The Mayor of Casterbridge

Starring:CiarÃ¡n Hinds, Juliet Aubrey, Jodhi May, James Purefoy, Polly Walker (II), Darren Hawkes, Jean Marsh, Michael Beint, Clive Russell, John Surman, Susan Jane Tanner, Tony Haygarth, David Bradley (IV), Richard Moore (III), Elliot Head, Annette Badland, Trevor Peacock, Judy Cornwell, Sophie Stanton, Henry Goodman
Director: David Thacker
Studio: A&E Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Common sense suggests that no good can come of auctioning off your wife in a drunken fit, but Thomas Hardy's classic novel The Mayor of Casterbridge turns this dark story, set in rural England in the mid-1800s, into a compelling, compulsive ride. The discarded wife (Juliet Aubrey) returns after 19 years with her daughter (Jodhi May) in tow, only to discover that her former husband, Michael Henchard (Ciarán Hinds) has risen as a merchant and a politician. But though he welcomes her back and arranges to renew their bond without public shame, Henchard's pride and fear remain intractable; the struggle for love and happiness collides with shame and secrets as Hardy's complex tale unfolds. While the 1978 miniseries with Alan Bates is much less abridged and gives a fuller immersion into the novel and life at the time, the swiftness of this two-part adaptation makes it more immediately emotionally engaging, and the superb, compact performances by the entire cast (including Polly Walker and James Purefoy) give this version a potent punch. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Destitute and drunken, Michael Henchard is an itinerant farmhand who sells his wife and daughter to a sailor in a moment of alcohol-fueled desperation. So begins THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE, Thomas Hardy s enduring classic.

This lavish new adaptation from A&E and Britain s ITV stars Ciaran Hinds ("Road to Perdition," "Jane Eyre")as the tragic, tormented Henchard. Decades after his fateful decision, now reformed and respectable, he is offered a chance at redemption when his wife reappears with her daughter. But the reunion s promise is soon tarnished by a web of jealousy, deceit, and wounded pride.

Adapted for the screen by Ted Whitehead (A&E s "Tess of the D Urbervilles") THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE features powerful supporting performances from Jodhi May ("The House of Mirth"), Polly Walker ("Emma"), and James Purefoy ("A Knight s Tale," "Mansfield Park").

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

You can't get your life back.......2007-02-18

Drunkenly auctioning off your wife and baby is reason enough to despise someone, but the "Mayor of Casterbridge" gives us plenty of other reasons to despise and pity him. The A&E adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel is an all-around solid one -- solid scripting, solid directing, solid acting from Ciarán Hinds and Jodhi May.

At a county fair, Michael Henchard (Hinds) gets drunk, and auctions his wife and baby daughter off to a kindly sailor. So he swears off booze for the next twenty-one years, and works hard to become a pillar of the community.

Nineteen years later, the sailor is lost at sea, and the wife Susan (Juliet Aubrey) and grown daughter Elizabeth Jane (Jodhi May) return to Casterbridge, and find that Michael has become the mayor and corporate head of the town. He's also incredibly sorry for what he did, and asks Susan to remarry him quietly so his crime never needs to be known. She does.

But Michael soon feels threatened by his brilliant new manager Donald Farfrae (James Purefoy), who is also falling in love with Elizabeth Jane. Michael's corporate power begins to slip, and when Susan dies he discovers a shocking fact about his daughter -- sending him into a spiral of lies, jealousy and misery.

Basically, it's all about watching someone's life go down the drain. There have been more complete adaptations of the Thomas Hardy novel, but this one is just fast-moving and tense enough to give it a feeling of urgency.

The big lesson: Henchard's life isn't wrecked because of alcohol, or even because he auctionied off his wife -- he ruins his own life with his lies, viciousness, and the ugly flaws that makes him try to control the people around him. It has some cute scenes between Purefoy and May in a rainy barn, but other than that it's a relentlessly dark movie.

