Although "Far from the Madding Crowd" had some of the qualities of the more successful "Doctor Zhivago" - a lavish period setting, sweeping photography and a luminous Julie Christie - "Zhivago" suited the 60's more with its story set against a period of upheaval and massive change. "Far from the Madding Crowd" is subtler; the turmoil is personal, the pace more sedate - a forerunner of the Merchant Ivory productions of the 1980's.
Although the film has held up well, few now are likely to see it the way we did back then in all its stunning 70mm glory with Richard Rodney Bennett's overture sweeping you up before the curtains even opened. And it took its time to unfold with an intermission to give extended bladders a break.
Set along the Dorset coast around 1870, Julie Christie plays Bathsheba Everdene, a woman who turns the heads of three men: one who loves her too much, one who doesn't love her enough and one who loves her about right. The three are William Boldwood (Peter Finch), Francis Troy (Terrence Stamp) and Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates).
They represent different classes: William Boldwood the landed gentry, Gabriel Oak the poor, but dependable farmer while Frank Troy is a soldier, the bad boy Bathsheba falls for.
Along with storms, barn fires and haywaining, the passions run deep, all masked behind Victorian propriety. When you see pictures of dour-looking old Thomas Hardy, it's hard to believe he penned this tale of unrequited love, obsession and jealously, and also created the strong-willed and free-spirited character of Bathsheba Everdene.
Director John Schlesinger built on that independent spirit. Critics thought Christie's Bathsheba too modern, but they probably still had "Darling" in mind. These days we can appreciate the film in isolation. Julie Christie gave a nuanced performance; confident when warding off the advances of those she felt less passionate about, but vulnerable when the tables are turned.
Peter Finch just got better with age; he quietly delivers the proud gentleman who is humiliated by his obsession for Bathsheba. Terrence Stamp and Alan Bates also deliver powerfully realised characters.
A highlight of the film is Richard Rodney Bennett's score, which gives Vaughan Williams a run for his money with its haunting flutes and lyrical sense of folksong.
There are other versions. The expanded 1998 one starring Paloma Beaza as a flightier Bathsheba and the condensed 2015 one with angelic-looking Carey Mulligan had their moments, but it's still the 1967 version that stays with me.
Although the film has held up well, few now are likely to see it the way we did back then in all its stunning 70mm glory with Richard Rodney Bennett's overture sweeping you up before the curtains even opened. And it took its time to unfold with an intermission to give extended bladders a break.
Set along the Dorset coast around 1870, Julie Christie plays Bathsheba Everdene, a woman who turns the heads of three men: one who loves her too much, one who doesn't love her enough and one who loves her about right. The three are William Boldwood (Peter Finch), Francis Troy (Terrence Stamp) and Gabriel Oak (Alan Bates).
They represent different classes: William Boldwood the landed gentry, Gabriel Oak the poor, but dependable farmer while Frank Troy is a soldier, the bad boy Bathsheba falls for.
Along with storms, barn fires and haywaining, the passions run deep, all masked behind Victorian propriety. When you see pictures of dour-looking old Thomas Hardy, it's hard to believe he penned this tale of unrequited love, obsession and jealously, and also created the strong-willed and free-spirited character of Bathsheba Everdene.
Director John Schlesinger built on that independent spirit. Critics thought Christie's Bathsheba too modern, but they probably still had "Darling" in mind. These days we can appreciate the film in isolation. Julie Christie gave a nuanced performance; confident when warding off the advances of those she felt less passionate about, but vulnerable when the tables are turned.
Peter Finch just got better with age; he quietly delivers the proud gentleman who is humiliated by his obsession for Bathsheba. Terrence Stamp and Alan Bates also deliver powerfully realised characters.
A highlight of the film is Richard Rodney Bennett's score, which gives Vaughan Williams a run for his money with its haunting flutes and lyrical sense of folksong.
There are other versions. The expanded 1998 one starring Paloma Beaza as a flightier Bathsheba and the condensed 2015 one with angelic-looking Carey Mulligan had their moments, but it's still the 1967 version that stays with me.