Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

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

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Thomas Hardy (from the novel by), Frederic Raphael (screenplay)

Stars:

Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julie Christie	...	Bathsheba
Terence Stamp	...	Sergeant Troy
Peter Finch	...	William Boldwood
Alan Bates	...	Gabriel Oak
Fiona Walker	...	Liddy
Prunella Ransome	...	Fanny
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

Storyline

Based on Thomas Hardy's 19th century novel, Bathsheba Everdene 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, a sheep farmer who is captivated by her beauty and proposes marriage; William Boldwood, a prosperous man in his early forties and a confirmed bachelor; and Sergeant Frank Troy, a handsome, reckless swordsman given to sudden fits of violence.

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Plot Keywords:

sergeant | sheep | 19th century | love | farm | 

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Taglines:

A willful passionate girl and...the three men who want her!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 October 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bir ask yetmez

Filming Locations:

Abbotsbury, Dorset, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Vic Films Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

168 min 170 min (uncut) 157 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Prunella Ransome receives an "introducing" credit.

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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!

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Connections

Featured in Lionpower from MGM (1967)

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Soundtracks

"The Bold Grenadier"
(uncredited)
Traditional folk song
Sung offscreen by an unidentified female

User Reviews

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.