Far From the Madding Crowd Blu-ray Review
Madding crowd - to denote especially the crowded world of human activity and strife - Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Far From the Madding Crowd takes place in Dorset, on the southwest coast on England, during the latter part of the 19th Century. Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates) is a poor shepherd who is raising his flock on land high above the beaches below. Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie), a beautiful young woman who lives nearby with her aunt, has caught Gabriel's eye. He brings her a young lamb to rear, but Bathsheba stays out of sight until he begins to return to his home. She then runs to catch up to him, giving him the opportunity to say that he wants to marry her. "And at home by the fire, whenever I look up, there you will be," he says. "And whenever you look up, there I shall be." Bathsheba is flattered, but she tells Gabriel that it is impossible "Because I don't love you."
Gabriel's plans go awry when tragedy strikes his herd of sheep, and he packs up and heads off to town to find work. In the meantime, Bathsheba has been called away due to the illness of her uncle. Unbeknownst to Gabriel, Bathsheba's uncle dies and she is the sole heir to his estate. There she catches the eye of another man, William Boldwood (Peter Finch), a wealthy farmer who is her neighbor. When Bathsheba asks her female servants about him, they warn her "There's no woman can touch him, miss. 'Tis said he has no passionate parts." A fire breaks out on Bathsheba's farm while Gabriel is riding by in a wagon. He jumps off to help, not knowing that he is about to be reunited with her. After he plays a large role in putting out the fire she offers him a position on the farm, which he accepts.
One of Bathsheba's housemaids is Fanny (Prunella Ransome), who has fallen in love with a handsome and dashing soldier, Frank Troy (Terence Stamp). Frank has promised to marry Fanny and she has been pressing him to set a date. When he finally agrees she show up at the wrong church on what was to be their wedding day, and he spitefully casts her off because he feels that she has humiliated him.
Boldwood, a lifelong bachelor, decides to propose marriage to Bathsheba. From a purely economic standpoint their marriage would make a great deal of sense, as they would be able to merge the two farms into one. The stumbling block, however, is that she does not love him. She promises to give him an answer by the harvest season. Then one day she meets Frank Troy, and almost immediately she is beguiled by him. Bathsheba now has three men in her life, all of whom would like to marry her. How this plays out is the subject of the rest of the film.
Julie Christie's career was on a roll when Far From the Madding Crowd was filmed. During the previous two years she had appeared in Young Cassidy, Darling, Doctor Zhivago, and Farenheit 451. Here she does a remarkable job as Bathsheba, a woman who is assertive and naive, self-assured and impetuous. Alan Bates is handsome and likeable as Gabriel, a hard-working, devoted employee who loves Bathsheba but who seemingly has no chance of ever winning her. Peter Finch is excellent as Boldwood, who is willing to wait for years if only Bathsheba will say "Yes." Terence Stamp, who was Julie Christie's lover at the time, gives a wonderful performance as the roguish Sergeant Troy. It is easy to see why Bathsheba falls for him, but is he any good for her?
Far From the Madding Crowd is beautifully photographed by Nicolas Roeg and boasts an outstanding score by Richard Rodney Bennett. Director Schlesinger does a fine job of condensing a lengthy novel into a film without compromising the story. This is the roadshow version of the film, complete with Overture and Entr'acte. It is yet another excellent Blu-ray which has been added to the Warner Archive library.
The running time of 171 minutes reportedly includes three minutes of footage which were not included when the film was released in North America, but those three minutes are not identified.
A ten-minute featurette, "Location: Far From the Madding Crowd" is shown in standard definition at 16:9. I do not advise watching it before seeing the film because it contains many spoilers.
The film's theatrical trailer is shown in standard definition at what appears to be 2.35:1. It has not been restored but it is in fairly good shape.
Far From the Madding Crowd is a wonderful film which keeps the viewer's attention for all of its nearly three-hour running time. The Warner Archive has been developing a reputation for turning out superb Blu-rays, and this is no exception.
Readers who are interested in purchasing it should go to the Warner Archive website to order it.
Far From the Madding Crowd, Director John Schlesinger's sumptuous film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel, has come to Blu-ray in all of its roadshow glory courtesy of the Warner Archive.
