15 thoughts on “Far From the Madding Crowd (2015)

  1. I always think the Far from the Madding Crowd which gets Bathsheba best is the 1998 BBC series. In the 1967 version, Julie Christie just seems too “modern” and knowing about men – and well – that’s not what Bathsheba is! She has no experience with men and makes awful mistakes because of that. I also dislike the fact that this version has moved the time to the 1870s (or 1880s). Farmwork did change a lot in those 30 or 40 years – mechanization, the moving of workers to the cities etc. Why not leave the time when it was supposed to be? After all Hardy knew this world far better than any of us today can.

    1. Yep, changing the period just because someone doesn’t like the silhouette of the costumes changes so much more, if they’re going to be realistic. But this adaption (like too many others) is going for the easy romantic story, not really taking into account any of the social critique that’s in the source material. Oh well!

  2. The main reason I was happy at the end of the movie, when Oak and Bathsheba finally get together, was because of old Georgie, I found it so sad the dog would be abandoned a second time by his master… thinking of that, I realize it summarizes up well my feeling with the movie ^^. I found Oak and Boldwood interesting characters but too late, and I couldn’t get into appreciating Bathsheba neither understood why is it that every man wants to marry her at first sight. She’s not insufferable at all but I couldn’t imagine exactly what her personality was (the “rebel” part put aside).

    1. Yep, there wasn’t a ton of character development for Bathsheba in this film. I keep wondering what is up with Carey Mulligan — is it her or the roles she chooses or some alchemy between them? She’s had important lead roles in some big films but been unimpressive IMO. She’s also in the film “Suffragette” coming out later this year, & I have high hopes bec. it also stars Helena Bonham Carter & Meryl Streep, so comparing the three will be veeeeeeery interesting!

      1. I am far from being a specialist in drama acting but I felt like she lacked of body language. It was as if every emotion was stucked in her eyes and could’nt go beyond so that you guess that something’s happening but you can’t really feel or see it. I long to see “Suffragette” and get a better idea! :)

  3. No; they are not Renaissance-y here. Aprons would be worn then on a farm for gleaning and to cover the main dress. It is appropriate.

  4. I have yet to watch this film. It slipped down quite a few places on my “to watch” list after reading this. I do agree with Northcountrygal however regarding the excellent 1998 version which i re-watched instead. Costumes are rather ordinary though but suited, (I think) to the setting. Hardy is one of my favourite writers though I find his later work overdoes the tragedy. I feel like shouting at him, “give the characters a chance”.

  5. I think Carey Mulligan came off as a bit too modern in this film. I found this odd, considering that I actually enjoyed her portrayal of 1922 trophy wife Daisy Buchanan in “THE GREAT GATSBY”.

    I guess they needed to put that date in front of the film because the first thing we see is a woman (Carey Mulligan, playing the main character, Bathsheba Everdene) riding into the scene wearing a leather jacket and leather pants like some kind of steampunk chick. Yes, LEATHER and PANTS. Um, maybe it’s not 100% inconceivable for the period, but it’s pretty damn unlikely.

    What on earth was that about? Leather jacket worn by a woman in Victorian England? What was the costume designer thinking?

    I have yet to see the 1967 version. But I’m a real fan of the 1998 television version.

  6. I watched this new adaptation. I dislike the leather jacket. As it turned out, Bathsheba Everdene was not as “modern” as many kept hinting she would be. Which is fine with me. I thought the screenwriter and director could have revealed more on Bathsheba’s relationship with her workers and done more with the Fanny Robin character.

    Otherwise . . . I enjoyed it very much. Especially the Belgian actor who portrayed Gabriel Oak.

  7. I just watched this film and completely fell in love with Fanny’s wedding look. Not sure how period-appropriate it is (especially considering the long open hair?), but I still think it’s pretty dreamy!

  8. I just saw the 1967 movie. Like the 2015 movie, I enjoyed it very much. But it had its problems. One of my biggest problems with the movie were the costumes. They looked as if they came from a costume warehouse in the heart of Hollywood. Nor did it help that the wedding outfit worn by Terence Stamp looked as if it was modern, not Victorian.

  9. I’m terribly late to the party, I know, but I’ve just discovered your site by searching for a tutorial for Miss Everdene’s braid (which I still haven’t found, sadly). I just wanted to mention that the book seems to imply her hair is actually often worn completely loose, at least at the beginning, before she inherits.

    For example: “and swinging back her hair, which was black in the shaded hollows of its mass;” in Chapter III

    or

    “the girl now dropped the cloak, and forth tumbled ropes of black hair over a red jacket” in Chapter II

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