The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003 film)

The Mayor of Casterbridge is a British made-for-TV film, produced by Georgina Lowe for Sally Head Productions and directed by David Thacker,^[1] based on the 1886 novel by Thomas Hardy. Appearing in the film are Ciarán Hinds as Henchard, Juliet Aubrey as Susan Henchard, Jodhi May as Elizabeth Jane, James Purefoy as Farfrae, and Polly Walker as Lucetta.^[2] The series was released as a 2-disc DVD in 2004.

The plot

Hardy's characters, some deeply flawed, struggle throughout the film against accidents of fate and with difficult moral dilemmas.

This film emphasises the constant struggle of Hardy's characters to get past the accidents of fate as in a Christian morality play. Difficult dilemmas require each character to summon up an enormous amount of forgiveness which, in many instances, is impossible to achieve. As in the original story, Michael Henchard, in a drunken moment, auctions his wife, Susan, and infant child to a passing seaman. Years later, Susan meets up with an apparently contrite Henchard and their future could have been set on a positive path had Henchard been able to get past his ingrained selfishness. But Henchard cannot. Henchard reverts to his original stubborn and unyielding character, thereby sabotaging everything to do with this relationship. In this version of the story, Henchard appears to be aware of his defects of character but, in the end, is unable to get past them because the traditional social tool of forgiveness constantly eludes him.

Although Hardy was not a seriously religious man – he could be called an agnostic Christian – the novel The Mayor of Casterbridge presents the characters with extraordinarily difficult moral dilemmas in the Christian story-telling tradition. Impossible degrees of forgiveness are required of all the characters. Occasionally, as in the characters of Elizabeth Jane and Farfrae, forgiveness is found repeatedly and life recovers. But in so many other cases throughout this film, enmity prevails and disaster follows.

For some unexplained reason, in spite of the author's consistent presentation of Christian moral struggles, the DVD claims in its on-screen notes that "Thomas Hardy was an atheist". Henchard, the Mayor of Casterbridge, is presented as a selfish, atheistic, personality, and his atheistic tendencies are not shown in any positive light. Even though his character is deeply flawed, Henchard does evoke considerable sympathy because his salvation requires only a change of heart. The pain of his reflexive choices is clearly evident in Ciarán Hinds' presentation of Henchard. Hardy's novel was presented in this DVD with enormous attention to historical detail. The traditional Christian concerns with love and forgiveness and the consequences of selfish behaviour, are presented with the same emphasis as in the text.

Partial cast

• Ciarán Hinds – Michael Henchard
• Juliet Aubrey – Susan Henchard
• Jodhi May – Elizabeth Jane
• James Purefoy – Farfrae
• Polly Walker – Lucetta Templeman

Notable reviews

Reviewed By: Angus Wolfe Murray at Eye for Film ^[2]

Reviewed By: TV Guide^[3]

Reviewed by: Jim Steel^[4]

^{[5] [6] [7]}

References

External links

• The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003 film)]