Julie Christie #4

There are many reasons to be excited about watching 1967's Far From the Madding Crowd: director John Schlesinger, of Billy Liar and Darling fame; legendary actor Peter Finch; fantastic actor Terrence Stamp; cinematography by one of the all-time greats Nicolas Roeg; and, of course, Julie Christie.

Thankfully, this three hour film, based on a Thomas Hardy novel about English farm life in the 19th century, is not a waste of time like some other films in this marathon. In fact, it's really good.

For three hours the film really doesn't have too much in the way of plot. A headstrong, young woman (Christie) inherits a large sheep farm, and also the attention of three different bachelors: the poor sheep farmer who's just lost everything (Alan Bates); the crotchety rich farmer who's never loved (Finch); and the violent, romantic bad-boy sergeant (Stamp). Romances and complications unfold very slowly over the course of the film. It confidently abandons a character for large stretches to really let another relationship flourish.

Every performance is fantastic, and Schlesinger handles a new genre very well. The scene where Stamps sergeant displays his sword skills for an amazed Christie was brilliantly erotic. But the real amazing aspects here are Nicolas Roeg's phenomenal camera work and Richard Rodney Bennett's haunting score. It's the camera and music that really draw out and emphasize the emotions of all the characters on screen.

As for Christie, she's great. Apparently, people didn't like this bit of casting, as she was then a huge movie star, but I thought she handled the headstrong/vulnerable tightrope walk with ease to burn.


Far From the Madding Crowd: 7.8/10
Julie Christie in Far From the Madding Crowd: 7.4/10


next up: the film that made Julie a star, Billy Liar