Far From The Madding Crowd (2015)

[formerlyfreedom]

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.

 

Guys? this might be my kryptonite.

 

 

 

[Bruinsfan]

PLEASE tell me she doesn't sing in this movie!

[SallyAlbright]

I absolutely loved it. She sings in one scene, but several people are singing and she actually has a pretty lovely voice. Anyway, this movie was everything you'd want in a period piece. Nice costumes, GORGEOUS cinematography, a great leading lady and several nice looking men. Matthias Schoenarts proved yet again why he has so much buzz (and is in like 8 movies this year). He's not conventionally good looking, but man does he have screen presence. Even when he's silent, you can't take your eyes off of him. He and Carey Mulligan have great chemistry. She, by the way, has never looked more beautiful! Overall, it was very enjoyable.

[Petunia13]

I love Carey Mulligan but think I'm going to rent this one. I know this was based on a book but "Bathsheba Everdene" yikes

[Scarlett45]

I absolutely loved it. She sings in one scene, but several people are singing and she actually has a pretty lovely voice. Anyway, this movie was everything you'd want in a period piece. Nice costumes, GORGEOUS cinematography, a great leading lady and several nice looking men. Matthias Schoenarts proved yet again why he has so much buzz (and is in like 8 movies this year). He's not conventionally good looking, but man does he have screen presence. Even when he's silent, you can't take your eyes off of him. He and Carey Mulligan have great chemistry. She, by the way, has never looked more beautiful! Overall, it was very enjoyable.

(Bolding mine) I disagree- oh he's so handsome!! A little unkempt as he's a Shepard in a period piece but his features are very strong.

I saw the film tonight- I was impressed. The only character I wasn't completely sold on was Bodswood(spelling). For a rich middle aged bachelor he must have had his pick of women, I didn't quite understand why he was so taken with Betheseda (spelling). I was rooting for Gabriel the whole time. He was a reserved sexy.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Scarlett45

[Betweenyouandme]

I haven't seen this yet, but I agree Matthias is good looking. I saw him in The Loft. I think he looks better on film moving than in a picture.

[SallyAlbright]

(Bolding mine) I disagree- oh he's so handsome!! A little unkempt as he's a Shepard in a period piece but his features are very strong.

I saw the film tonight- I was impressed. The only character I wasn't completely sold on was Bodswood(spelling). For a rich middle aged bachelor he must have had his pick of women, I didn't quite understand why he was so taken with Betheseda (spelling). I was rooting for Gabriel the whole time. He was a reserved sexy.

 

 

I haven't seen this yet, but I agree Matthias is good looking. I saw him in The Loft. I think he looks better on film moving than in a picture.

Afraid I didn't express myself well, I certainly think he is good looking! I just meant not conventionally, pretty boy Zac Efron-type good looking. He's more rugged and interesting looking, which happens to be the type I prefer :) Sorry for being unclear!

[attica]

I know we're not supposed to be rooting for Mr. Boldwood (oh, ha! that Hardy fella ain't subtle naming his characters, is he?), but Sheen brought such a compelling intensity and vulnerability to the role. Team Sheen!

 

Beautifully shot and lit. I even forgive being able to see all the "dead" sheep breathing on the beach, so sad and lovely was that shot. One quibble is that I've seen the 'new lovers snogging in the dawn sun while the camera catches flares' way more than once. (Even in a previous CM flick, her Pride and Prej.) Resist the cliche, cinematographers!

 

Breakout performer for me was Jessica Barden, the little servant girl Liddy. What a charmer!

Edited May 16, 2015 by attica

[BooBear]

Loved it. One quibble. Gabriel was so hot it was almost distracting. Not believable that she would have looked to the other two suitors. Especially the military guy who seemed like he was playing dress up most of the movie and seemed to be super young.

[sluggish neko]

Finally got around to renting this. I loved the scenery, but they sure chewed through the plot quickly. It's like they just ticked off all the major plot points in the book without really developing the characters, especially the other two suitors. Bathsheba's love for Troy was very sudden, as was his fake death and surprise reappearance. Boldwood's infatuation with Bathsheba was just as sudden. It's like the valentine she sent him had a love spell on it or something. I think this is one of those stories that does best in miniseries form where things happen at a leisurely pace.

 

Also, I have to agree about casting Matthias Schoenaerts as Oak. Gabriel was way too attractive. I spent most of the movie wondering if Bathsheba was blind and why the other two men were even in the running when she had such a hot shepherd pining after her. You don't get that impression from Gabriel in the book. Now, off to find other movies starring Matthias Schoenaerts...

