Far From the Madding Crowd

Accompanied by my film partner-in-crime, Emma, I trotted along to the cinema for a mid-day showing of Far From the Madding Crowd. The British Drama stars Carey Mulligan and Michael Sheen alongside two of my favourites - Juno Temple and Tom Sturridge. This adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel (there have been four in total) was released two months ago for the first time at the Istanbul Film Festival before general release on May 1st. At just under two hours long, the Victorian set film is far from being a profound piece of cinema... yes, I did just make that joke. But seriously, the film was fine. Just fine. And here is why:

The plot is basic and uninspiring with the focus of the films action left in the hands of Mulligan who often falls short in roles that many others would shine in. Perhaps directors and producers alike simply have too much faith in her abilities or are blinded by her 'classic' English beauty. This is also not the first book adaptation that Mulligan has starred in that has left me disappointed. Back in 2010 she joined Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley to publicly humiliate themselves in the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go. But, Carey Mulligan was thankfully carried by a competent supporting cast, this time around, which resulted in a fairly easy to watch film. However, with Michael Sheen at Mulligan's side during many scenes, I had expected a little bit of his talent to rub off on her. 

Despite recieving astonishingly high reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, Far From the Madding Crowd really is not that special. Many of the novel's most famous and appreciated moments are skimmed through and overlooked by dream-like sequences. Understandably this was done to shorten the length of the film, but at the risk of diluting a plot to the point of it becoming boring? Is it really worth it? In fact, the film has strayed far from the original novel's focus on countryside society and the land from which many earn their keep. Thomas Vinterberg, the director, clearly tries to distance his adaptation from previous ones as the atmosphere in his film feels deliberately darker and less like a traditional romance that the poster [left] may suggest. Which is appropriate considering the plot is certainly not traditional. In terms of studying adaptation, however, this film is incredibly interesting because of the differing views and opinions that it offers. Proving that an adaptation does not need to stick rigidly to the structure created before it. 

As afore mentioned, I am quite a fan of Juno Temple. So I was incredibly pleased to discover that she would be playing Fanny Robin, a pivotal role within the novel's plot. Unfortunately she did not feature as heavily during the film as I would have liked. The way in which her relationship with Frank was only touched upon, left me wondering why they even bothered continuing with their story line at all. In order for viewers to understand Frank's actions and frustrations his relationship with Fanny needed to be explored properly. 

In summation, this film was more captivating than I had expected it to be with beautiful costuming, scenery and moments of real talent amongst the cast. I think that several moments could have been reexamined by the director and his team but overall the film was fine. This film has cemented one thing for me. If a man gives you a lamb, that is the man you should marry.