Far From the Madding Crowd (1967)

John Schlesinger's solid adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel sees three rival suitors vying for the affections of the beautiful Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie decked out in a variety of bonnets and frilly dresses), who has just inherited a farm. The men in her life are stout, whiskered yeoman Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), an impoverished local farmer; neurotic, repressed squire William Boldwood (Peter Finch); and handsome rascal Sgt. Troy (Terrence Stamp), who breaks women's hearts for a hobby.

Thanks to cameraman Nicolas Roeg and production designer Richard MacDonald (who also worked for Joseph Losey), 19th-century Dorset looks as pretty and as picturesque as a John Constable reproduction on top of a cookie tin. Not that Schlesinger or screenwriter Frederic Raphael underplays the duress of rural life. We see the hardship of the farm workers' lives as the seasons turn. The film opens with a spectacular sequence in which Gabriel Oak's dog drives his flock of sheep over a cliff, thereby forcing him into penury. Whether hunger or heartbreak, every character here suffers. Bathsheba (like the model Christie plays in Darling) is a free spirit in a society in which women's rights are severely restricted. --Geoffrey Macnab Amazon.com essential video

avoid this

The new DVD is a disaster--still cropped rather than 2.35x1 and lacking the original stereo soundtrack. Warner Bros. has botched a great opportunity to present this beautiful film in the manner it deserves. October 28, 2008

A Favorite Classic Needed on DVD!!!!!!!!!!

I first saw this movie on television MANY years ago and a about 10 years ago I bought it on ebay. I would be thrilled if there were a DVD, especially Blu-Ray version of it. This movie is truly a classic, beautifully acted and in my opinion a zillion times better than the remake. October 11, 2008

Neglected masterpiece

I agree with all the above reviewers. I have this '60 epic in laser disk, when laser disk technology gave us better selections of great movies. "Far from the Madding Crowd," with Julie Christie at her prime, Peter Finch, Alan Bates, and Terence Stamp, and directed by John Schlesinger captures both the spirit--and the letter--of Thomas Hardy's great novel, gives the serious viewer a feast for the eye and a first rate drama with tragic overtones, a rare cinematic experience. Some DVD company should make it available in Region 1 (this country) so those of us who still possess the 90s laser discs could enjoy it in its full glory. Criterion should court it. It has given prominence to lesser things. March 16, 2008

Where is the DVD of This Film?

One of the best literary adaptations on film ever made, this film of Hardy's classic features fine performances from Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Peter Finch, and the dashing Terrence Stamp. Great cinematography by Nick Roeg. An Oscar nominated score by Richard Rodney Bennett.

I don't know why a good DVD hasn't appeared of this film. So much junk is available, why is this gem being kept from the public. As far as I know, the British DVD is a bad transfer of the film. March 17, 2007

An unforgettable picture!

This well gifted director made his most relevant artwork with this film based on a Thomas hardy novel. This outstanding work shows the poignant portrait of a charming and humble lady who will be the most beloved woman of three different men. The first one is Alan Bates who is not touched by the Fortune God precisely but gifted of a notable will and working spirit; the second - Terence Stamp is young military man- who likes to swim in the middle of two turbulent waters of different density and finally Peter Finch a very enriched man the most mature man of the group. She will be the object of affection, desire and profound emotional thirst.

The film despite it's overlong , has so many highlights moments because the cast is simply overwhelming. Julie Christie was one the most important female icons in the sixties. Owner of a radiant magnetism, undeniable beauty and irresistible charm gives a real tour de force acting. Nicholas Roeg is the Photograph Director in this hyper romantic story which illustrates with clever sense of realism a magnificent stage of the XIX Century.


March 10, 2005

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