Far From The Madding Crowd [VHS] [1967]: Julie Christie, Peter Finch, Alan Bates, Terence Stamp, Fiona Walker, Prunella Ransome, Alison Leggatt, Paul Dawkins, Julian Somers, John Barrett, Freddie Jones, Andrew Robertson, Nicolas Roeg, John Schlesinger, Malcolm Cooke, Edward Joseph, Joseph Janni, Frederic Raphael, Thomas Hardy: Amazon.co.uk: Video

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

John Schlesinger's solid adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel sees three rival suitors vying for the affections of the beautiful Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie decked out in a variety of bonnets and frilly dresses), who has just inherited a farm. The men in her life are stout, whiskered yeoman Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), an impoverished local farmer; neurotic, repressed squire William Boldwood (Peter Finch); and handsome rascal Sgt Troy (Terrence Stamp), who dresses as if he's Flashman and breaks women's hearts for a hobby.

Thanks to cameraman Nic Roeg and production designer Richard MacDonald (who also worked for Joseph Losey), 19th-century Dorset looks as pretty and as picturesque as a John Constable reproduction on top of a biscuit tin. Not that Schlesinger or screenwriter Frederic Raphael underplay the duress of rural life. We see the hardship of the farm workers' lives as the seasons turn. The film opens with a spectacular sequence in which Gabriel Oak's dog drives his flock of sheep over a cliff, thereby forcing him into penury. Whether hunger or heartbreak, every character here suffers. Bathsheba (like the model Christie plays in Darling) is a free-spirit in a society in which women's rights are severely restricted. --Geoffrey Macnab

Synopsis

Based on the novel by Thomas Hardy which tells of an English heiress courted by three men. She marries the wrong man who proceeds to gamble most of her fortune away.

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

3.4 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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99 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I would give this 5 stars but for one small problem........., 23 Nov 2004

By	Bristol Film Buff (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Far From The Madding Crowd [DVD] [1967] (DVD)

Okay, all the good news first: yes, this IS the John Schlesinger-directed version of Thomas Hardy's classic novel, finally getting the long-overdue DVD release it so richly deserves. Everything about this film smacks of class. I cannot fault the perfomances; Julie Christie is gorgeous as always, and Peter Finch, Terence Stamp & Alan Bates will always make the ladies swoon. The production values are all first-class as well with stunning recreation of time and place. The music by Richard Rodney Bennett expertly teases our emotions in all the rights places, and Schlesinger's vivid direction should have won an Oscar.

Now the bad news (VERY BAD): the DVD transfer and presentation is an absolute travesty, up there with Zulu Dawn & the British releases of El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire as the worst to date. Nicolas Roeg's beautiful 2.35:1 Panavision photography (one of the main reasons I bought this) has been severely cropped to 1.78:1 after the opening credits (the back cover of course does not mention this fact, merely stating incorrectly that its "2.35:1 Widescreen"), and there is a lot of print damage that at times makes certain scenes distracting to watch. We are also treated to a tinny-sounding mono soundtrack that does the film no justice whatsoever. There are no extras, which begs the questions where are the documentaries and commentaries etc (Stamp & Christie are still around)?? Your guess is as good as mine.

I hope that the-powers-that-be see fit to re-release this film properly, nicely restored with at least one or two extras, and in its correct Panavision ratio all the way through! Until then, I recommend saving your money and waiting for it to either (a) get a fine re-release or (b) show up on TV instead.

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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Incorrect Aspect Ratio, 7 Oct 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Far From The Madding Crowd [DVD] [1967] (DVD)

This poor rating is for the disc, not the movie. The original aspect ratio of this film is 2.35. The title sequences, beginning and end, are in the correct 2.35. However, the movie itself, for some peculiar reason, is approx. 1.85. One of the reasons to view this brilliant film is for Nicolas Roeg's beautiful camera work. Also, the source print was not the best. There are also some noticable compression artifacts in a couple of places. Avoid until they release it properly.

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79 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Schlesinger must be turning in his grave!, 20 Oct 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Far From The Madding Crowd [DVD] [1967] (DVD)

At last! the long awaited DVD of John Schlesinger's 1967 cinematic masterpiece of Thomas Hardy's FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD. But don't throw your hats up too soon, discerning DVD buffs should avoid this dreadful quality package at all costs. I'm grudgingly prepared to accept the sad absence of ANY extras - even a trailer, but I have to say that this new release insults both it's valuable customers and the film itself, with extremely poor sound and the worst quality transfer I've seen in a long time. And it gets worse - Richard Rodney Bennett's towering emotional score is seriously depleted by a measly MONO soundtrack, and Nick Roeg's beautiful 2.35:1 Panavision photography is horrifyingly blown up to 16:9 full-screen aspect ratio immediately after the opening titles! This invalidates the sleeve-note claim to be the 2.35:1 version, and continues to rob the world from seeing the film on DVD in all it's widescreen glory. It also proves to be the short version, coming in at just under two hours, probably the TV cut, and certainly not the magnificent 3-hour plus version which I believe is available in widescreen on VHS in the US. In stark contrast, the other great Hardy film - Polanski's simultaneously released "TESS" comes in a fantastic value 2-disc restored special edition, packed with delicious extras, so this sub-standard MADDING CROWD fare is all the more difficult to take. John Schlesinger's masterpiece was photographed in Super-70mm Widescreen Panavision by Nicolas Roeg, one of the greatest cinematographers of our time, and performed by a rare ensemble of legendary players from Frederic Raphael's sumptuous screenplay. So will the studio please believe that this is the version we yearn to see again - and nothing less! Perhaps the highly respected US film restorers CRITERION will come to the rescue, and do for MADDING CROWD what they did for the US special edition DVD of Schlesinger's other great masterpiece BILLY LIAR (not to be confused with the lack lustre UK release). Ironically, even this mean offering can't stop the greatness of Hardy and Schlesinger from shining through, but until the arrival of a superior package - quality enthusiasts should leave this version on the shelf.