[Miss Dee]

I watched this to distract me from the tin can at 30,000 feet I was in last Saturday. I read the book early in my university career, so I wasn't sure if it was hitting all the beats the way they happened in the novel or not. I'll have to put it on my re-read list.

In any case, the music was swoon worthy and I bought the soundtrack at the first opportunity.

I didn't have an issue with Bathsheba overlooking Oak at first. Despite his hotness she was young and didn't want to be tied down so easily when she first met him; after that he was penniless and needed her to give him a job - not really marriageable material in that day and age. She had to grow up a bit before realizing he was actually blend of the two inducements to marry: stability and security (Boldwood) in his intelligence and common sense and loyalty, and sensuality and spark (Troy) in the way he was direct with her and confident in himself, yet had obvious regard for her.

[AuntiePam]

Loved it. One quibble. Gabriel was so hot it was almost distracting. Not believable that she would have looked to the other two suitors. Especially the military guy who seemed like he was playing dress up most of the movie and seemed to be super young.

 

Just saw this movie -- or rather the last half of it, on an Encore free preview.

 

I agree Gabriel was hotter than Sargeant Troy, but I think it fit the time period for Bathsheba to be attracted to him.  Troy was conventionally handsome, like a Tyrone Power or Errol Flynn -- classic good looks that would appeal to a 19th century woman.  The actor playing Gabriel had a more modern look, like Kevin Costner or Jude Law.  A little rough around the edges, a quiet smolder, eyes that look into your soul.  Yum.

 

But Troy -- dark hair, symmetrical face, a dashing moustache -- I don't know if that's how Hardy described him in the book, but I'll bet he was Hardy's idea of what a woman would like.  Put him in that scarlet uniform coat and voila, 19th century heartthrob. 

 

That classic look doesn't work anymore.  Unless you're Jon Hamm, I guess.

[paramitch]

I just caught this, and quite liked it, although Hardy (like Wharton) tends to write depressive works that give me hives.

But this adaptation, it was one of those weird things for me -- I like the movie, tolerated the book, so I won't rewatch repeatedly. Yet I must have rewatched the clip of Bathsheba and Boldwood's duet on "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme" a dozen times so far. Seriously. It's one of those "oh my God, thank you filmmaker(s), this totally covers the price of admission" moments for me.

Also: here's the clip I mentioned, which is justifiably complex, vulnerable, and ridiculously lovely:

 

It's a good movie overall, and a good adaptation, too (that I definitely liked more than the book or the 1967 adaptation, no matter how gorgeous Julie Christie or Terence Stamp happened to be). They just never took me entirely out of the 60s period and into the 19th century. This one did.

And I thought Mulligan was splendid (I expected a sweet, too-charming dimpled version of Bathsheba but she was resolutely so much more complex -- I'm really turning into a superfan of Mulligan's), and she's believably of the period. I also thought Schoenaerts was very good, if kind of tiresomely predictable.

Meanwhile, for me, the real scene-stealer was the superb Michael Sheen, whose Boldwood is devastatingly vulnerable, charming and ultimately heartbreaking. He also has the single best scene in the film for me -- as, at a dinner party at which Bathsheba sings for her guests, Boldwood joins her. The song is beautifully sung by both of them, and Sheen's subtly changing expressions as the song progresses are a master class in acting.

(NOTE: I LOVE the show "Masters of Sex," but I've never found Sheen anywhere near as swoonworthy as he was here.)

I'd recommend the film, although I definitely felt like Sturridge was the one weak link as Troy -- I never understood or bought his appeal for an instant (the role really did need an undeniable sexual magnetism, something Terence Stamp certainly did bring to the 1967 adaptation, but that is lacking in this version's Troy). But it's a lovely film and ultimately a perfectly respectable adaptation.

 

[pancake bacon]

1 hour ago, paramitch said:

Meanwhile, for me, the real scene-stealer was the superb Michael Sheen, whose Boldwood is devastatingly vulnerable, charming and ultimately heartbreaking. He also has the single best scene in the film for me -- as, at a dinner party at which Bathsheba sings for her guests, Boldwood joins her. The song is beautifully sung by both of them, and Sheen's subtly changing expressions as the song progresses are a master class in acting.

