As Bathsheba, Julie Christie reteams with director John Schlesinger and screenwriter Frederic Raphael of her starmaking Darling in a sumptuous adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic. Roguish soldier Terence Stamp, rich landowner Peter Finch (the National Board of Review’s choice as Best Actor, as was the film itself as Best Picture) and rough-hewn shepherd Alan Bates memorably play her suitors. And a visual rhapsody of crowd scenes and historic settings provide a backdrop for this epic tale lensed on location in “Hardy country”.

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Video Quality

Far from the Madding Crowd debuted on Blu-Ray courtesy of Warner Archive relatively early on in the label’s life cycle in 2015 with a 1080p transfer sourced from presumably the same master as the DVD release from 2009 with potentially additional restoration efforts conducted by the label’s team at MPI. While the label was not quite as dominant in the Blu-Ray game at this point in their life cycle, this transfer holds up respectably even a decade later. The pleasing natural film grain remains intact and resolves well without clumping or swarming.

This disc faithfully spotlights the rural locales and domestic interiors with the utmost care. The bold natural colors of the environment saturate the screen well. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers impressive highlights and solid black levels. There are elements of the production design that are a treat to behold. The disc avoids most compression artifacts and other such digital anomalies. Warner Archive gave this a quality presentation early in its life cycle.

Audio Quality

Warner Archive delivers a Blu-Ray with a respectable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that is decently expansive yet closer in execution to its mono roots from the 35mm in terms of separation. The score from Richard Rodney Bennett sounds great on disc as it flows throughout with impeccable fidelity. Dialogue emanates clearly without getting lost in the mix. There are some environmental effects that give the epic story a bit of life. The rear speakers are not stealing focus, but they inject noises like animal sounds effectively. There are no age-related deficiencies to the track such as pops, hissing or audio dropouts. This is a fabulous track that gets the job done without any issues. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Location – Far From The Madding Crowd: A nearly 11-minute archival featurette that takes a look at the shooting location for the film.

Theatrical Trailer (3:10)

Final Thoughts

Far from the Madding Crowd is a sweeping epic that surprisingly breezes through its nearly three-hour runtime. Julie Christie is a charming central figure who convincingly attracts a bevy of suitors into her orbit who never seem good enough for her. The ensemble surrounding her is likewise quite good with Peter Finch and Terence Stamp especially making an impression. It may feel a bit old-fashioned from the onset, yet it has a spirited energy that keeps things from feeling stuffy. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a smattering of special features. If you appreciate a good epic drama, this is worth your time. Recommended

Far from the Madding Crowd can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.