Review of The Return of the Native

Not one of the Thomas Hardy masterpieces(Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the D'Urbevilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge), but any work of his is well worth the read and The Return of the Native is no exception. There are better Hardy adaptations, but that is not to knock Return of the Native(1994) completely as it is still quite good. Albeit not without problems. Ray Stevenson is rather colourless and one-note as Clym Yeobright(that his "martyr complex" isn't really all that evident here makes the character himself flat admittedly). The events that happen during the final twenty minutes seemed too glossed over and broadly played, the whole Eustacia's ghost part was hilarious for the wrong reasons. And while the emotional impact and spirit mostly are there for about 2/3 of the film some of it did feel like a lot of skimming the surface and not quite enough depth/meat(the same problem I had with the 1997 film version of The Woodlanders). On the other hand, there is no fault to be had with how the film looks, it is a very beautifully shot adaptation with even lovelier countryside scenery. The costumes are vivid and the contrasts between rich and poor are easy to see and convincing. The music is very lush and romantic-sounding, that it is characterised mainly by strings(of all four orchestral sections, the strings section is most likely the best at depicting love and its consequences) adds to that effect. The script is mostly literate and does have evidence of the ironic and the tragic(though both elements are presented stronger in the book), it's only really with Stevenson where it feels weak. The story and characters have much much to them in the book where there is a lot more detail and time, but they are still involving while the story is touching, doing a great job at maintaining the book's pacing and for conveying how the characters interacted, behaved and lived accurately. Apart from Stevenson, the acting is fine. There may be reservations of whether Catherine Zeta-Jones is too innocent-looking for Eustacia, that still doesn't stop her from giving a nuanced portrayal of a complex character, she also has only looked more beautiful in Darling Buds of May. Clive Owen plays Wildeve with handsome broodiness and fire while Steven Mackintosh is quietly dignified. Joan Plowright and Claire Skinner are very good too and are true to their characters. All in all, not perfect and left wanting as an adaptation but on its own especially in the production values and the cast it's still a good film. 7/10 Bethany Cox