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Far From the Madding Crowd

Play trailer Poster for Far From the Madding Crowd PG 1967 2h 49m Romance Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Based on Thomas Hardy's renowned novel, this British drama focuses on Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie), a beautiful young woman who inherits a picturesque farm from her uncle and is determined to run it herself. Three very different suitors -- Francis Troy (Terence Stamp), an intense soldier; William Boldwood (Peter Finch), a middle-aged farmer; and Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), a shepherd of modest means -- all contend for Bathsheba's hand, and conflict is inevitable.
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Far From the Madding Crowd

Critics Reviews

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Patrick Gibbs Daily Telegraph (UK) 05/12/2015
With the emphasis on plot rather than character only Julie Christie finds a part she can turn round in, suggesting convincingly Bathsheba's curious combination of coquetry with integrity. Go to Full Review
Mark Kermode Observer (UK) 03/15/2015
4/5
Splendidly lusty fare, its feet deep in the mud of the English countryside, its head in the lens-flared glare of a dreamy tragi-romantic sky. Go to Full Review
Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard 03/13/2015
4/5
Mostly this is a triumph ... Go to Full Review
Robert Kotlowitz Harper's Magazine 08/04/2020
There is so little authentic feeling in Far From the Madding Crowd. Go to Full Review
Judith Crist Vogue 02/26/2020
I expected a movie to make me stand up and cheer or at least sit up and take notice. Instead it's curl-up and doze-fitfully time. Go to Full Review
Gene Youngblood Los Angeles Free Press 02/03/2020
I haven't walked out on a film in years; it was a depressing experience. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Roberta S 07/05/2024 This is the best film I've ever seen in my opinion. Everything from the cinematography to the acting is superb! A true classic. This original (1967) is FAR superior that the more recent version. I recommend you watch this verson! See more Leaburn O 08/23/2023 A decent telling of the Thomas Hardy classic. Another from the BFI Top 100. Not much to say as it's just a standard Victorian era romance drama, with few surprises but a nice enough pace given its lengthy runtime. I bought this one on DVD as couldn't stream or watch on TV in the UK. See more 06/01/2022 This is a timeless and terrific movie but millennials and younger may not think much of it. I am an elderly literature major so I have always loved this movie, having first seen it when it came out in the theater in 1967. Bathsheba finally finds out what love is but she pays a dear price for her capriciousness. See more georgan g 12/27/2021 This was better than I thought it would be. Despite the characters not doing what I thought was likely, they made foolish choices. Still, I enjoyed this melodrama. See more 01/04/2021 I enjoyed the 2015 remake more. See more William L 12/04/2020 Far From the Madding Crowd is an example of an idea that looks good on paper, but doesn't translate to the screen. The film is a three-hour melodrama masquerading as a character study, which has only four major characters but somehow only really adds complexity to one of them, Troy's Stamp, who maintains colorful character, emotional intensity, and conflicting passions. In contrast, Christie's Bathsheba is simply "the independently-minded woman", Finch's Boldwood is "the repressed gentleman", and Bates' Gabriel is "the honest, patient farmer" who eventually wins out by doing virtually nothing and simply outlasting the other two. The film goes off on long tangents where it often forgets that certain characters exist, but does compensate somewhat with on-location shooting and quality costumes. If you like excessively long romantic period films that exist more to satisfy a passion for drama than to create a sense of sincerity, this may still satisfy your craving for a while, but to me this is a lesser attempt in the sea of midcentury epics. (2.5/5) See more Read all reviews
Far From the Madding Crowd

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Movie Info

Synopsis Based on Thomas Hardy's renowned novel, this British drama focuses on Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie), a beautiful young woman who inherits a picturesque farm from her uncle and is determined to run it herself. Three very different suitors -- Francis Troy (Terence Stamp), an intense soldier; William Boldwood (Peter Finch), a middle-aged farmer; and Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), a shepherd of modest means -- all contend for Bathsheba's hand, and conflict is inevitable.
Director
John Schlesinger
Producer
Joseph Janni
Screenwriter
Frederic Raphael
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Rating
PG
Genre
Romance, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 18, 1967, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2012
Runtime
2h 49m
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