FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (1967)

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/1/15 at 5:50pm

Oh, Carey Mulligan, you're very cute with your little smirk, but you're no Julie Christie.

Am I the only one who has seen this?  It's one of my favorite Thomas Hardy novels and the Schlesinger film does it pretty good justice.  Epic, entertaining, and a surprise flop when it came out.  And, I'm sorry, Alan Bates was HOT back in the day.  It deserves to be seen before you jump to the latest film incarnation.

Far From The Madding Crowd with Julie Christie

[Scripps2]

Posted: 5/1/15 at 6:53pm

And, I'm sorry, Alan Bates was HOT back in the day.

As he was in The Go-Between too.

[madlibrarian]

Posted: 5/1/15 at 8:19pm

The '67 FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD is indeed an underrated classic that holds up well almost half a century later. Highly recommended. (Terence Stamp is hot, too.)

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/1/15 at 8:46pm

I saw it as a kid and it got me onto Thomas Hardy.  Still his best film adaptation (though there's a lot to recommend in Tess and some in Jude as films,) and while I liked the cast and director, the way this new version is being marketed as a grand romance (Bathsheba and Oak don't even KISS in the novel,) strikes me as all wrong.

 

Schlesinger made glorious films for a good decade including this one.  Then...he didn't.  (and of course infamously someone has said that working with Madonna on Next Best Thing killed him.)

 

Is the film underseen?  Granted I was a lit major and focused in Victorian lit, but I assumed it was extremely well known and regarded, despite losing a lot of money when it came out.  It recently had a restored cinema reissue in the UK I think, and I assume we'll get a nice blu ray soon.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 9:15am

Not to threadjack too far, and no, I haven't seen the '67 film, but the new movie was quite lovely actually. I'm a huge Carey Mulligan fan, and she's at her very best in this. The pace is measured and graceful, but man, is there a lot of plot to churn through in 2 short hours! The look is burnished and coppery, and really soaks up the wonders of rural Dorset. Some odd costume choices (Bathsheba seems to like denim as a dress fabric for some reason), but a generally excellent work, and especially noteworthy for having so many women in charge behind the camera-- DP, Production Designer, etc. Brava.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 11:41am

Alan Bates was hot back-in-the-day. I loved him in AN UNMARRIED WOMAN.

From what I've read Terence Stamp was busy banging anything with a skirt back then.

I think it was on TCM just last week. Didn't bother to watch it though.

That being said, the remake looks beautiful has a great cast and is definitely on my list of must see films.

Updated On: 5/3/15 at 11:41 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 12:29pm

I actually think Stamp got hotter as he got older.  Quite a silver fox, that one.

Alan Bates, alas, not so much.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 4:49pm

I saw the Mulligan version yesterday and am in agreement with Someone in a Tree. It's a great role for her and she produces some very lovely scene work. 

The men, especially Micahel Sheen, were strong as well and none too hard on the eyes. It is deliberately paced, but it flew by quickly all the same. I easily got caught up in the romance of the whole thing. 

After seeing Mulligan's tremendous work in Skylight last month and now being treated to this performance, she really is on a roll! 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 5/3/15 at 7:28pm

I was trying to make it a Carey Mulligan twofer this weekend, but alas it was not to be. The only cancellation tickets available at Skylight last night and today were premium seats for $275, too rich for my blood.

Updated On: 5/3/15 at 07:28 PM