Studio: MGM
Distributed By: Warner Archive
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: English
Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 2 Hr. 51 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
Standard Blu-ray Amaray CaseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 02/10/2015
MSRP: $21.99
The Production Rating: 4.5/5
Madding crowd - to denote especially the crowded world of human activity and strife - Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Far From the Madding Crowd takes place in Dorset, on the southwest coast on England, during the latter part of the 19th Century. Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates) is a poor shepherd who is raising his flock on land high above the beaches below. Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie), a beautiful young woman who lives nearby with her aunt, has caught Gabriel's eye. He brings her a young lamb to rear, but Bathsheba stays out of sight until he begins to return to his home. She then runs to catch up to him, giving him the opportunity to say that he wants to marry her. "And at home by the fire, whenever I look up, there you will be," he says. "And whenever you look up, there I shall be." Bathsheba is flattered, but she tells Gabriel that it is impossible "Because I don't love you."
Gabriel's plans go awry when tragedy strikes his herd of sheep, and he packs up and heads off to town to find work. In the meantime, Bathsheba has been called away due to the illness of her uncle. Unbeknownst to Gabriel, Bathsheba's uncle dies and she is the sole heir to his estate. There she catches the eye of another man, William Boldwood (Peter Finch), a wealthy farmer who is her neighbor. When Bathsheba asks her female servants about him, they warn her "There's no woman can touch him, miss. 'Tis said he has no passionate parts." A fire breaks out on Bathsheba's farm while Gabriel is riding by in a wagon. He jumps off to help, not knowing that he is about to be reunited with her. After he plays a large role in putting out the fire she offers him a position on the farm, which he accepts.
One of Bathsheba's housemaids is Fanny (Prunella Ransome), who has fallen in love with a handsome and dashing soldier, Frank Troy (Terence Stamp). Frank has promised to marry Fanny and she has been pressing him to set a date. When he finally agrees she show up at the wrong church on what was to be their wedding day, and he spitefully casts her off because he feels that she has humiliated him.
Boldwood, a lifelong bachelor, decides to propose marriage to Bathsheba. From a purely economic standpoint their marriage would make a great deal of sense, as they would be able to merge the two farms into one. The stumbling block, however, is that she does not love him. She promises to give him an answer by the harvest season. Then one day she meets Frank Troy, and almost immediately she is beguiled by him. Bathsheba now has three men in her life, all of whom would like to marry her. How this plays out is the subject of the rest of the film.
Julie Christie's career was on a roll when Far From the Madding Crowd was filmed. During the previous two years she had appeared in Young Cassidy, Darling, Doctor Zhivago, and Farenheit 451. Here she does a remarkable job as Bathsheba, a woman who is assertive and naive, self-assured and impetuous. Alan Bates is handsome and likeable as Gabriel, a hard-working, devoted employee who loves Bathsheba but who seemingly has no chance of ever winning her. Peter Finch is excellent as Boldwood, who is willing to wait for years if only Bathsheba will say "Yes." Terence Stamp, who was Julie Christie's lover at the time, gives a wonderful performance as the roguish Sergeant Troy. It is easy to see why Bathsheba falls for him, but is he any good for her?
Far From the Madding Crowd is beautifully photographed by Nicolas Roeg and boasts an outstanding score by Richard Rodney Bennett. Director Schlesinger does a fine job of condensing a lengthy novel into a film without compromising the story. This is the roadshow version of the film, complete with Overture and Entr'acte. It is yet another excellent Blu-ray which has been added to the Warner Archive library.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
The running time of 171 minutes reportedly includes three minutes of footage which were not included when the film was released in North America, but those three minutes are not identified.
Audio Rating: 4.5/5
Special Features Rating: 1.5/5
A ten-minute featurette, "Location: Far From the Madding Crowd" is shown in standard definition at 16:9. I do not advise watching it before seeing the film because it contains many spoilers.
The film's theatrical trailer is shown in standard definition at what appears to be 2.35:1. It has not been restored but it is in fairly good shape.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Far From the Madding Crowd is a wonderful film which keeps the viewer's attention for all of its nearly three-hour running time. The Warner Archive has been developing a reputation for turning out superb Blu-rays, and this is no exception.
Readers who are interested in purchasing it should go to the Warner Archive website to order it.
Reviewed By: Richard Gallagher
Support HTF when you buy this title: