Thomas Hardy's Bachelorette: A Review of Far From the Madding Crowd

Written by Emmanuel Gundran

I'm usually not one for films circling around romance simply because I can't believe how two people can fall in love and want to marry each other within the first twenty or thirty minutes. There is one, however, that I've seen recently that has taken me on a roller coaster of emotions, from joy, to sadness, to (much) anger, and back around to joy. Disgust and fear were late for the screening. Far From the Madding Crowd (2015) is a romantic drama based on the Thomas Hardy novel of the same name that focuses on the competition between three men for the love of a fiercely independent woman.

Far From the Madding Crowd follows Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) who has inherited property from her deceased uncle and establishes her leadership over the farm and its workers. Meanwhile, she stirs the hearts of three prospective bachelors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), and Sergeant Francis Troy (Tom Sturridge). Bathsheba must decide whether to pursue a romance with one of these three men or continue her management of the farm as a single woman.

This film does well in representing different sides of masculinity. Gabriel Oak, who shepherds on Bathsheba's farm, dedicates himself to serving Bathsheba as her worker, displaying the servanthood side of masculinity. William Boldwood, who desires a committed relationship, asks Bathsheba frequently to marry him, representing the persistent side of masculinity. Finally, there's Francis Troy, who always wants his way in relationships, representing the desire for dominance of masculinity.

​From the very start, you'll really like Gabriel Oak. We see that he comes to Bathsheba's farm after suffering a devastating blow to his own property and needs work and a place to live. He falls in love with Bathsheba at nearly first sight but respects Bathsheba's rejection of him when he proposes to marry her. Though he has longing feelings for Bathsheba, he deeply respects her ambitions and serves her despite the obstacles that come.

Even if you didn't like Farmer Boldwood at the beginning of the film, you'll end up really caring about him by his arc's end. Farmer Boldwood isn't someone you start off feeling comfortable with, as he constantly pursues Bathsheba to the point of obsession. But then, he becomes more than just that creepy old man who desperately wants the attractive young woman.

The film makes it extremely obvious that Sergeant Troy is not someone to be trusted at all. Just from looking at the man's stern, mustached face, you'll know that he's a suspicious-looking character. When things don't go his way, Troy acts petulantly and takes his frustration out on others. Because of his charisma and position of power, he comes off as very self-entitled, he needs everything to work out how he wants to and people need to respect him for being so skilled. With Troy being the way he is, is there any way he could change by the end of the film?

The film has a great overall message for both women and men: you don't need to be married to succeed, but, if you want to marry, then your spouse should support your ambitions. Two of Bathsheba's suitors won't always have her best interests in mind, cause her stress and try to hold her back from running the farm with a firm grasp, but there's one special man who supports her the whole way through. It's important for everyone in choosing not just spouses but also close friends that the people one chooses are individuals who support their life pursuits.