Far From the Madding Crowd

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Far From the Madding Crowd!

Original image located here. Accessed 3rd March 2023

Once again, we have a case of me watching a movie that I put on my 'to watch' list so long ago that I forgot why I put on said list in the first place. Still, the distance presents an advantage: I am effectively going into this one blind.

So what this movie presents is an adaptation of the novel by Thomas Hardy. Well I once read Tess of the d'Urbervilles and I'm not in any hurry to read it again. Still, this appears to be cut from the same cloth but less relentlessly grim (thankfully).
So what we have here is the story of a woman who juggles running a farm with her independence and the attentions of three potential suitors. Indeed it is the romance that intrigues me: Throughout the movie, I was wondering if there's a fandom attached to this book, rallying behind the banners of Team Oak, Team Boldwood and Team Troy. And I was hoping for a three-way standoff between them (like in The Good The Bad and the Ugly).

Jokes aside however, I liked this movie a lot. Special mention must go to the landscape shots, the music and the presence of the lead Carey Mulligan. And whatever misgivings I may have about Hardy, the story is certainly compelling and the makers of this film told in a stunning way.
Favourite line: "I intend to astonish all of you"