Far from the Madding Crowd

Starring:Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, Juno Temple, Jessica Barden
Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Romance
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In Victorian England, a woman (Carey Mulligan) tries to choose between three very different suitors.

Review:
Tim: I'm a big fan of Thomas Hardy, and while I've read several of his books (including Jude the Obscure and Tess of the d'Urbervilles), I haven't read the novel upon which this film is based. So, being somewhat familiar with Hardy's works, I was interested to see this adaptation. I would say that it's very likely better than average, a well-made production that tells an engaging, entertaining story. I enjoyed this movie very much.

The film does a wonderful job of quickly immersing ourselves into this world. It was easy to forget the contemporary world as we're transported back to Victorian England. The movie does a good job of weaving this world into the story. It was fascinating to think about a woman's life back then, where a decision like whom to marry would have major life-altering ramifications (not that it doesn't still today, but not quite as drastic as in this time).

The characters are brought vividly to life by a number of strong performances. Carey Mulligan gives a strong performance as Miss Everdene. I've seen a number of Mulligan's movies, I know she's an Academy Award nominated actress- all the evidence points to her being a very, very strong actress. I think my head knows this as a fact, but I just can't get excited about her as an actress. She's always good, but is never really great. I thought she was perfectly well cast here and gives a strong performance throughout. I never loved her performance for a second, but it's hard to find fault with it. She was the right actress for the role and delivered. She hit all the right notes to ensure we cared about her character, even when we strongly disagreed with her actions. I suppose at some point I'll shake my issues with her. So, I'll just say I didn't love her here, although I know she did a good job.

Matthias Schoenaerts, on the other hand, was the opposite- I loved his performance. If I've seen him in films before, I was unaware of him. He gives a quiet, strong, reserved but powerful performance. I think he had the hardest job of the entire cast- you're obviously meant to like him greatly, but he can't be too perfect, or it makes Miss Everdene look really bad. He found the right balance and I enjoyed his character and his performance more and more as the film went on. He was the best part of the film in my opinion. I also loved seeing Michael Sheen here. I feel like Sheen is a criminally underrated actor. He had a challenging role here, and did well with it. You felt sympathetic towards him, but still didn't want to see him succeed. It's another fine balance and he did very well. It felt like Tom Sturridge was the weakest of the big four actors. He doesn't give a bad performance at all, but it was a little on-the-nose. He had a few good moments and it was fun to despise his character, but his ability felt like a significant drop from Mulligan, Schoenaerts, and Sheen. Juno Temple was fine in a small role. I know her name and feel like I should know who she is, but her performance here was entirely too forgettable. I know I've seen her in other movies, but I have no recollection what they were or who she played. She's one of the most bland, nondescript actresses I've seen in a long, long time (for clarity, I don't mean her looks, I mean her performances just do nothing to stick in my mind).

Director Thomas Vinterberg does a good job of keeping the story moving and juggling the different characters. At just under 2 hours, the movie never felt overly long. I was engaged from beginning to end with only a few minor spots where my attention waned. The cinematography was beautiful and there were a number of scenes where I actually commented on what a gorgeous shot was on the screen. That was a big strength of the film. While the story is a bit predictable once it gets started (I had no idea where it was going initially), it throws enough at you that you never feel completely certain you know how it will all turn out. That's an achievement for a film like this.

Overall, I very much enjoyed Far from the Madding Crowd. Whether I knew anything about Hardy or not, I would have found this an entertaining film with some real emotional depth and meat to the story. It's a very, very good film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Atonement, The Great Gatsby, Suffragette