The whole thing is set in a picturesque English village in a pretty green countryside. David Thacker doesn't neglect the nastier, grimier side of life, but he peppers the story with beautiful visuals (Elizabeth in the graveyard) and moments of merriment or friendship. Then they get ruined by confrontations with Henchard.

Hinds and May give the best performances here -- Hinds gives us a solid performance, as a man who tries to do the wrong thing, but is led astray by his temper. He can flip from miserable repentence to cold cruelty in a moment. And May gives a wonderfully sensitive performance as a confused young girl whose romance and job are derailed by her "father's" resentment.

"The Mayor of Casterbridge" is an all-around solid miniseries, with two really outstanding performances by May and Hinds. Melancholy and bittersweet.

A highly recommended version of the classic!.......2007-02-06

I just finished watching this, and I actually felt that I HAD to come and recommend it to someone thinking of watching it. I have read the book, and I felt that this adaptation was fairly faithful to the story. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any other film/T.V. adaptations, so I can't compare on that score. However, I loved the acting in this version--Ciaran Hinds gives an especially amazing performance, making you loathe and pity the character of Michael Henchard. By himself, he makes this movie worth the watching, but everyone else does a great job too. I watched the entire dvd in one sitting--I loved it. It won't make you leave happy, but that's Thomas Hardy for you.

Boring.......2007-01-11

Being a fan of this type of literature, I couldn't wait to watch this. But I hadn't read the book. About 15 minutes into it, I couldn't stand the boredom and never finished watching the movie.

However, if you are a fan of the book and a Thomas Hardy fan, it's probably a must for your collection.

Ciaran Hinds at his best.......2006-11-23

This film adaptation of Hardy's most seamless tragic novel is superb, with Hinds leading the way. James Purefoy is also excellent. Jodhi May has her problems (see earlier reviews) but she does know how to cry. The supporting cast of villagers, the wonderful art direction, and the scene direction all make this very watchable, despite the sadness from beginning to end. Like Ethan Frome, this is not something to rent if you want lots of weddings at the end, but as a work of art based on another work of art it is well worth the time. One of the very greatest modern tragedies.

Superb Film !! Don't Miss Out !!.......2006-08-16

A wonderful adaptation of this memorable & tragic story by Hardy. It is casted well and remains true to the author's work. I would highly recommend this film as an addition to your collection of great films.

A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection 2 Megaset (Horatio Hornblower / Nicholas Nickleby / Vanity Fair / The Flame Trees of Thika / The Mayor of Casterbridge / Tess of the D'Urbervilles / The Great Gatsby)

Average customer rating:

A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection 2 Megaset (Horatio Hornblower / Nicholas Nickleby / Vanity Fair / The Flame Trees of Thika / The Mayor of Casterbridge / Tess of the D'Urbervilles / The Great Gatsby)
Starring: Romance Collection 2
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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A&E Literary Classics - The Romance Collection Megaset (Pride and Prejudice / Emma / Victoria & Albert / Tom Jones / Jane Eyre / Lorna Doone / Ivanhoe / The Scarlet Pimpernel)
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ASIN: B000AYEIWM
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Description

