John Schlesinger’s experimental, slyly humorous, sexy 1967 take on Thomas Hardy’s novel stars Julie Christie as Bathsheba Everdene. Our land-owning heroine, strong and strange, is utterly convincing as a feminist pioneer and it’s a joy to watch the chemistry between her and prospective suitors, played by Alan Bates, Peter Finch and Terence Stamp.
It’s just as pleasant to soak up the weird, lo-fi landscapes (shot by Nicolas Roeg) and lyrical dialogue (says a drunken odd-jobs man: “I have a slight attack of the multiplying eye”). Mournful folk songs seal the deal (Bushes and Briars, which explores whether a man can love a “bold” woman, is a stand-out).
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True, there are some jarring moments. A couple of hair-dos and costumes suggest that late 19th-century Dorset was swinging long before London. And the accents are what you might call unpredictable (OK, they suck). But mostly this is a triumph, which could cause problems for the new adaptation with Carey Mulligan, released in May. Unless Thomas Vinterberg’s film is perfect it seems doomed to be outshone.
