Director: John SchlesingerCast: Julie Christine, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch, Alan Bates
Genre: Drama/Romance 1967
Running time: 171 mins.
Rating:★★★★
Based on Thomas Hardy's 19th century novel, Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christine) is a willful, passionate girl who is never satisfied with anything less than a man's complete and helpless adoration. And she captures the lives and loves of three very different men: Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates), a sheep farmer who is captivated by her beauty and proposes marriage; William Boldwood (Peter Finch), a prosperous man in his early forties and a confirmed bachelor; and Sergeant Frank Troy (Terence Stamp), a handsome, reckless swordsman given to sudden fits of violence.
Ahhh...back in the good ol' days when films would still begin with an overture score...mmm...You knew right from the start that this movie was going to be epic and the story would be deliciously well-told! And I like my share of film violence as much as the next person, but when there are scenes of animal cruelty or death, I can't handle it at all. It is interesting however that while Bathsheba toys with two of the men's affection, it does save her during each trial. Her headstrong, charms and independent nature are soon stripped away, when she's the one who is foolishly charmed into love with dangerous and disharmonious man. Through a world-wind of a journey does she break free of her naivety, realizes the joys of harmony, and of simplistic peace.
Like The Collector (1965), Terence Stamp proves to be able to portray a fantastic asinine creep with great screen presence. You just love to hate him! The landscapes have a very Edgar Allan Poe and Vincent Van Gogh-esque quality, which absolutely perfect for the plot.
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