Comments on: Vintage Review: Far From the Madding Crowd (1998) – A Close Adaptation

By: Muirmaiden

Muirmaiden — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 22:03:04 +0000

As someone who likes to compare adaptations, I will definitely say that this miniseries is the closest to the book. The 1967 movie will always be my favorite, but this Masterpiece Theatre production is excellent in its own right. Another poster mentioned that Nathaniel Parker seemed a bit too old to play Gabriel Oak, but other than that, it was extremely well done, earthy and intimate. I did like the 2015 movie, but in my opinion it was hurt by its condensed running time (perhaps film makers are of the opinion that audiences today don’t have the patience to sit through a film that is over two hours long) and it was a bit “too pretty” – eye candy, if you will. While there’s no doubt that John Schlesinger’s version was made in the 1960s, the music, acting and cinematography is very captivating (nice that it was re-issued in theaters in Britain and was given a release on Blu-ray), and I just adore the lead actors. Alan Bates is probably my favorite Gabriel Oak, although all of the actors who have played the role are excellent. I agree that if you want to see a version that has more character development, the 1998 miniseries and the 1967 film are worth seeking out. Great review!

By: Elinor Cackett

Elinor Cackett — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 17:04:00 +0000

In reply to rosie1843. Agreed.The beard probably made me think of him as older than he was. Sounds like he was just the right age then.

By: Elinor Cackett

Elinor Cackett — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 17:02:00 +0000

In reply to Birdie. Nathaniel Parker is great in it. Oh no! I would be too.

By: rosie1843

rosie1843 — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 22:05:00 +0000

If I must be frank, I love all three versions of the novel – 1967, 2015 and this one. But this miniseries is my favorite version.

Nathaniel Parker is perhaps a little too old for the character but he is a perfect Gabriel.

Yes, he made a great Gabriel. But as for his age, he was at least 35-36 when the miniseries was shot. Alan Bates was between 32 and 33 when he did the 1967 film. And Matthias Schoenaerts was around 37 at least when he did the 2015 film.

By: Birdie

Birdie — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 22:46:00 +0000

I love this version! The 2015 version is very pretty, but this one has more depth in my opinion and I just adore Nathaniel Parker as Gabriel. Last year I was at a literary viewing of the new FFtMC and the person doing a speech before the movie dished this adaptation, calling it non-creative, long and boring. Phew, I was quite angry!

By: Elinor Cackett

Elinor Cackett — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 00:40:00 +0000

In reply to Melanie. I like the 2015 version as well though I felt Carey Mulligan was all wrong for Bathsheba.

By: Elinor Cackett

Elinor Cackett — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 00:39:00 +0000

In reply to Dixie-Ann. I saw the 67 version when I was quite young so my memory of it is quite vague. I remember liking it though. I like that this version had time for moments like when she saves Gabriel's life near the beginning when his hut was filling with smoke. I'm also a fan of Nathaniel Parker, so I may be a little biased.

By: Dixie-Ann

Dixie-Ann — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 07:16:00 +0000

Interesting review. I’ve only seen the 1967 version of this movie which is very good. It’s almost three hours long, and I think it does a good job of reflecting the book, but I would like to see how a mini series would handle it. I’d heard of this version, but I hadn’t read many reviews about it. I must try to see this one.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 18:43:00 +0000

This is my favorite version of Far From the Madding Crowd, but I still really enjoy the 2015 version as well.