By Renee’ Collins
Rating: 4.5 (Out of 5 Reels)
In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Mattias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor (IMDB).
Fans of period pieces will definitely want to see this film because, not unlike a Jane Austen novel, it follows the trials and tribulations of a woman in Victorian England. Constant questions like will she marry and who abound plus being headstrong doesn’t necessarily help her situation either. Ironically enough Mulligans first notable appearance was playing Kitty Bennet in Pride & Prejudice in 2005 alongside Keira Knightley. Now she is the leading actress in her own Victorian saga penned by another English novelist Thomas Hardy.
There are no special effects in this film. It is simply a well told story that is superbly acted out. Fans of Victorian period pieces should not miss this film.