Thomas Hardy’s Most Independent Heroine Appears in a New Adaptation

Thomas Vinterberg, director of the Academy Award^®–nominated film The Hunt, revives Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Far from the Madding Crowd, the story of a proud rural beauty and the three men courting her, in a new adaptation. The movie hits theaters nationwide on May 1—mark your calendars to see Hardy’s fiercely independent heroine Bathsheba Everdene on the big screen. Starring in the role is Academy Award^® nominee Carey Mulligan, who gives a stunning performance as a charismatic, resilient woman ahead of her time. With a devoted shepherd, an obsessed farmer, and a dashing soldier all vying for Bathsheba’s heart, her choices lead us on an exploration of the nature of relationships and love—but also of what it means to be a woman stepping into a man’s world and refusing to be tamed. We’re particularly thrilled with how Mulligan delivers one of Bathsheba’s most fiery lines from the novel: “It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.”

Intrigued? Watch the Far from the Madding Crowd featurette devoted to the character of Bathsheba and pick up a copy of the gorgeous Vintage movie tie-in edition.