Okay, I'll admit it. The first hour of this film dragged so much that I almost gave up on it. All there was was Julie Christie fighting the Dorset scenery for beauty, and that was about it. Then, Terrance Stamp, as the charming louse Christie marries, came on the scene, and that did it. The story really got moving at that point, with all the principals giving solid performances.
Stamp, as mentioned before, stands out as Frank, the amoral ex-soldier whose love-hate relationship with Christie leads to tragedy. The ever-excellent Peter Finch, underplaying more than was usually his wont, does equally as well as a neighboring farmer, whose growing obsession wth Christie's Bathsheba is brought out subtly but forcefully. And Christie's Bathsheba does, indeed, make a strong protagonist. We sympathize with her through every twist and turn, every trial and tribulation, every pain and pleasure. Why she and Stamp, especially, weren't Oscar-nominated for this film is unfathomable. Richard Rodney Bennet's score, future director Nicolas Roeg's camerawork, and, especially, John Schlesinger's direction bring it all together.
As I said earlier, wade through the first hour as best you can, then sit back and enjoy.
Stamp, as mentioned before, stands out as Frank, the amoral ex-soldier whose love-hate relationship with Christie leads to tragedy. The ever-excellent Peter Finch, underplaying more than was usually his wont, does equally as well as a neighboring farmer, whose growing obsession wth Christie's Bathsheba is brought out subtly but forcefully. And Christie's Bathsheba does, indeed, make a strong protagonist. We sympathize with her through every twist and turn, every trial and tribulation, every pain and pleasure. Why she and Stamp, especially, weren't Oscar-nominated for this film is unfathomable. Richard Rodney Bennet's score, future director Nicolas Roeg's camerawork, and, especially, John Schlesinger's direction bring it all together.
As I said earlier, wade through the first hour as best you can, then sit back and enjoy.