--> Carey Mullligan Matthias Schoenaerts Michael Sheen Tom Sturridge Jessica Barden Juno Temple
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“It’s
my intention to astonish you all”, announces the heroine in Far from the Madding Crowd to her newly
hired farm hands. And Bathsheba
(Mulligan) does just that in the rest of the film based on Thomas Hardy’s
classic novel. In the artful hands
of Director Thomas Vinterberg, and screenwriter David Nicholls, the movie lives
up to standards of the dogme95 manifesto in which Vinterberg and Lars von Trier
stood up for artistry by reacting to the big studios’ emphasis on action films
with overloaded special effects and other technological advances. Now, it is ironic that Vinterberg’s
film is being released almost simultaneously as The Avengers: Age of Ultron,
and, sadly, the masses are flocking to the action film.
Gratifying
to many of us wanting to see more comprehensive—and realistic—portrayals of
women in films, Bathsheba appears to us as one who values her independence,
wants to compete with men on their own terms, and is sensible in wanting to
know as much about her business as possible. Despite this, she is a woman of her time (turn of the
century), and a complex mixture of intelligence, assertiveness, and naïveté. Her teasing and the variability of her
affections make her even more alluring to the men around her.
Three
men rush to woo her and make her his own, promising her devotion and caring for
the rest of her life. First is
Gabriel, the level headed neighbor farmer who ends up being in her employ;
second is the well-to-do neighbor farmer, Boldwood (Sheen); and then Sergeant
Troy (Sturridge), a handsome man and a master of swordsmanship, who sweeps her
off her feet despite warnings about him from Gabriel. High drama ensues with all the characters, and Bathsheba
will undergo many trials. These
episodes have tinges of both drama and comedy, and we appreciate once again
Hardy’s understanding of human nature.
It’s
wonderful to see Carey Mulligan ace this complex role with glittering,
sometimes contradictory, facets to her personality. Matthias Schoenaerts is a perfect contrast/counterpart for
her, and the electricity between them really zings at times until she
highhandedly puts him in his place.
He never wavers, however, in his loyalty to her. Michael Sheen is a standout particularly
in one scene where Boldwood confides to Gabriel his complete adoration and love
for Bathsheba, and at the same time acknowledges her lack of passion for him,
along with the astute observation of Gabriel’s and Bathsheba’s hidden
attraction. Tom Sturridge is
dashing as a military officer, and easily slips into the posturing of a weak
man using foolish means to underscore his masculinity.
Thomas
Vinterberg has once again directed a stellar cast in an absorbing and
thoughtful story about thoroughly human characters with traits familiar to all
of us.
A refreshing visit
into classical literature.
Grade: A By
Donna R. Copeland
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