Review: Far From the Madding Crowd

The subhead to Far From the Madding Crowd, based on Thomas Hardy's classic novel, could very well be: Are Men Really Necessary? Its heroine, Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) is something of a proto-feminist. Orphaned at a young age, she's used to being self sufficient, and is happy to spend her days tending to and gamboling around her aunt's farm. When she ventures too far, she stumbles upon shepherd and land owner Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenarts), a sturdy and good-hearted man who almost immediately proposes to her. (She tends to have that effect on men.) She nearly laughs in his face, claiming she sees no need to get married and would only marry a man who could "tame her" (hey, it was the 19^th century) and he doesn't seem up to the task. Her independence is only bolstered when she inherits a giant estate and farm of her own. But there's been a reversal of fortune now: Gabriel has lost all of his sheep after a rather grisly accidental (which, alas, we see on screen) and now needs work. "Miss Everdene" hires him as a shepherd—and they become unlikely friends, with him watching over her with jealous protectiveness.

She has new suitors now, including the wealthy William Boldwood (a heartbreaking Michael Sheen), a mild-mannered and private man who goes nearly mad with love for her, and a dandyish soldier, Sergeant Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge), who deftly seduces her, initiating her to the one way men really are necessary.

The film is gorgeously directed by Thomas Vinterberg with an emphasis on the beauty and dangers of nature—ominous darkness and harsh wind contrasted with rolling fields of grain and sun-dappled trees.

Mulligan is absolutely wonderful as our proud and witty heroine, who doesn't quite understand her power over men. If I have one objection to the film it's this: Matthias Schoenarts' Gabriel is too damn handsome. If the three men in the film are meant to represent stability (Boldwood), lust (Sergeant Troy) and deep, abiding love (Gabriel), they shouldn't have made Gabriel quite so lust-worthy himself (imagine a more strapping, light-haired David Duchovny). No, he's not constantly stripping off his shirt or anything, but, as Vinterberg is a naturally sensual director—often framing Schoenart and Mulligan tantalizingly close, as though about to kiss—his hotness proves distracting. Then again, there are worse complaints than: too many hot men. Far From the Madding Crowd is a lush and romantic treat.