A&E LITERARY CLASSICS: The Romance Collection Volume 2 Heart-stopping romance amidst the Napoleonic Wars, the delightful pursuit of love and fortune among the British upper crust, greed and longing during the Jazz Age--just some of the great narratives evocatively brought to screen in this magnificent library of A&E LITERARY CLASSICS. From the 19th century to the Roaring Twenties and Colonial Africa to Tsarist Russia, A&E presents eight original productions that are sure to enthrall any sophisticated romantic. Featuring topnotch production values and powerful performances by today's brightest stars, coupled with stunning cinematography and masterful screenplays adapted from the world's greatest novels, A&E LITERARY CLASSICS: The Romance Collection Volume 2 is the essential 14-disc DVD collection. This Megaset contains: HORATIO HORNBLOWER: There's always time for a dalliance or two in C.S. Forester's thrilling high seas adventures. NICHOLAS NICKLEBY: Love and compassion blossom amidst hard times in Charles Dickens' great tale. VANITY FAIR: A study in contrasts, Becky and Amelia pursue love and fortune in Thackery's trenchant satire. THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA: An unforgettable true account of a young girl's coming-of-age in turn-of-the-century Africa. THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE: From cruelty to redemption, a heartrending masterpiece by Thomas Hardy. CATHERINE THE GREAT: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Omar Sharif and Jeanne Moreau star in this world-class epic. TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES: Abandoned hearts and lost virtues seek redemption in another immortal classic by Thomas Hardy. THE GREAT GATSBY: Academy Award®-winner Mira Sorvino stars in F. Scott Fitzgerald's great American classic. DVD Features: Horatio Hornblower: About C.S. Forester; Nautical Terms and Definitions; Nicholas Nickleby: Charles Dickens episode of BIOGRAPHY; The Flame Trees of Thika: Elspeth Huxley Biography and Bibliography; Cast Biographies; The Mayor of Casterbridge: Thomas Hardy Biography and Bibliography; Catherine The Great: Cast Filmographies; The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald episode of A&E's BIOGRAPHY; Cast Filmographies

Average customer rating:

Thomas Hardy's slowly played Greek tragedy in Casterbridge
How could the BBC produce this?
Excellent Period Drama
Recommended with reservations.
All's well except for some diction problems

The Mayor of Casterbridge
Starring: Alan Bates , Janet Maw , Jack Galloway , Anne Stallybrass , and Anna Massey
Director: David Giles (III)
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Middlemarch
The Mayor of Casterbridge
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ASIN: B00007KE37
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Amazon.com

Alan Bates gives a fierce, uncompromising performance in The Mayor of Casterbridge, a skillful miniseries adapted from Thomas Hardy's classic novel. The arrogant Michael Henchard (Bates), in a foul drunken mood, sells his long-suffering wife Susan (Anne Stallybrass) and infant daughter Elizabeth-Jane to a sailor at a country fair. Henchard awakens the next morning stricken with remorse; he vows not to drink again for 21 years. Eighteen years later, Susan returns to find him, with Elizabeth-Jane (Janet Maw) in tow; Henchard receives her joyously, eager to lay the rash acts of his youth behind him, but just as eager to avoid the shame that his past might bring to his current life as mayor of the town of Casterbridge. Thus begins a complex and compelling tragedy of secrets, betrayals, and unexpected turns. In the hands of Dickens, this melodramatic story would have been a romp. Hardy has a sadder but also more intensely emotional bent; he takes his characters' feelings--both their loss and their desire--deeply seriously, and the result is as passionate as it is woeful. The Mayor of Casterbridge starts sluggishly, but becomes increasingly gripping over the course of seven episodes, as the excellent cast makes the characters vivid and sympathetic. Bates and Anna Massey, as a former love of Henchard's who seeks to renew their relationship, are particularly superb. Some critics view Henchard's fall from grace as the result of pride; but this production, written with nuance and care by Dennis Potter (The Singing Detective, Pennies from Heaven), makes clear his emotional clumsiness and how it sabotages his fumbling after happiness. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Thomas Hardy's slowly played Greek tragedy in Casterbridge.......2005-05-01

I have an affinity for Greek tragedies and Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge," presented here in the BBC's 1978 mini-series, is decidedly in that tradition. I know that Hardy was interested in writing a novel that would combine his love of history with his love of Dorsetshire, but I find it hard to believe that he did not know something about the elements of classical Greek tragedy given everything that happens in this novel. You have "hubris" (excessive pride), you have "harmartia" (tragic flaw), you have "anagnorisis" (recognition) and "peripeteia" (reveral), all of which you find in "Oedipus Rex" and all of which play critical roles in "The Mayor of Casterbridge."

