allegory “Dear Wendy” and the futuristic Joaquin Phoenix-Claire Danes romance “It’s All About Love”), this pared-down if generally faithful adaptation benefits from a solid cast and impeccable production values, though the passions that drive Hardy’s characters remain more stated than truly felt.
In adapting Hardy’s novel, director Vinterberg – a Dogme 95 founding member traveling far afield from his already-wide sweep of subject and stylization (The Hunt, It’s All About Love, The Celebration) – and screenwriter David Nicholls (One Day) have two precedents to consider: not just Hardy’s source material, but also John Schlesinger’s 1967 witty, feverish go at the story.
After tackling Hardy's 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' for a BBC production, novelist/screenwriter David Nicholls ("One Day") has taken a crack for director Thomas Vinterberg ("The Celebration," "The Hunt") whose star Carey Mulligan is much better suited to the material than Christie was.
After his 1998 breakthrough with The Celebration, director Thomas Vinterberg could have done more or less anything he wanted.
Thus the director is Thomas Vinterberg, the Dane known as one of the original founders of the Dogme 95 and creator of one of the best films to come out of that avant-garde film movement, “The Celebration.”
Director Thomas Vinterberg (best known for The Celebration) has a strong grasp of setting, as he showed in The Hunt (2012), a film as much about Danish rural traditions as about its ostensible subject.
Director Thomas Vinterberg ("The Hunt," "The Celebration") and screenwriter David Nicholls ("One Day," "Starter for 10") cut to the heart of Hardy's Victorian tale.
Thomas Vinterberg already has a lot of experience with these types of themes from his Oscar nominated film, The Hunt, and successfully brings them to life in this luscious film.
In adapting Hardy’s novel, director Vinterberg – a Dogme 95 founding member traveling far afield from his already-wide sweep of subject and stylization (The Hunt, It’s All About Love, The Celebration) – and screenwriter David Nicholls (One Day) have two precedents to consider: not just Hardy’s source material, but also John Schlesinger’s 1967 witty, feverish go at the story.
Following his piercing, bleak drama The Hunt , director Thomas Vinterberg is clearly having a great deal of perhaps needed fun with his follow-up, an adaptation of Thomas Hardy‘s classic novel, Far from the Madding Crowd .
The new version, directed by Thomas Vinterberg (co-founder of Dogme95 and the director of The Hunt), is a competent production that hits many right notes, particularly in the first half, thanks to its sweeping vistas and nice pacing.
I’m not sure Thomas Hardy intended his story as a man-candy delivery vehicle, but there you have it: “Far From the Madding Crowd” is awash in gorgeous lads competing for marriage-resistant landowner Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) in this sumptuous adaptation of the 1874 novel, written by David Nicholls (“One Day”) and directed by Thomas Vinterberg (“The Hunt”).
After tackling Hardy's 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' for a BBC production, novelist/screenwriter David Nicholls ("One Day") has taken a crack for director Thomas Vinterberg ("The Celebration," "The Hunt") whose star Carey Mulligan is much better suited to the material than Christie was.
The Danish director’s three best-known films – “The Celebration,” “Dear Wendy” and “The Hunt” – are about people who challenge social conventions and get punished, and about betrayals large and small.
Probably the Danish Vinterberg’s most accomplished foray into English-language filmmaking (after the gun-control allegory “Dear Wendy” and the futuristic Joaquin Phoenix-Claire Danes romance “It’s All About Love”), this pared-down if generally faithful adaptation benefits from a solid cast and impeccable production values, though the passions that drive Hardy’s characters remain more stated than truly felt.
In this Danish director's previous films, Dear Wendy and in The Hunt , we have seen signs of his skill in dealing with the challenges faced by outsiders who are simply trying to make their own way in the world.