Thomas Hardy gave the world one of the great heroines of all time in his novel Far From the Madding Crowd – and created an epic, sweeping love story for the ages. Strikingly modern even in 2015, the exuberant Victorian farmer Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) starts out a simple country girl who has inherited her uncle’s farm, and becomes a fierce-willed, impulsive heiress who is faced with a myriad of life choices.
She’s surrounded, and confounded, by intriguing suitors – the down to earth farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), the seductive soldier Sergeant Troy (Tom Sturridge) and the wealthy landowner Mr Boldwood (Michael Sheen). But as she weaves through a turbulent tangle of passion, obsession and betrayal, she must eke out her own hard-won path to what she really desires.
The pastoral beauty and sly humour that characterise Bathsheba has kept Hardy’s novel one of the most popular of all time.
The story has inspired an abundance of stage and film adaptations throughout the years since its publication in 1874 – Bathsheba even inspired The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins to name Katniss Everdeen after the Hardy heroine.
The last time Far From the Madding Crowd was filmed for the screen was for John Schlesinger’s 1967 hit starring Julie Christie. The current adaptation is directed by Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt, The Celebration), who breathes exciting new life into a classic story, which has captivated reviewers:
“Mulligan’s a live wire in a movie that knows how to stir up a classic for the here and now.” Rolling Stone
“A thoroughly modern film anyone can relate to – it's like a "what a woman wants" discussion set in Victorian times. It's also an instant classic.” NY Daily News
“An enthralling, complex, nimbly acted drama with a sweeping romance that doesn't shy away from sexual politics.” USA Today
