I'm baffled as to why viewers are so upset that Julie Christie didn't look like the character described in the book. Why not focus on her excellent acting? Others claim that she was too old to play Bathsheba. Wrong. She was 25 at the time, only a year or two older than the character by the end of the book.
Bathsheba Everdene is strong-willed, vain, hard-working, loyal, stubborn, committed, obsessed, capricious, dedicated, and intelligent, among many other things. Christie truly nails the character. She shows all the sides of Bathsheba's personality. You don't have to like her. Often, you don't. Often, you sympathize with her, too. Christie's performance shows Bathsheba's development, from silly and impetuous young girl to a far more mature and wiser woman.
Alan Bates is the other true star here, as Gabriel Oak. Some viewers regard his performance as stuffy or boring. I don't. Look more closely at his face; Oak is constantly playing a part before other people, lest they discover his love for Bathsheba, and Bates uses a quick look, a slight change in facial expression, to convey Oak's state of mind. He's not just good; he's perfect. I believed him completely as Oak. Bates was one of the screen's greatest actors, but sadly underrated and under-appreciated, even today. It's time for him to receive the recognition he so richly deserves.
Bathsheba Everdene is strong-willed, vain, hard-working, loyal, stubborn, committed, obsessed, capricious, dedicated, and intelligent, among many other things. Christie truly nails the character. She shows all the sides of Bathsheba's personality. You don't have to like her. Often, you don't. Often, you sympathize with her, too. Christie's performance shows Bathsheba's development, from silly and impetuous young girl to a far more mature and wiser woman.
Alan Bates is the other true star here, as Gabriel Oak. Some viewers regard his performance as stuffy or boring. I don't. Look more closely at his face; Oak is constantly playing a part before other people, lest they discover his love for Bathsheba, and Bates uses a quick look, a slight change in facial expression, to convey Oak's state of mind. He's not just good; he's perfect. I believed him completely as Oak. Bates was one of the screen's greatest actors, but sadly underrated and under-appreciated, even today. It's time for him to receive the recognition he so richly deserves.