A drunken Michael Henchard (Alan Bates) auctions off his wife, Susan (Anne Stallybrass) and infant daughter, Elizabeth-Jane to a kindly sailor named Newsomn (Richard Owens). The next day when he sobers up, Henchard realizes the enormity of the evil he has done and takes a "gospel vow" not to touch strong drink again for 21 years. When Susan and a grown up Elizabeth-Jane (Janet Maw) come looking for him nineteen years later, after Newson is lost at sea, they find that Henchard has risen as a merchant to such heights that he serves as the mayor of the town of Casterbridge. When Henchard learns their identities he not only insists on taking care of them but also to life again as husband and wife with Susan. He fully intends to make amends, but regrets confiding the truth to Donald Farfrae (Jack Galloway), his manager. Keeping his dark secret from the public is of prime importance, and he and Susan agree to keep the truth from Elizabeth-Jane.

Henchard's sense of pride and his fear of having his shame made public, drive him throughout this story, but it seems the Fates have it out for him as his shame and secrets become more and more entwined. Every time it looks like Henchard has done something honorable, another twist is unveiled, as in his relationship with Lucetta Templeman (Anna Massey), and he finds another new level of hell on earth to endure. Complicating things are not only Henchard's business dealings with Farfrae but the young man's interest in Elizabeth-Jane. The death of Susan inspires Henchard to tell his daughter the truth, at which point the Fates decided to be truly cruel to the man and reveal that Susan had a dark secret of her own. More importantly, a business gamble begins a period of horrific decline for Henchard that does not end until he dies.

Certain Henchard is as trapped as any Greek tragic hero I have read about given his circumstances and his character as all of his actions inevitably bring disaster and despair. Unfortunately, there were times when I had a hard time understanding what Bates was saying because of his accent, but more importantly I felt his performance was too unsympathetic for most of the seven episodes of the mini-series. There were some brief moments early on and Bates finished strong, but by then I felt it was enough but too late to make the tragedy work as well as it did in the 2003 version starring Ciarán Hinds.

I was looking forward to this earlier mini-series not only because of Bates but also because it was longer and I expected it to provide even more depth to Hardy's narrative. But the pace was considerably slower, which hurt the production, and ended up making it pretty much a wash in terms of having more content. This time I not only knew that Henchard would never find happiness, one of the hallmarks of great tragedy being that you can see the character's tragic fate dead ahead of them, but I was inclined to think he deserved it. Indeed, it is not until the end of story, when he lays out what he believes he deserves in his will, that like Elizabeth-Jane we feel compelled to shed a tear for the man and how far he has fallen having been formerly the Mayor of Casterbridge.

How could the BBC produce this?.......2003-11-23

The Mayor of Casterbridge is an enormous dissapointment. My wife and I have enjoyed more than a dozen BBC dramas on DVD which have distinguished themselves through brilliant acting and quality cinema production. This film is painfully slow and seemingly amateur in execution. We wouldn't recommend it.

Excellent Period Drama.......2003-10-10

I really enjoyed the Mayor of Casterbridge. I hadn't read the novel, or watched other movies, but boy was I surprised! What a delight! Alan Bates stars as the 'mayor' a hard-working man with a dark secret! (Once in a drunken rage he 'sold' his wife at auction). Now, the mayor is an upstanding member of the community and receives a heart-wrenching surprise when his estranged wife and daughter show up in town.

I think selfishness and the unhappiness that it brings are the themes of this movie. The mayor strives to be a good person, but he battles his possessiveness and need to acquire(wealth, love, and happiness) throughout the course of his film. His daughters, wives, and lovers only seem to want him to LOVE them, but the mayor's obsession and pride prevent him from seeing anything else but his own issues.

While I enjoyed "The Mayor of Casterbridge" I was sad by the ending, and felt it had less 'rewatch' value as a result. Still, this is a good film, sure to delight those interested in period drama.

Recommended with reservations........2003-08-06

I remember well reading what is, in my opinion, one of Thomas Hardy's greatest novels, The Mayor of Casterbridge. Viewers who start first with the novel are apt to be a bit disappointed in the transformation to film. What seems to be inevitable in the novel is less so in the movie.

