Rural Dorset in the 1870s. Bathsheba Everdine is a young woman determined to defy the restrictive social conventions of Victorian society and find her own way in life.
The inheritance of a working farm, left to her by an uncle, provides an opportunity for her to take charge of her future, but also brings her to the attention of three very different suitors; the dependable shepherd Gabriel Oak, wealthy landowner William Boldwood and handsome soldier Frank Troy.
As adapted for the screen by writer David Nicholls (One Day), this moving and intelligent new screen version of Thomas Hardy’s pastoral novel retains the melodrama and agricultural colour of the book (and of the 1967 film) whilst giving the characters and story a subtly modern inflection, making this a relevant and thoroughly engaging drama about the nature of relationships.
Filmed on location in Dorset, strikingly photographed by Charlotte Bruss Christensen (The Hunt) and boasting an outstanding performance by Carey Mulligan, Thomas Vinterberg’s film will succeed in pleasing fans of high quality literary adaptations, and bringing Hardy to new audiences.
