Far from the Madding Crowd

With all the formulaic, commercial, big-budget films out there, it's certainly refreshing to see an independent period film thrown in the mix. But this isn't just any period film, it's one that has been a perennial favorite otherwise known as "Far from the Madding Crowd". It's based on Thomas Hardy's literary classic novel and this is actually the third incarnation of the timeless novel--the other's which were released in 1967 and 1998.

This is the story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba's choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love--as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance. Which one does she choose and does her innate independence serve her or does it sustain more and more hardship for herself?

Others to round out the cast are Juno Temple as Fanny Robbin, Jessica Barden as Liddy, Bathsheba's loyal assistant, Bradley Hall as Joseph Poorgrass, Victor McGuire as Baliff Pennyways and Mark Wingett as Baliff #1.

This was neatly and deftly directed by Thomas Vinterberg ("The Biggest Heroes" '96, "The Third Lie" 2000, "It's All About Love" '03, "Dear Wendy" '04, "When a Man Comes Home" '07, "Submarino" '10, "The Hunt" '12). He was able to emit just the right emotions as these four lives intertwined to a point which gives it that timeless feel to it. It was written by David Nicholls ("Great Expectations" '12) based on Hardy's classic novel. It would be extremely difficult to botch this screenplay considering the novel it's based on. Nicholls has quite a bit of experience under his belt, and with that, this script simply soared. The character development was well delineated so much so, that it looked as though the script was taken from the novel verbatim. A good many period films have a tendency to drag a bit, but this had me riveted from minute first to last. The production values were striking, as was the acting, especially that of Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba. The versatility she showcased could capture the attention of the Academy come Oscar time.

As period films go, this was unique in that it was primarily about four main characters and even though there were others in the cast, this mostly showed the four predominantly, and most period films don't do this. Most are fraught with many pivotal characters, hence the grandiose of the production. But then again, this is based on Thomas Hardy's reliable classic novel.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                    Rated: PG-13                               118mins.