(M) 3.5 out of 5
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Director: Thomas Vinterberg.
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge.
THOMAS Hardy’s much-loved tale of love in the time of 1840s agriculture returns to the screen for the fifth (or possibly sixth) time.
The well-worn plot of an independent and determined young woman pursued by three vastly different suitors remains entertaining 140 years on from the book’s publication, buoyed by excellent performances and sumptuous cinematography.
The determined young woman at the centre of what might be flippantly called a love quadrangle is Bathsheba Everdene (Mulligan), who was orphaned and grew up running the family farm with her aunt.
When she inherits another more successful property from an uncle, Bathsheba is suddenly the centre of the attentions of reliable shepherd Gabriel (Schoenaerts), middle-aged neighbour Mr Boldwood (Sheen), and the dashing soldier Sergeant Troy (Sturridge).
So far, so soap opera-worthy, but its rural English setting, the quality characterisations and sharp dialogue add a suitably distinguished air, helping to raise the plot above its simplicities.
What’s strange about this adaptation – and I can’t figure out if this is a plus or a minus - is how quickly it rushes through Hardy’s plot, seemingly in an effort to achieve greater fidelity to the text while limiting the running time. It means that the many marriage proposals in the film come out of nowhere, with little romance or even conversation preceding them. Obviously it was a different time, but marriage is portrayed as being akin to a business transaction.
But maybe that’s the point and that’s how the many relationships in the film are meant to be portrayed. When Bathsheba rejects a couple of early proposals, is it because she doesn't know the men well or is it a condensation of plot?
Things certainly fly by in an incredibly compressed fashion, making many of the events seem impulsive rather than the result of true emotion, and Bathsheba does say yes to the first proposal accompanied by any hint of lust or passion, so in a sense it works.
But it is the painterly cinematography, which uses natural (or at least natural-seeming) light to great effect, and the performances that make this worth recommending.
Michael Sheen is always great and he's excellent again here, as is Carey Mulligan, who holds the film together. She's the right mix of determined and demure, independent and in need of help, charming and challenging, bold but not too bold to ask. She maintains her femininity while mixing it with the men in a time where such an approach was frowned upon.
Matthias Schoenaerts is also good as the stoic Gabriel, taking the quieter of the four key roles and ensuring he says a lot by not saying much at all.
While its pacing is puzzling, this largely faithful rendition of the story should do most fans of the novel proud and serves as a good introduction for newcomers.