Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

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:

Love | 19th Century | Sheep | Sergeant | Unrequited Love

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		(director of photography)

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:

Bathsheba Everdene: I've been checking the records. We've never had so many lambs come to maturity as this year. Not ever.
Gabriel Oak: Well, we've been lucky, Ma'am.
Bathsheba Everdene: I'VE been lucky!

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

The Bold Grenadier

Alan Bates is just fantastic

What a treat to see an adaption of this marvellous but hard going book, of course it's always worth the effort to read Hardy, but it takes getting into, you have to be in the right mind frame, so dramatisations of his wonderfully rich characters are always wonderful to watch, and open up his work to a wider audience I should imagine.

This film in particular was pretty true to the script, if a little condensed, in places. I felt Alan Bates was just fantastic on screen, but probably had the right amount of charm and screen magnetism for the box office, but a little too much to be a true Farmer Oak as described by Hardy, what women in her right mind would ever turn him down,being so sweet and looking like that, I must watch more of his films.

Everyone else was just brilliant as well, and it was lovely to see the beautiful Dorset I visit often so on the big screen and note it really hasn't changed that much at all since the filming in the 60's.

An excellent film, don't miss it !!!