Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Thomas Hardy (novel)
Frederic Raphael (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 October 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Her romance with three men becomes a bold adventure [UK theatrical]

Plot:

Bathsheba Everdine, a willful, flirtatious, young woman, unexpectedly inherits a large farm and becomes romantically involved with three widely divergent men.

Plot Keywords:

Sergeant | Farm | Sheep | Love | 19th Century

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Julie Christie	...	Bathsheba Everdene
Terence Stamp	...	Sgt. Francis 'Frank' Troy
Peter Finch	...	William Boldwood
Alan Bates	...	Gabriel Oak
Fiona Walker	...	Liddy
Prunella Ransome	...	Fanny Robin
Alison Leggatt	...	Mrs. Hurst
Paul Dawkins	...	Henery Fray
Julian Somers	...	Jan Coggan
John Barrett	...	Joseph Poorgrass
Freddie Jones	...	Cainy Ball
Andrew Robertson	...	Andrew Randle
Brian Rawlinson	...	Matthew Moon
Vincent Harding	...	Mark Clark
Victor Stone	...	Billy Smallbury
Owen Berry	...	Old Smallbury
Lawrence Carter	...	Laban Tall
Pauline Melville	...	Mrs. Tall
Harriet Harper	...	Temperence
Denise Coffey	...	Soberness
Margaret Lacey	...	Maryann Money
Marie Hopps	...	Mrs. Coggan
Peter Stone	...	Teddy Coggan
Walter Gale	...	Jacob Smallbury
Leslie Anderson	...	Boldwood's Labourer
Keith Hooper	...	Boldwood's Labourer
Jonathan Newth	...	Gentleman at Cockfight
Derek Ware	...	Corporal
John Donegal	...	Sailor
Peggy Ann Clifford	...	Fat Lady at Circus (as Peggyanne Clifford)
Noel Henkel	...	Circus Manager
Bryan Mosley	...	Barker
David Swarbrick	...	Fiddler at Barn Dance
Alba	...	Gentleman at Party
Frank Duncan	...	Farmer at Corn Exchange
Hugh Walker	...	Farmer at Corn Exchange
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Maxwell	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
John Schlesinger

Writing credits
Thomas Hardy		(novel)
Frederic Raphael		(screenplay)

Produced by
Joseph Janni	....	producer
Edward Joseph	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Richard Rodney Bennett

Cinematography by
Nicolas Roeg

Film Editing by
Malcolm Cooke

Casting by
Miriam Brickman

Production Design by
Richard Macdonald

Art Direction by
Roy Forge Smith		(as Roy Smith)

Set Decoration by
Peter James

Costume Design by
Alan Barrett

Makeup Department
Ivy Emmerton	....	hairdresser
Bob Lawrance	....	makeup artist
Philip Leakey	....	makeup artist (as Phillip Leakey)

Production Management
Frank Ernst	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kip Gowans	....	assistant director
David Bracknell	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Nigel Wooll	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Aldred	....	sound recordist
Alfred Cox	....	sound editor
Gordon Daniel	....	sound editor
Robin Gregory	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Martin Gutteridge	....	special effects (uncredited)
Jimmy Harris	....	special effects (uncredited)
Brian Humphrey	....	special effects (uncredited)
Garth Inns	....	special effects (uncredited)
Malcolm King	....	special effects supervisor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Harris	....	camera operator
Anthony B. Richmond	....	camera focus (as Tony Richmond)
Edward Tucker	....	camera grips
Alex Thomson	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Isla Cameron	....	advisor: folk songs
Marcus Dods	....	conductor
Marcus Dods	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Max Faulkner	....	horse master
Ann Skinner	....	continuity (as Anne Skinner)
Derek Ware	....	sword master
Catherine O'Brien	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents)
• Vic Films Productions

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Pathé Distributors (1967) (UK) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1971) (USA) (TV)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Trading Post

Other Companies

• Turner Entertainment  DVD package design

Runtime:

168 min | Finland:170 min (uncut) | Finland:157 min (cut)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1968) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1988) | UK:U (cut) | USA:TV-14 | France:U | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Abbotsbury, Dorset, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [John Schlesinger]Briefly spotted as an extra in the harvest celebration at about the midway point, before the film's Intermission.

Quotes:

Sgt. Francis 'Frank' Troy: [Tp Bathsheba] A woman like you does more damage than she can conceivably imagine.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Profile of 'A Town Like Alice' (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Jesus Christ Is Ris'n Today

intelligent and underrated

One of my favorite books of all time became one of my favorite films of the '60's. Yes, it's long and deliberately paced, but beautifully filmed (by future director Nicolas Roeg) and unusually intelligent. Julie Christie, fresh from her Oscar for "Darling," never quite gets a handle on the character of Bathsheba Everdene, but she is so beautiful and magnetic an actress that it hardly matters. Her three leading men, however, are all superb--Terence Stamp as the caddish Troy, Peter Finch as the lonely neighbor whose love for Bathsheba yields tragic results, and (especially) the late, great Alan Bates, who projects a wonderful and down-to-earth masculinity as farmer Oak. Director John Schlesinger crafted a film that evokes a time and a place as few other films ever have. Special mention also to Richard Rodney Bennett's beautiful musical score--sadly (and unbelievably) the only Oscar nomination this film received.