Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

Director:

John Schlesinger

Writers:

Thomas Hardy (from the novel by)
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:

Sergeant | Sheep | 19th Century | Love | Farm

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

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
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:
Michael Beint	...	Laborer (uncredited)
John Garrie	...	Pennyways (uncredited)
James Maxwell	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
John Schlesinger

Writing credits
Thomas Hardy		(from the novel by)
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)

Art Department
Tom Jung	....	poster designer (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)

Stunts
Ian McKay	....	fight director (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 song
Marcus Dods	....	conductor
Marcus Dods	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Max Faulkner	....	horsemaster
Ann Skinner	....	continuity (as Anne Skinner)
Derek Ware	....	swordmaster
Catherine O'Brien	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents)
• Vic Films Productions (as A Joseph Janni Vic Films Production)

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)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1968) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Trading Post

Other Companies

• Turner Entertainment  DVD package design

Also Known As:

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:

Australia:PG | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1968) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1988) | UK:U (cut) | USA:TV-14 | France:U | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Abbotsbury, Dorset, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Prunella Ransome receives an "introducing" credit.

Quotes:

Bathsheba Everdene:[to her farmhands] There's ten shillings for anyone who wants to stay, and no hard words for anyone who wants to go.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Vicar of Dibley: The Vicar in White (#5.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Bushes and Briars

Boring? NO WAY!

Like another reviewer, I'm continuously amazed at detractors to this fine adaptation of Thomas Hardy's strongest novel. The reviewer who whines about it being "boring" should tune into a good TV sit-com and let the good cinema go-- it will always be "boring." Those reviewers, and there are several, who read Hardy can appreciate this fine film which builds on directly on Hardy's novel. One reviewer noted that Hardy "...gets into the heads of his characters..." Quite true, but unless you're goofy like the Coen Brothers or Terry Gilliam, you can't always do that in the cinema. So, Schlesinger does the next best thing in developing the characters with an excellent cast including Christie, Finch, Stamp and Bates. This is an excellent film and captures much of the rural English lifeways that Hardy wrote about in this and Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Return of the Native and others. Check it out.