- Actors: Alan Bates, Janet Maw, Jack Galloway, Anna Massey, Peter Bourke
- Classification: U
- Studio: BBC
- VHS Release Date: 24 Jan 2000
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CL2X
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,976 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I saw this adaptation when it was first televised and was totally enthralled by it. Alan Bates gave a well balanced and sensitive performance of the Mayor tortured by his past. The supporting players including Janet Maw and Annie Massey were particularly impressive too. The period was well captured and the essence of the story was further enhanced by the touching music score of Carl Davis. I loved it then and I love it now! A dvd to be treasured!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Not a lavish, expensive production like BBC's Pride and Prejudice, but nonetheless still worth watching, partly due to the quality of the acting. Fans of Hardy will appreciate the authenticity. At times a little drawn out, but there are many more excellent moments, especially the dramatic 'Skimmity Ride' scene. All the actors are excellent, but of particular note is Alan Bates, who IS the ill - fated hero, Michael Henchard.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another example of excellent BBC telly drama - in the days before the Corporation was determined to become poor man's cinema.
A dramatisation by Dennis Potter, no less (the perfect man for this job) combined with an extremely good cast, makes this 1978 gem a collector's classic.
The nice thing about adaptations like this is that they allow time for the very complex plot to breathe - and the viewer isn't left with his or her head spinning after a glossy roller-coaster ride through the bare essentials of the original story ...
(I know I'm a fan of these older 'classic serials' - and view most of them all with a fondness probably born of nostalgia, but hey - why not ? These are high quality programmes, beautifully made and performed. They deserve to be treasured - and most of them knock spots off more recent attempts.)
Go ahead and order - it's well worth it.
A dramatisation by Dennis Potter, no less (the perfect man for this job) combined with an extremely good cast, makes this 1978 gem a collector's classic.
The nice thing about adaptations like this is that they allow time for the very complex plot to breathe - and the viewer isn't left with his or her head spinning after a glossy roller-coaster ride through the bare essentials of the original story ...
(I know I'm a fan of these older 'classic serials' - and view most of them all with a fondness probably born of nostalgia, but hey - why not ? These are high quality programmes, beautifully made and performed. They deserve to be treasured - and most of them knock spots off more recent attempts.)
Go ahead and order - it's well worth it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Classic - still very good
A classic serial from the seventies. The pace is leisurely compared to today's dramas, but it covers details of the plot which you may not get from a shorter version. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Cutts
Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge.
This is a really well acted film, Alan Bates is superb as
Michael Henchard, Like he was meant for the part. Read more
Michael Henchard, Like he was meant for the part. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Sue Gib.
Another great period drama on DVD
This is a first class historical drama produced by the BBC which I thoroughly enjoyed watching again after seeing it for the first time it appeared on TV over 30 years ago. Read more
Published 14 months ago by June in Derbyshire
Does this DVD have subtitles in English?
English is not my mother tongue, and sometimes (especially when it comes to period dramas) I need subtitle. Read more
Published 17 months ago by pantaghana
Superb Dramatisation
As lovers of Thomas Hardy's work my wife and I remembered this serial from when it was first shown on TV, we have to say that it is just as we remembered it ! Read more
Published 22 months ago by Gray Hamme
TV drama at its best.
I must have missed this the first time around on TV. The now aged production was never-the-less a triumph of expression of dramatic art. Read more
Published 24 months ago by George Gently
You can almost smell thecountryside
I always did think this was a wonderful series and I still do. Alan Bates as Henchard was a perfect mix of bluster and vulnerability and the rest of the cast were really top... Read more
Published on 15 Aug 2009 by Vicky Martin
mayor of casterbridge dvd
the definative adaptation of one of hardy's best. for those who don't know the story, it has all the twists and turns of the Jeremy Kyle show but with much more taste. Read more
Published on 19 Jun 2009 by Dubious Status
Disappointing rendering of a great book
I had fond recollections of this BBC production from when it was first screened in the late '70s, but either my memory has been playing tricks, or I was too young to tell good from... Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2007 by Odysseas
theatregoer NZ
With Alan Bates how could this not be a fabulous version of The Mayor of Casterbridge! Again, English theatre at its very best. Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2006 by Ann Lockey
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