Based on the sweeping epic novel by Thomas Hardy, John Schlesinger’s Far From The Madding Crowd (1967) is a rather fascinating case study in the destructive power of romantic love. The film stars Julie Christie as Bathsheba Everdene, a reckless, willful wretch of a girl whose love is a toxic elixir to the three men who will never entirely possess her.Hardy originally published his forth novel in 1874. Although it was immediately popular, he revisited the work twice more; in 1895 and 1901 to make further additions and changes to his text. The title is perhaps a bit confusing. ‘Madding’ is interpreted as ‘frenzied’ but suggests that the characters within are removed from such chaos. Nevertheless, the events depicted throughout the novel illustrate just how unstable each character’s life is.
As the film begins, Bathsheba lives with her aunt, Mrs. Hurst (Alison Leggatt) on a remote farm in Wessex. She is daily courted by the man who will eventually become her second husband, Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates). Through frugality and hard work, Oak has managed to accrue a small sheep farm on a remote bluff not far from Mrs. Hurst’s home.
In point of fact, Oak is a most honorable catch and one that would make any woman a fine husband. However, Bathsheba rebukes him several times and then leaves her aunt to go and live with an uncle in the small town of Weatherbury.
Meanwhile, Oak’s stake in farming comes to a tragic end when his wayward sheep dog terrorizes his herd into leaping to their death off a rocky cliff. Impoverished; Oak journeys to another nearby town, Casterbridge, to seek a post working for someone else. He is first introduced to William Boldwood (Peter Finch), who can find no use for Oak on his vast estate.
Disheartened, Oak stumbles upon a disorganized rabble of servants unsuccessfully attempting to extinguish a blaze that threatens to destroy another manor house. Taking charge of the situation, Oak garners the attention of the cloaked mistress of the manor – none other than Bathsheba, who has inherited the estate from her late uncle.
Bathsheba reluctantly hires Oak to manage her farm, but further complicates her own affairs when, in a foolish school girl’s prank, she sends a valentine to her neighbor, William Boldwood with the inscription “marry me” hand written inside. Naturally, Boldwood assumes the card an invitation to pursue Bathsheba on a romantic plain. Instead, Bathsheba rebukes William’s advances – though the two remain friendly toward one another.
Disgusted by Bathsheba’s wayward affections, Oak confronts his employer and is fired from his post. However, when Bathsheba’s sheep begins to die of bloat, she swallows her pride and begs Oak to return to the farm and save what remains of her herd.
From here the film momentarily departs Bathsheba’s romantic nonsense to concentrate on several torrid liaisons between Sgt. Francis Troy (Terence Stamp) and his beloved Fanny Robin (Prunella Ransome). Troy proposes marriage to Fanny. However, she confuses the location of ‘All Saint’s Church’ – thus publicly humiliating Troy, who waits endlessly at the altar. Arriving too late for the ceremony, Fanny is admonished by Troy who breaks off their engagement.
Disenchanted, Troy accidentally meets Bathsheba. Fascinated by his dangerous passion, the two elope to Bath, returning to Bathsheba’s estate with Boldwood offering Troy money if he will give her up. Troy pretends to contemplate the offer; then publicly humiliates Boldwood at a party where he announces that the two have already married.
Troy indulges in drunken revelry that leaves him and most of the hired hands incapacitated on the eve of a violent storm. Oak, who has not taken part in the festivities, ventures alone into a night to shelter the crop. Seeing him struggling in the gale, Bathsheba also takes into the night and together she and Oak manage to rescue a portion of her investment for the coming year.
Fanny resurfaces, destitute and pregnant. Realizing that the child she is carrying is his, Troy gives Fanny all the money he has, instructing her to go into town and rent lodgings for the night. Troy further promises that he will return with more of Bathsheba’s money the following day. Unfortunately, Fanny is overcome by sickness and dies in childbirth that night.
Having reasoned that her husband and Fanny are still in love, and learning of Fanny’s death, Bathsheba orders Fanny’s body brought to their home. After waiting all day in vain for Fanny to arrive and collect the money, Troy returns home, discovers the truth and is sickened by the thought of living with Bathsheba another moment.
He erects a monumental marble headstone to his beloved’s everlasting memory and then strips to bath in the sea. As fate would have it, a strong undercurrent carries Troy out to sea; a mixed blessing, as it causes Bathsheba to presume that Troy has drowned and Boldwood to take up his pursuit of marriage to Bathsheba.
A year passes and Boldwood decides to throw a lavish party for the woman he hopes will agree to marry him. Unfortunately for all concerned, Troy resurfaces and arrives at the party to drag the reluctant Bathsheba away with him. Determined that history should not repeat itself, Boldwood murders Troy in full view of his guests and a frantic Bathsheba throws herself at her late husband’s head, at long last revealing to Boldwood that he could never have meant anything to her. Henceforth, Boldwood’s final days are spent in the darkness of a prison cell.
Oak announces to Bathsheba that he has decided to leave her employ and venture out on his own once again. Bathsheba asks if there is any way that he would consider staying on and Oak declares that only marriage would prevent him from his decision. Bathsheba agrees to this rather straight forward proposal and, in the final few moments, the she and Oak are seen together in the garishly cozy room she once furnished as a sort of romantic shrine to Troy.
Far From The Madding Crowd may not represent the very best of filmic sweeping epics, but it does manage to impeccably capture the essence of Thomas Hardy’s characters and also create an evocative and textured backdrop of the England that must have been. Director Schlesinger and screen writer Frederic Raphael have done an exemplary job of condensing Hardy’s masterwork into a faithful screen adaptation. Nicholas Roeg’s cinematography is lush and complimentary. Alan Bates, Peter Finch and Terence Stamp give exceptional, sustained and magnetic performances with Prunella Ransome almost as good.
The disappointment comes in the casting of Julie Christie as Bathsheba. Fresh from her Oscar win in Darling (1965), Christie hardly seems the iconoclastic heroine of Hardy’s novel but rather a fresh faced interloper; the wicked depth and clever shrewdness of Hardy’s heroine distilled into a simpering and somewhat spiteful creature ill in control of her own destiny. Hardy’s Bathsheba is far more calculating than Christie gives her credit for.
Warner Home Video’s DVD is, for the most part, a quality effort. The anamorphic widescreen image exhibits a rich color palette. Flesh tones appear quite natural. Reds are blood red; blues and greens so vibrant that they belie the fact that the original film elements are in excess of being 40 years old. Contrast levels are bang on with deep blacks and very crisp whites.
Apart from several very brief scenes that consist of a more obvious grain pattern and age related artifacts, most of the image is sharply rendered with fine detail evident throughout. The audio has been remastered to 5.1 Dolby Digital, though at times it seems strident and lacking in bass tonality. Apart from a theatrical trailer there are NO extras. Recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
3.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
4
EXTRAS
0
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