Far From the Madding Crowd

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Cast & Crew

Julie Christie
Bathsheba

Peter Finch
William Boldwood

Alan Bates
Gabriel Oak

Terence Stamp
Sergeant Troy

Prunella Ransome
Fanny

Fiona Walker
Liddy

Paul Dawkins
Henery Fray

Andrew Robertson
Andrew Randle

John Barrett
Joseph Poorgrass

Julian Somers
Jan Coggan

John Schlesinger
Director

Frederic Raphael
Writer (Screenplay)

Joseph Janni
Producer

Nicolas Roeg
Cinematographer

Malcolm Cooke
Film Editor

Richard Macdonald
Production Designer

Richard Rodney Bennett
Original Music

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Critic Reviews for Far From the Madding Crowd

Audience Reviews for Far From the Madding Crowd

• Nov 14, 2015

  A very faithful adaptation that may not be a memorable classic but translates well the essence of Hardy's novel into a concise narrative that benefits from a uniformly perfect cast and takes its time to tell what it needs without rush, despite the rather hasty ending.
  Carlos M Super Reviewer
• Sep 30, 2015

  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.
  Robert B Super Reviewer
• Dec 14, 2011

  John Schlesinger's surprisingly dull three-hour epic "Far From the Madding Crowd" is not so much a movie as a TV mini-series. It is grandly majestic in its look but puny in its content and perspective. Just because something is filmed in wide-screen Cinemascope and covers a long chronological period doesn't mean it is broad in perspective. "Madding" has the look of a grand epic but the content of a soap opera. The Thomas Hardy novel upon which it is based must have some depth. But Schlesinger ends up providing the appearance of depth more than the real thing. His actors, who are almost absurdly talented, give a lot of meaningful looks, but they have little to say that is interesting. Almost everyone from England's 1960s acting royalty is represented here, including Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Alan Bates and Peter Finch. But great actors cannot do much more than look regal when all they have is soap opera to play. This is the downfall of British television in general: almost without fail it puts aristocratic actors into petit-bourgeois soap opera. The film Schlesinger made after this, "Midnight Cowboy" (1969), is so much better than "Madding" that it's almost surreal. How could the same person direct these two films in the span of a few years? Amazing. (Incidentally, I still don't know what the hell "madding" means. Also incidentally, if you haven't seen "Midnight Cowboy," you are missing out on something extraordinary.)
  William D Super Reviewer
• Sep 03, 2010

  The costumes and scenery of this romantic saga are wonderful, and the direction is impeccable (John Schlesinger, with help from cinematographer Nicolas Roeg). But there's something curiously unsatisfying about this Thomas Hardy adaptation. Maybe it's that Julie Christie never earns much empathy as the heroine Bathsheba, and just seems irritatingly fickle. Maybe it's that she wastes so much energy on the terminally skeevy Francis (Terence Stamp), and neglects poor Gabriel (Alan Bates). Maybe it's the abrupt happy ending, which defies the tone of everything which precedes it. Or maybe the film is just overlong. But something doesn't fit. I do know this much: The scene where moronic Francis wins Bathsheba's heart through showing off his sword tricks is one of the most ludicrous scenes I can remember seeing in a movie which intends to be a classy drama. I was haunted by its embarrassing memory throughout the remainder of the film and beyond.
  

  Eric B Super Reviewer

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