In case you missed it, filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg made an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s literary classic "Far From The Madding Crowd," starring Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba Everdene, a woman who attracts many suitors who complicate her life: Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge and Michael Sheen (Juno Temple also co-stars). It’s a weird one in that it was shot ages ago, pegged for Cannes last year, and then delayed an entire year, which isn’t a great sign. But it’s finally coming out, and a new trailer has arrived. Here’s the official synopsis:
Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD is the story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba’s choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love – as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.
"Far From The Madding Crowd" opens in limited release on May 1st, which means it’s too early for Cannes 2015 in mid-may, but maybe Fox Searchlight can pull off a sleeper period-romance drama like “Belle” that was a modest hit last year (and surprisingly great).
It seems that this re-make will not introduce any major diversions from the earlier film (which was great in its way). But that\’s in its favour, since the novel is so great and deserves to be re-told. Carey Mulligan is a much better choice than Julie Christie was, if only because Mulligan is much more beautiful and is a far better actress. I can\’t speak for the rest of the cast, but if they are solid, they should set off Mulligan very well. It\’s not just Mulligan\’s beauty that makes this, it\’s her deep sense of emotion, of frailty, of femininity, coupled wiht a very sharp intelligence.
This looks so good! I can\’t wait to see it!
I\’m sorry it\’s not premiering at Cannes, it looks epic. As fascinating as the original was, this trailer actually makes this film look even better. I had some doubts about Carey initially, since she\’s nothing like Julie Christie, but it looks like she pulls it off. Belle was wonderful and should have been a bigger hit, so I hope this one does even better.
One of my favourite classic novels and one of my favourite all time actors (Matthias Schoenarts) in what looks like a great production. This trailer is more detailed than the first one. Not every movie has to be Oscar material, and the Oscars are pretty arbitrary anyway. I thought Mulligan would be annoying but she seems very good in this.
"t’s a weird one in that it was shot ages ago, pegged for Cannes last year, and then delayed an entire year, which isn’t a great sign."
It was not delayed a full year, I think they were aiming for the fall 2014 awards season. I\’ve read Far From The Madding Crowd and I liked it but it doesn\’t strike me as oscar material. Hopefully this will turn out like Jane Eyre, which was a good movie but not an awards contender.
Very good trailer. I love the cinematography. I know some expected an awards season release but May is a competitive month which makes me think Fox Searchlight has some confidence in the movie.