Photo credit: Ben Sutherland / Foter / CC BY
My mom expressed an interest in seeing the movie adaptation that just came out. It’s starring Carey Mulligan, and since I will see anything Carey Mulligan is in, I agreed to go with her, but I wanted to read the book first.
Of Thomas Hardy’s books, I had only read Tess of the D’Urbervilles in college. I didn’t love it, but I liked it well enough to read another of Hardy’s books, so I ran out to my local book shop to buy a copy (only to discover a few days ago that I already owned a copy. Oops).
I liked the book (and the movie). The plot is only OK, but I loved the ending. Unlike Tess, it’s an ending that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside because you get the gratification of seeing the main character (Bathsheba Everdene) finally end up with the man you knew all along she was supposed to be with.
The plot is about three men who are all vying for Bathsheba’s hand in marriage. Bathsheba isn’t particularly concerned with getting married because she’s “wild” (the 19th century term for an independent woman) and she had the good fortune to inherit her uncle’s farm. She now runs the farm and is a woman of means in her own right. She also happens to be smart, strong, and ballsy. I would have given anything to play her.
Although I enjoyed reading about her, I think I liked her better in the most recent movie adaptation. The movie doesn’t give you all the misogynistic BS you get from the book: “She was smart … for a woman”; “but she had that weakness all women have”; etc. Carey Mulligan has the talent to play a strong, smart female character who can also be swayed by a handsome man using pretty words (and really, who among us hasn’t succumbed to that at least once?) She makes a mistake and she owns up to it, rather than shying away from it. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but it is perfect.
If you’re wondering if you have to read the book before seeing the movie, I would say no. I enjoyed the book and I’m glad I read it, but the movie stays very true to the book. They cut some things out (they always do), but it’s very much the same story, same characters etc. And, as I said, it has a happy ending, so if you’re looking for a feel-good movie, I would definitely recommend it.
The only thing I missed were the scenes between Bathsheba’s workmen when she wasn’t around. The movie is largely from Bathsheba’s perspective, which is part of why those scenes got omitted (also time), but I loved them. I grew to love those characters as much as I cared for Bathsheba and her suitors.
All of the acting in this film is superb. Carey Mulligan did not disappoint as Bathsheba. I pictured Boldwood as being taller and more imposing than Michael Sheen (I mean come on, his name is “Boldwoold”!) But Michael Sheen did an excellent job of portraying a very nice, well-to-do man who’s not quite sane. I had never heard of Matthias Schoenaerts, but he was perfectly cast as Gabriel Oak (the name “Oak” really tells you everything you need to know about that character).
I do think the movie could have done a better job of portraying how hard Boldwood was pressing Bathsheba to agree to marry him. They hinted at it in the movie, but the book clearly conveyed how scared she was and just plain badgered into saying yes.
My favorite part of the book was the imagery. Hardy spends whole pages describing the arrival of a thunderstorm and it is, undoubtedly, the most exciting part of the book. Under Hardy’s pen, the weather is practically a character in its own right.
What did you guys read this week? Anything good? I want to hear all about it in the comments!