Far From The Madding Crowd (1967)

In rural Victorian England, an attractive but headstrong girl (Julie Christie) inherits her uncle's estates. Three men fall in love with her: a simple shepherd (Alan Bates), a dashing soldier (Terence Stamp) and a gentleman farmer (Peter Finch). But in her case, romance takes a backseat to tragedy. Based on Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel and directed by John Schlesinger (MIDNIGHT COWBOY). It wasn't a success (at least in the U.S.) when first released which is a pity because this is an intelligent and beautiful evocation of Hardy's book. It's heightened by the sumptuous and lush cinematography of Nicholas Roeg which lovingly displays the Dorset countryside that became such an integral part of Hardy's literature. At the time, there were some complaints that Christie was miscast, too modern for Hardy's willful Victorian heroine but her performance works for me. It's Terence Stamp, who seems like he just walked in from Carnaby Street that's an ill fit. But the film's best performance belongs to Finch who's heartbreaking as the aging suitor who becomes obsessed with his beautiful neighbor. The gorgeous underscore by Richard Rodney Bennett was the film's only Oscar nomination. With Prunella Ransome, Fiona Walker and Freddie Jones.