Far From the Madding Crowd

This Masterpiece Classic-aired adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 19th-century novel of jealousy, murder, and marriage in England's rural West Country makes for fine costume-drama fare. Where John Schlesinger's 1967 big-screen version emphasized star power over faithful adherence to the text, this production makes Hardy's Wessex sheep country seem like a dismally claustrophobic pressure cooker—a place where secrets aren't kept for long. Paloma Baeza shines as young farm-owning mistress Bathsheba, alternating shades of strong feminine self-assertion and complete vulnerability to effectively nail the dual essence of her character. Bathsheba's coquettish charm, power, and seeming availability initially seduce quietly intense farmhand Gabriel Oak (Nathaniel Parker), who works for her as a shepherd. But her bad judgment results in a neighboring wealthy landowner—the elderly, simpering Mr. Boldwood (Nigel Terry)—falling madly in love with her. Bathsheba then—defying all logic and sense—becomes attracted to one of the most callous scum-buckets in literary history, the sword-playing peacock, Sergeant Troy (Jonathan Firth), who's in love with someone else but sees Bathsheba as a challenge to be won. Soon enough, Bathsheba's seemingly endless series of ill-judged choices lead to disastrous and deadly consequences. While this production is sauced up a bit in the bedroom, it's also deftly attuned to the more graphically morbid aspects of the novel. Highly recommended. (M. Sandlin)