(WB DVD)
Love seldom runs smoothly in Thomas Hardy’s novels; this one was one of his most engaging books released in 1874. Bathsheba (played by Julie Christie) inherits a farm and is courted by three suitors. Gabriel Oak, a knowledgable bailiff looks after her farm and is the first to be refused by the headstrong, fickle young woman. He also remains loyal and faithful to her while the other two men–a more prosperous farmer Boldwood (played by Peter Finch) and Sgt. Troy, a n’er-do-well soldier (played by Terence Stamp)–vie for her hand. Two of the three men suffer tragic fates, leaving one to finally attain Bathseba in marriage. All four main actors give strong performances and are perfectly cast.
The movie was shot in Hardy country and looks fantastic. The supporting cast of Fanny (the girl Troy jilts: the main subplot) and the other actors playing workers and townsfolk have been likewise carefully chosen by famed ’60s director John Schlesinger, who went on to direct the cinematic landmarks Sunday Bloody Sunday and Midnight Cowboy. This was, incidentally, one of the last ’60s roadshows, complete with introductory and intermission music, and it runs a long 171 minutes, but without the need for more editing. Frederic Raphael has done a good job adapting Hardy’s original material and Richard Rodney Bennett’s complimentary music works well, too.
This is definitely a film for romanatic filmgoers and illustrates many nuances of thwarted and obsessive love. It also gives an accurate of late nineteenth-century English country life. The characters and actors’ performances are equally worth seeing also. Indubitably, a memorable viewing with sufficient Hardyesque twists and turns. Recommended heartily.