Director: Thomas Vinterberg Starring: Carey Mulligan, Michael Sheen, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge Writer: David Nicholls | 4/5 Far From the Madding Crowd Continuing May’s stellar run of films that feature strong women is Thomas Vinterberg’s latest adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel, Far From the Madding Crowd. The classic story of the fiercely independent Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) and her love quadrangle - take that every love triangle of today’s pop culture - was most famously remade in 1967 with Julie Christie in the lead role. No offense to Christie’s talent, but what Vinterberg has given us should be the closing remarks for all talk of future adaptations. By both amping up the fiery feminism and deepening the emotion of the male characters, Vinterberg, working off a script from David Nicholls, has made the seminal cinematic telling of this romance. Let me catch anyone up who is not familiar with the story. Bathsheba is our heroine, raised to tend land and keep up a home as good as any man. She is not rich, but she does well for herself and, most importantly, she is happy. So happy with her independence, in fact, that she turns down the marriage proposal of Gabriel Oak, a nearby sheep farmer/town stud played by Matthias Schoenaerts (The Drop). This would be the catalyst of any other romance, but the real turning point for Bathsheba is when she inherits her late uncles estate, a notable wheat farm that has seen better days. |
Due to her rise in wealth, it’s no surprise that the beautiful Ms. Everdene draws a number of suitors wishing to claim her hand. Luckily for us, the majority of the film focuses on her letting the men dangle while she ponders her decision. She is not about to just give herself to anyone. Along with the always-present, long-suffering Gabriel is a wealthy, kind landowner named William Boldwood (Michael Sheen) and a smooth, reckless soldier named Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge). While it’s always fairly clear who her eventual lover is, Vinterberg still finds way to draw away more than enough romantic drama, sexual tension, and emotional understanding from each of the suitors.
This may not have been the case if not for the skills of the four main actors. Schoenaerts and Sturridge are impeccable as the two men who get the most of Bathsheba’s affection, but it’s Michael Sheen who really stands out here. Sheen’s Mr. Boldwood, always kept at arm’s length, could have been played much differently by a less emotionally-adept actor. But like he does on Masters of Sex, Sheen finds a way to his character’s heart and lets it all show. His scenes with Bathsheba are by far the most fun to watch, especially a duet the two share over dinner.
And so we come to Mulligan, who is, in my opinion, the main reason Vinterberg’s retelling will be remembered as the definitive. With one steely look into the distance, the Drive actress can let you in on everything you need to know about her character and then some. It can be hard to pull off being an independent woman in period pieces such as this. It’s not hard to imagine what probably happened to women who were this fierce back 19th century England. You will never doubt Mulligan; her portrayal as Bathsheba is powerful, authentic, and empowering.
My only complaint would be that there is enough drama to fill a whole season (or even a series) of television. It makes sense, seeing as how Hardy initially wrote this story as a monthly serial. It plays out that way. Sometimes, you may wish that it was that way, with all of the same actors, of course.
I complained a few days ago about how Poltergeist failed to distinguish itself as a remake worthy of existence. Everything that I disliked about that film, this one gets right. Sure, it does the obvious stuff like beef up the cinematography with today’s high definition cameras, but its improvements go beyond the surface level. It takes a good movie, targets its weaknesses - the ’67 film was not exactly the feminist statement the story was intended to be -, and comes out swinging with a beautifully retelling. Far From the Madding Crowd is notable in one other way. It is one of the few adaptations of classic literature that could appeal to both the seasoned lit-snobs and the tween romance sponges, it manages to still seem fresh, and it does not star Keira Knightley. Well done, sir…I mean Ma’am.
This may not have been the case if not for the skills of the four main actors. Schoenaerts and Sturridge are impeccable as the two men who get the most of Bathsheba’s affection, but it’s Michael Sheen who really stands out here. Sheen’s Mr. Boldwood, always kept at arm’s length, could have been played much differently by a less emotionally-adept actor. But like he does on Masters of Sex, Sheen finds a way to his character’s heart and lets it all show. His scenes with Bathsheba are by far the most fun to watch, especially a duet the two share over dinner.
And so we come to Mulligan, who is, in my opinion, the main reason Vinterberg’s retelling will be remembered as the definitive. With one steely look into the distance, the Drive actress can let you in on everything you need to know about her character and then some. It can be hard to pull off being an independent woman in period pieces such as this. It’s not hard to imagine what probably happened to women who were this fierce back 19th century England. You will never doubt Mulligan; her portrayal as Bathsheba is powerful, authentic, and empowering.
My only complaint would be that there is enough drama to fill a whole season (or even a series) of television. It makes sense, seeing as how Hardy initially wrote this story as a monthly serial. It plays out that way. Sometimes, you may wish that it was that way, with all of the same actors, of course.
I complained a few days ago about how Poltergeist failed to distinguish itself as a remake worthy of existence. Everything that I disliked about that film, this one gets right. Sure, it does the obvious stuff like beef up the cinematography with today’s high definition cameras, but its improvements go beyond the surface level. It takes a good movie, targets its weaknesses - the ’67 film was not exactly the feminist statement the story was intended to be -, and comes out swinging with a beautifully retelling. Far From the Madding Crowd is notable in one other way. It is one of the few adaptations of classic literature that could appeal to both the seasoned lit-snobs and the tween romance sponges, it manages to still seem fresh, and it does not star Keira Knightley. Well done, sir…I mean Ma’am.