Alan Bates, in one of his better roles as the drunken and penniless Michael Henchard, under the influence of too much rum, sells his wife and daughter at auction at a country fair to a sailor. This terrible act seems reasonably well accepted by the people at the fair. Henchard walks on to Casterbride and quickly becomes successful as a corn and hay merchant who is so well respected by the townspeople that they make him mayor.

Eighteen years later we are told that the sailor, Newson, dies at sea and his impoverished wife and daughter come to look for Henchard. They find him after weeks of searching. Henchard decides to marry his wife for the second time and make reparations for what he did so many years ago. All this takes place as the story begins and it would appear that Henchard is able to undo some of the wrong he did in a drunken fit. By the way, Henchard no longer drinks and appears to be a responsible, stable person.

At this point the screenwriter and director experience some difficulty in establishing effective cause and effect relationships. Henchard's behavior appears to be arbitrary and capricious. The guilt he feels for putting his wife and daughter up for auction and his fear of being discovered by the townspeople for being something less than the honorable mayor work well enough in the novel, but the director has difficulty pulling all the plot strands together in a intellibible and convincing fashion.

Accidents and twists of fate are characteristic of the plot devices Hardy uses in his novels, but even though we are made uncomfortable by the role destiny plays in the lives of his characters, we accept them as a cruel twist of fate that sometimes happens to people. The director of this film is somewhat less effective in convincing us of the inevitability of Henchard's fall and the destruction of his life.

I was reminded of the film version of Les Miserables. Liam Neeson was the mayor who thought he successfully escaped his past as a thief only to be discovered and forced to go into hiding for the rest of his life. The novel was magnificent; the film was second-rate.

The Mayor of Casterbridge is a much better film than Les Miserables, but I think some viewers are going to be a bit confused by the cutting, editing, and direction presented to us. This movie is worth the effort made to put it out as a DVD and I recommend it with the noted reservations.

All's well except for some diction problems.......2003-04-13

Ah yes, remember the Golden Sundays when Masterpiece Theatre actually gave us masterpieces? When I reviewed the recent release of the 1967 "Forsyte Saga," I mentioned that its immense popularity here in the States led to the creation of Masterpiece Theatre and that the very first series seen thereon, "The First Churchills," was due to appear on Acorn Media DVDs soon. Well, the 1987 "The Mayor of Casterbridge" (AMP 6110) has come first. And thank you yet again, Acorn Media.

This is the wonderful 7-part series with Alan Bates as the ill-starred Michael Henchard, who in a drunken fit sells his wife and their baby daughter to a seaman and then sees her again years later when he is a wealthy merchant and the Mayor of Casterbridge. From that moment on, nothing he does, no decision he makes, seems to come out right. It has been too long since I read the Thomas Hardy novel, but I do remember this scenario being quite faithful to its source.

As with most of the older Masterpiece Theatre series, the acting is topnotch, the scenery gorgeous, the costumes and props absolutely authentic, and the dialogue intelligent and true to the novel. It has been suggested that British actors are so versatile because they work for years in repertory playing all sorts of minor roles before taking on major ones. Bates is just about perfect as the irascible main character--but we have the only major problem here: much of what he says is very hard to understand since he speaks in a quite authentic regional accent and slurs and whispers his lines far too often.

Anne Stallybrass as his long-suffering wife Susan might be recalled as Henry VIII's third and best beloved wife from that series; while Janet Maw plays the almost too good to be true daughter Elizabeth-Jane without falling once into cliché. In fact, even the smallest roles are absolutely believable, so that the evil Jopp (played by Ronald Lacey, the evil Nazi with the burned hand in "Raiders of the Lost Ark") is not just your stock villain but a credible human who thinks he knows how to survive. Henchard's most unwilling "rival," Donald Farfrae, is played most sympathetically by Jack Galloway. Probably the second most complex character of them all is the "woman with a past," Lucetta Templeman, played by Anna Massey.

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

You can't get your life back.......2007-02-18

A highly recommended version of the classic!.......2007-02-06

Boring.......2007-01-11

Ciaran Hinds at his best.......2006-11-23

Superb Film !! Don't Miss Out !!.......2006-08-16

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