Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.

Director:

Thomas Vinterberg

Writers:

Thomas Hardy (based on the novel by), David Nicholls (screenplay by)

Stars:

Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen

2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carey Mulligan	...	Bathsheba Everdene
Matthias Schoenaerts	...	Gabriel Oak
Tilly Vosburgh	...	Mrs. Hurst
Mark Wingett	...	Bailiff #1
Dorian Lough	...	Bailiff #2
Sam Phillips	...	Sergeant Doggett
Tom Sturridge	...	Sergeant Francis Troy
Juno Temple	...	Fanny Robbin
Bradley Hall	...	Joseph Poorgrass
Hilton McRae	...	Jacob Smallbury
Jessica Barden	...	Liddy
Harry Peacock	...	Jan Coggan
Victor McGuire	...	Bailiff Pennyways
Michael Sheen	...	William Boldwood
Jody Halse	...	Farmer Stone

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

victorian era | sheep | three men in love with the same woman | playing | chasing an animal | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lejos del mundanal ruido

Filming Locations:

Claydon House, Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$164,985, 3 May 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,229,314, 9 August 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, BBC Films, TSG Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Thomas Vinterberg invented the scene in which Sergeant Troy clutches Bathsheba's crotch - "the crew called it 'the Danish handshake'", he told, but Vinterberg suggested that he would have gone much further if it had been a Danish film.

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Goofs

At the end of the fair scene, filmed in front of Sherborne Abbey, a yellow road marking (indicating that parking is prohibited at certain times) is clearly visible.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bathsheba Everdene: [narrating] "Bathsheba Everdene." "Bathsheba." The name has always sounded strange to me. I don't like to hear it said out loud. My parents died when I was very young, so there's no one to ask where it came from. I've grown accustomed to being on my own. Some say even too accustomed. Too independent.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Alan Cumming/Carey Mulligan/Ludacris (2015)

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Soundtracks

Let No Man Steal Your Thyme
Performed by Carey Mulligan and Michael Sheen

User Reviews

Pick Me!

Greetings again from the darkness. If you have read Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel or seen director John Schlesinger's 1967 (and far more energetic) screen adaption starring Julie Christie, or even if you are a High School Literature student with the novel on your summer reading list, you will probably be interested in this more modern-day thinking approach from director Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt). It's more modern not in look, but rather in the feminist perspective of Bathsheba Everdene (one of my favorite literary character names).

Carey Mulligan plays Ms. Everdene, and she is exceedingly independent and ambitious for the time period, while simultaneously being attractive in a more timeless manner. This rare combination results in three quite different suitors. She first meets sheep farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone), who is smitten with her spunk, and he proposes by offering her way out of poverty. She declines and the next time they cross paths, the tables have turned as she has inherited a farm and he has lost everything due to an untrained sheep dog. Next up is a proposal from a socially awkward, but highly successful neighborhood farmer. Michael Sheen plays William Boldwood, who is clueless in his courting skills, but understands that combining their farms would be a make-sense partnership. The third gent is Sergeant Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge), a master of seduction by sword. She is sucked in by Troy's element of danger, unaware of his recent wedding gone awry to local gal Fanny Robbin (Juno Temple).

As with most literary classics … and in fact, most books … the screen adaptation loses the detail and character development that make the book version so enjoyable. Still, we understand the essence of the main characters, and the actors each bring their own flavor to these roles. The story has always been first and foremost a study in persistence, and now director Vinterberg and Mulligan explore the modern day challenges faced by women in selecting a mate: slow and steady, financially set, or exciting and on edge. In simpler language, should she follow her head, wallet or heart?