Oh my God, Paramitch.  I had the very same thoughts as I saw this movie in the cinemas. Michael Sheen was just superb in the movie, and his amazing subtlety seemed all the more impressive. In the clip he even out-sexied du jour Eurpoean hottie Matthias Schoenaerts. 

I also loved the scene where he expresses the depth of his feelings for Bathsheba to Gabriel. Michael Sheen's expressive face was a marvel, and the saddest moment of the movie. He should've been nominated for an Oscar for that scene alone. 

[paramitch]

Pancake Bacon, I'm totally with you on Sheen here. I would have been very happy if he'd been nominated -- I've simply never seen him play anything quite like this character before. I've always thought he was a good actor (and I'm fascinated at the ways in which he can turn on his charisma, as in the silly fun Underworld movies -- or turn it off to a degree, as in "Masters of Sex"), but his performance in this really impressed me beyond anything else he's done.

And the scene you mention broke my heart. I loved that he wasn't just kind and generous to the girl he loved, but that he was even more so to the man he knew was his rival (and yet who was someone he truly liked and respected). The fact that he felt a subtle kinship to Oak, because of their unspoken shared love for Bathsheba, was just gorgeously acted there.

[megwhite]

I really tried to like this movie, I really like Carrie Mulligan but it was so boring, and I usually love period pieces, I never got why she was so against the shepherd as she clearly in love with him since the beginning, I guess I need to read the book now to see if its better then the movie

[caracas1914]

I love Thomas Hardy and his tragedy thrice burdened characters ( so judge me) and I actually thought the movie caught the essence of Hardy as well as can be expected.  Sturbridge I agree was the weak link, but as far as Hardy goes, the Maddning Crowd is about as "upbeat" as you are going to get happy ending storyline.  Mulligan wasn't predictably "plucky" as the actress gave some good layers to the characters.

[Mrs.Thornoak Darcy]

On 5/10/2015 at 1:39 PM, Scarlett45 said:

(Bolding mine) I disagree- oh he's so handsome!! A little unkempt as he's a Shepard in a period piece but his features are very strong.

I saw the film tonight- I was impressed. The only character I wasn't completely sold on was Bodswood(spelling). For a rich middle aged bachelor he must have had his pick of women, I didn't quite understand why he was so taken with Betheseda (spelling). I was rooting for Gabriel the whole time. He was a reserved sexy.

I totally agree! I couldn't take my eyes off of Gabriel. I almost thought Bathsheba was blind not to see how undeniably attractive and goodhearted Gabriel was. If only men were like that in reality.

On 8/28/2015 at 1:00 AM, sluggish neko said:

Finally got around to renting this. I loved the scenery, but they sure chewed through the plot quickly. It's like they just ticked off all the major plot points in the book without really developing the characters, especially the other two suitors. Bathsheba's love for Troy was very sudden, as was his fake death and surprise reappearance. Boldwood's infatuation with Bathsheba was just as sudden. It's like the valentine she sent him had a love spell on it or something. I think this is one of those stories that does best in miniseries form where things happen at a leisurely pace.

 

Also, I have to agree about casting Matthias Schoenaerts as Oak. Gabriel was way too attractive. I spent most of the movie wondering if Bathsheba was blind and why the other two men were even in the running when she had such a hot shepherd pining after her. You don't get that impression from Gabriel in the book. Now, off to find other movies starring Matthias Schoenaerts...

I stumbled upon this movie after watching Suite Francaise with Matthias Schoenaerts. It was a good movie as well. I just noticed how long it's been since someone has posted. I laugh.

On 5/10/2015 at 1:39 PM, Scarlett45 said:

(Bolding mine) I disagree- oh he's so handsome!! A little unkempt as he's a Shepard in a period piece but his features are very strong.

I saw the film tonight- I was impressed. The only character I wasn't completely sold on was Bodswood(spelling). For a rich middle aged bachelor he must have had his pick of women, I didn't quite understand why he was so taken with Betheseda (spelling). I was rooting for Gabriel the whole time. He was a reserved sexy.

He is one handsome man indeed.

[bijoux]

I expected and wanted to like this one much more than I ended up liking it, but the pacing was really off and brought down the beautiful scenery and pretty much all around great acting IMO. I agree with a poster upthread about it probably working better as a mini series.

[Ohwell]

The original 1967 movie starring Julie Christie as Bathsheba was much better.  Alan Bates played Gabriel and he fit the role perfectly as the earnest, "non-dashing" shepherd.  Plus, the scenery was absolutely gorgeous.