SummaryBathsheba Everdine, a willful, flirtatious, young woman, unexpectedly inherits a large farm and becomes romantically involved with three widely divergent men.
Directed By:John Schlesinger
Written By:Thomas Hardy, Frederic Raphael
Far from the Madding Crowd
Metascore
Mixed or Average
55
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
55
50% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
50% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
75
The leading men are successful. Alan Bates, in a change of pace, is the loyal shepherd. Terence Stamp is a suitably vile Sgt. Troy, and Peter Finch makes Boldwood strong and honorable in his love for Bathsheba. Miss Christie, however, is too sweet and superficial, and so is the film.
70
Screenwriter Frederic Raphael has managed to preserve the book's broad vision while clarifying its bucolic speech. His most valuable ally is Director John Schlesinger (Darling), who displays the best sense of Victorian time and place since David Lean in Great Expectations, alternating his stars with a brilliant cast of minor players who serve as a Greek chorus in tragicomic peasant roles.
50
Julie Christie, Peter Finch, Terence Stamp and Alan Bates are variedly handsome and have their many effective moments, but there is little they can ultimately and lastingly do to overcome the basic banality of their characters and, to a certain degree, their lines.
40
The environment is more impressive than the slow, mawkish drama it contains, and the peasants are more assertive and colorful than the main characters. Scenes of sheepherding, farm gatherings, harvest suppers and assemblies at markets and fairs are more energetic and entertaining than the bloodless confrontations of the principals.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
100% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Sep 30, 2015
7
Far from the Madding Crowd lives up to the expectations for a period epic (a la Ben Hur, the Sound of Music, etc.) made in the 60s. The transfer is surprisingly good. The characters are enigmatic and the plot does not conclude with much catharsis (which probably figures into some of the low ratings). But all-in-all Far from the Madding Crowd is fine for what it is.
Jul 29, 2015
7
A double-bill of two film adaptations of Thomas Hardy’s novel, about a Victorian liberated and strong-willed girl named Bathsheba Everdene (Mulligan/Christie), who is an orphan but fortuitously inherits a farm from her late uncle, but in due course, her romantic entanglements with three very different men, the honest and devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak (Schoenaerts/Bates), the wealthy, middle age bachelor William Boldwood (Sheen/Finch) and a hot-headed sergeant Frank Troy (Sturridge/Stamp), will teach her a hard lesson with a shocking third act. keep reading my review on my blog, please google: cinema omnivore, thanks!
Production Company:
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- Vic Films Productions
Release Date:Oct 18, 1967
Duration:2 h 48 m
Rating:TV-14
Tagline:Her romance with three men becomes a bold adventure [UK theatrical]
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 3 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
National Board of Review, USA
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
