The Mayor of Casterbridge Movie Review 2003

Appropriately brooding adaptation of Thomas Hardy's dark novel of regret. Farm worker Michael Henchard (Hinds) gets drunk and sells his wife Susan (Aubrey) and their baby daughter at a country fair. Since her husband is an abusive drunk and the buyer (Russell) is a good-natured sailor, Susan decides to take her chances. Suffering from a drunkard's remorse, Henchard searches fruitlessly for his family. He eventually settles in Casterbridge where, through sobriety and hard work, Henchard becomes the town's mayor. Then his past returns to haunt him when Susan and his now-grown daughter, Elizabeth-Jane (May), seek him out. But when young rival Farfrae (Purefoy) romances his daughter, Henchard's darker nature resurfaces.

Distribution

A&E Home Video, PO Box 2284, South Burlington, VT 05407, Toll-free: 888-423-1212, Fax: (802)864-9846, Email: homevideo@aetv.com, URL: http://www.aetv.com

Available on DVD
Running time 200 minutes.
Originally from British.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Books to Film: Thomas Hardy, Period Piece: 19th Century, Family Reunions

Screenplay

Ted Whitehead

Cast

Ciaran Hinds, James Purefoy, Jodhi May, Juliet Aubrey, Polly Walker, Clive Russell

Cinematography

Ivan Strasburg

Director

David Thacker

Music

Adrian Johnston