Carey Mulligan shines in the charming period drama based on the iconic Thomas Hardy novel, Far From the Madding Crowd.
There isn’t a great deal I didn’t like about the film, my one complaint would be it felt significantly like a television movie. It wasn’t that production levels were low it was that the story was quite superficial – but not in an unenjoyable way. This is one of many period dramas I’ve seen over the last few year and one of the reasons I think the public love those stories, as they are filled with love, often with happy endings and they are unreliable – they don’t have strong political messages that question our current society and they are enjoyable on every level!
The acting is superb, Carey Mulligan is proving to be a real Hollywood star and with time I can see her taking on greater roles in more mainstream dramas. The performances of Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen and Tom Sturridge are also wonderful in the roles of the three suitors. Juno Temple as Fanny Robbin is slightly less convincing, but her performance does not attract overall from the film,
It’s adapted from the Thomas Hardy novel of the same name and David Nicholls script keeps the integrity of the book, while removing some of the more trivial and boring elements. This movie’s already been released in the UK, but isn’t out in Australian cinemas till late June and I encourage you all to check it out then!
Overall a thoroughly enjoyable period film, that feels a bit like a BBC TV movie, but it does feature a wonderful performance from Carey Mulligan.
4 Stars
Review by Benjamin Maio Mackay
Screening Courtesy of 20th Century Fox