***/**** (3.5 stars)
Dorest, 1870. In the depths of
the countryside, an orphaned young woman, Bathsheba Everdeen, discovers she is
to inherit her uncle’s farm and large fortune. In her new position, she draws
the gaze of a variety of men: Sergeant Troy, gallant yet troublesome; Mr.
Boldwood, a well-respected and kind man; and Gabriel Oak, her first sweetheart.
The trouble with adapting
Victorian fiction is that, once you strip away the allure of the lexicon and
the authors’ command of the English language, the plots can be really rather…
Frustrating? Long-winded? Overly convoluted? A mixture of all of these,
perhaps. I have studied many a Victorian novel, from multiple Dickens books, to
the dreary Austen, and, indeed, to Thomas Hardy, and in each case, I have
always felt that if the characters actually communicated with one another about
how they were feeling, these novels would not be half as long. Refreshingly,
Hardy does at least suggest why Bathsheba is not forthcoming with her feelings,
stating that (paraphrasing) ‘it is hard for a woman to describe her feelings in
a language designed by men’. So, into Bathsheba’s life we are thrust, along
with that of her three potential suitors. Carey Mulligan is a great actress,
that cannot be denied, and she is supported by three well-cast love interests,
in particular Michael Sheen as the socially awkward and somewhat damaged Mr.
Boldwood. Sheen’s every lip curl, every repressed movement and line, is
beautifully idiosyncratic of an excellent actor, and it is such a pleasure to
see him on the big screen. Matthias Schoenaerts plays Gabriel Oak, and plays
him in the exact same way as he played the last role I saw him in, in Suite Francoise. Despite this, is offers
a grounded and good-hearted nature to Oak’s character.
Lavishly filmed and exquisitely
designed, it is undoubtedly an attractive film. The Dorset countryside looks
idyllic, heavy with Hardy’s pictorialism and his love of the pastoral, and the
cast certainly look handsome striding around in their beautiful clothes, often
framed by the sweeping landscape. It is, however, all surface. Whilst the film
was obviously made with a great deal of affection and with great skill, it
seemed to me nothing more than a beautiful picture to look at, pass some time
observing, and then move on. It evoked no emotion in me, even as other members
of the audience sobbed into their tissues at ‘the big declaration’ moment.
Bathsheba has definitely been made into a far more likeable character for the
screen, but this only made me find her frustratingly bland, as opposed to
controversial and difficult to get along with, as in the novel. Adapted by the
novelist David Nicholls, I can’t help but feel that some elements were all to
quickly brushed over but then, wading through Hardy’s lengthy descriptions can
hardly yield a great deal of conversation.
An elegant and attractive film, Madding Crowd can unfortunately not
bring anything new to the world of Victorian adaptions. Yes, it is well-acted
and, yes, it does look beautiful, and it is largely faithful to the story, but
it is just somewhat uninspiring and, at times, a little dull. There is nothing
wrong with it, per se, it just failed to engage me with any of the characters,
instead leaving me feel more for Old George than any of the humans.
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