Film No. 40 (2015) Far From the Madding Crowd June 15th.

Film No. 40 (2015) June 15th. 6:30 PM THE WINDSOR Nedlands.

 

"Mr Oak I don't want a husband and if I ever were to marry I'd want someone to tame me and you'd never be able to do it." (Miss Everdene explains her plight to her one great ally, Mr Gabriel Oak).

Far From The Madding Crowd

Yes you guessed it, here again is another lavish, sumptuous costume drama. This one retells a famous story penned by Thomas Hardy back in the late 1800's. The story has been around for so long there is a chance one is visiting the cinema in the hope of viewing a new and original take on a famous narrative. At least that is what I wanted from Madding Crowd. I saw and enjoyed Thomas Vinterberg's dark take on an unnerving subject matter, The Hunt at last year's Perth Film festival. I was salivating at the prospect of something equally rewarding.

I have to say I was disappointed in this version but I'm more disappointed that I built my hopes around my Vinterberg theory because this version of Hardy's novel hardly puts a foot wrong. There is real chemistry between the four key characters and the stark beauty of the landscape, so important as a backdrop to this story is captured brilliantly. Maybe I watch too many films and thus get ahead of myself on occasions.

Bathsheba Everdene is an iconic character, etched into the imagination of all who have read Hardy. Cate Mulligan does a great job of matching her natural beauty with the strong minded hard edge needed. She deflects the affections of Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen) with believable precision. I wasn't convinced so much by her union with Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge). Because the novel is such an epic, the retelling of it in two hours meant that the dramatic, if fractured, union between Everdene and Troy fails the chemistry test.

This film will do good business. There are masses of baby boomer film goers craving another costume drama. I've never before seen the Thomas Hardy characters to be quite as beautiful and immaculately dressed as this version would have you believe but it is easy viewing. Personally, I'd like to have seen Vinterberg put a less saccharine blanket on this famous fairy tale.  7GUMS