Rating: 
Summary: DVD better than the TV version showed!
Review: If you haven't seen this version of Mayor of Casterbridge on DVD, you haven't seen this movie. A&E aired it, and chopped out over an hours worth, often cutting into scenes, conversations, chopping music, completely deleting scenes. The DVD shows so much more. More of the relationships between all the characters, more in the beginning, more of the courtship between Farfrae and Elizabeth Jane, more of the second marriage of Henchard and Susan, more of the arc of Henchard's character-going from bad, to good, to failure. More scenes, music, costumes, fabulous acting from an elite cast, some beautiful panoramic vistas. Remember Farfrae singing in the tavern? Now you can hear the whole song, people commenting and clapping afterwards, and see Elizabeth Jane working more in the tavern. That is just a taste of what was chopped out on TV. DVD also includes a short bio on Thomas Hardy & a bibliography of all his works. Sharp picture and fantastic sound. Treat yourself to the full movie, not the Nip-tucked one shown on TV, that you may have video-taped! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The King of Casterbridge
Review: This is a first-rate production, absolutely wonderful. The three main actors are all superb, couldn't be better: Ciaran Hinds, Jodhi May, and James Purefoy.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is a first-rate production, absolutely wonderful. The three main actors are all superb, couldn't be better: Ciaran Hinds, Jodhi May, and James Purefoy.
Rating:
Summary: A Superb and Riveting Period Drama!
Review: This is a lavish 2003 production by A&E which stays true to the characterization and flow of the story in Hardy's novel. The 5 major characters in this drama will hold your attention throughout as you watch how their lives intertwine and the tragedies unfold.The story centers on Michael Henchard, Mayor of Casterbridge. Henchard has a dark and shameful secret which occurs nearly 20 years before when he is then just a poor hay trusser. One day, when drunk, he sells his wife (Susan) and baby daughter (Elizabeth-Jane) to a stranger. When he regains sobriety, he tries to locate his family but they have gone abroad with the stranger. Regretting his action, Henchard vows to refrain from alcohol. He turns over a new leaf, settles in a new town (Casterbrige) and later becomes a wealthy tradesman and Mayor. Then one day, Susan returns to him with the now grown Elizabeth-Jane ("EJ", played by Jodie May), who may or may not be Henchard's real daughter. They reconcile and he "remarries" Susan, both agreeing to keep their past relationship a secret. There is relative domestic bliss in Henchard's life until the appearance of 2 other characters. The first is Donald Farfrae, a young and handsome Scotsman (played by James Purefoy) whom Henchard persuades to assist him in his wheat and corn business. When Farfrae becomes more popular than Henchard and proves to be cleverer in managing the business, Henchard becomes jealous, fires him and begins to treat him as an enemy. The problem is that at that time, Farfrae is already subtly courting EJ. The second character to rock the boat is a beautiful woman, Lucetta (played by Polly Walker) who is Henchard's secret lover before the return of Susan. The acting by all the actors is phenomenal. Ciaran Hinds is perfect in the title role. James Purefoy, with his dreamy eyes and sensuous lips is a heavensent as the handsome, gentle and well-meaning Farfrae. But the best performance is by Jodie May who plays the sweet, uncomplaining (and quietly suffering) EJ most sensitively. She is my favourite character in the story. Many scenes will stay in the viewer's mind. To me, these are the 3 most unforgetable scenes: 1) EJ and Farfrae meeting in a barn while it is raining heavily outside. After they have talked a little, Farfrae tells EJ that she has dust(husks?) all over her dress. EJ tries to wipe them off, but Farfrae (in that delicious Scottish accent of his) tells her that "blowing is best" (so as not to ruin the dress). He then gets real close to her to blow the dust away. So gently he does it, blowing around EJ and close to her neck. It is a most romantic scene. Throughout you see that EJ is shy about it but there is an unmistakably delighted expression on her face. 2) When Henchard chooses to reveal a terrible secret to EJ, causing her heart to break. As she cries bitterly, you realize all the more what a wonderful actress Jodie May is. Her tears are genuine, large drops that literally rain down from her eyes. 3) The scene involving Lucetta in her red dress, and two human effigies. I cannot forget how Lucetta collapses to the floor in hearsickness when she catches sight of the effigies from her window, and her anguished cries of "Oh, I shall die. I shall die." I find this scene most sad and harrowing. To sum it up, this is a most superior and sumptuous period drama and I highly recommend it. The storyline is meaningful and the performances absolutely unforgetable.
Rating:
Summary: Why is this the best movie that I have ever seen?
Review: When I saw Alan Bates act Michael Henchard, I thought that I would never see acting any better than his, but I guess it was the role that I was identifying with, for Ciaran Hinds is the perfect Michael Henchard. He was wonderful as Bois de Guilbert in IVANHOE. He was indeed the rugged Captain Wentworth in PERSUASION and many have claimed him to be the very best Rochester in JANE EYRE. I think that Mr. Hinds performance in this movie goes a long way to make it the best movie that I have ever seen. Michael Henchard was a rugged selfmade man striving to follow his own star though that star is always the star of fate.
All that holds him back is the all encompassing past which wills him to destruction. He cannot escape himself or his fate.
To me he was Hardy's greatest creation. He is everyone. Nearly every role that Ciaran Hinds has played has these same
dimensions and he handles each of them to near perfection which makes him my favorite actor and possibly the best actor of our time. How can anyone love a character that would sell his wife and daughter even in a drunken state? Thomas Hardy and Ciaran Hinds
make us love this horrible man even as we love ourselves, and we
pray for his redemption. I think that Hardy himself wavered between redeeming Henchard or not. It was not just Thomas Hardy and Ciaran Hinds that made this
incomparable movie. This is Mr. David Thacker's movie, and for a director with such a short list of credits, it is all the more astounding! He did it mainly with excellent casting. Jodhi May was great as Elizabeth Jane. Juliet Aubrey fantastic as the mother,James Purefoy wonderful as Donald Farfrae,and Polly Walker is the perfect Lucinda. He did it by pacing the movie a little faster than Hardy's literary gait. He made this movie happen by an unrelenting revelation of the time and of the nature of the land. Frame by frame, utterance by utterance, gesture by gesture,this movie marks excellence. There are many excellent people that made this happen that are not at the top of the credits, but we see their names over and over in great productions. We salute these great contributors, too, and selfishly wish them many more great successes.
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