Far From the Madding Crowd

When I was in college I grew weary of Thomas Hardy.  I studied most of his major works (Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, The Return of the Native, and The Mayor of Casterbridge) and it seems to me that fate controls all of Hardy's protagonists and that love always leads to tragedy.  Tess, especially, is a helpless victim to a cruel and indifferent destiny and I actually cried at the end of her story.  I decided that Hardy was too depressing and returned to reading the novels of Jane Austen, where happy endings abound.  A few years ago I found a copy of Far From the Madding Crowd in a used bookstore and, surprised that I hadn't read it before, decided to give Hardy another try.  This novel redeemed him in my eyes because, while Bathsheba chooses poorly and this choice leads to misery and ruin, at least she has a choice!  She, unlike Hardy's other heroines, is also able to change her circumstances and find love at the end of the novel.  A happy ending from Thomas Hardy!  Since it is my favorite of his novels, I have long been looking forward to the sumptuous new film adaptation by Thomas Vinterberg and I was able to see it on Sunday night.  It is an absolutely beautiful film.  Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) is a headstrong and independent woman with her own farm in Victorian England.  She has three very different suitors vying for her affections:  a lowly shepherd in her employ (Matthias Schoenaerts), a wealthy middle-aged landowner (Michael Sheen), and a dashing regimental officer in a scarlet tunic (Tom Sturridge). The cast is excellent but I was particularly struck by Mulligan's performance.  Her understated portrayal of Bathseba during the first half of the movie is in sharp contrast to the passion she displays during her scenes with the cad, Sgt. Troy, and I found this characterization to be most effective. The scene where Troy displays his swordsmanship to her is highly charged, to say the least!  The screenplay is much more concise than the novel and I was a little bit disappointed that the role of Fanny Robin is so reduced because Juno Temple is absolutely luminous as the ill-fated serving girl (Hardy doesn't entirely abandon the notion of fate). However, I liked the adaptation, overall.  The film was shot primarily in Dorset, England and the scenery is incredibly beautiful.  The movie is worth viewing for the cinematography alone!  I really enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd and I would recommend it to fans of period dramas.