Filmography: Jude
The other night, I watched Jude, a film based on Hardy's novel and starring Christopher Eccleston as the eponymous hero, and Kate Winslet as his cousin. Now, I admit, I haven't read the book. Have other people? Anyway, let's just say I didn't have any plot spoilers ;)
The film was predictably depressing, but in a wholly good way. Eccles is a fantastic actor and does working class very well, though he was equally impressive when he was being all scholarly and serious (he read out bits of Latin and Greek - mmm, very sexy). He's good with emotional stuff as well. In fact, brilliant all round.
It's a depressing tale all the way through - Jude has aspirations of being a scholar at university (and is certainly clever enough), but marries badly then lets her go off, then meets his cousin (Kate Winslet) and falls in love with her, etc.. You may know the story :) I spent the whole film hoping that he'd get to be a scholar in the end, but of course he didn't. Instead he ends up with an illegitimate family and complete lack of respectability. And near the end, his oldest son (with his first wife) commits suicide and kills his other two children - I found this a big shock, not knowing the story.
All in all, I think I was a bit surprised. Firstly, I didn't think Hardy was quite so into sex scenes, not that it wasn't a pleasure watching them. And secondly, the point of the story seemed to be that marriage isn't about getting your union recognised by the Church but about how you live your lives together (confirmed by an outburst from Jude at the end - "I any two people were ever married in God's eyes, we are" sort of thing) - is that the impression the book gives? Hmm, interesting.
Anyway, I enjoyed watching it - good acting, lots of pathos, maintained interest. Even if it is the most depressing film I've ever seen.
The film was predictably depressing, but in a wholly good way. Eccles is a fantastic actor and does working class very well, though he was equally impressive when he was being all scholarly and serious (he read out bits of Latin and Greek - mmm, very sexy). He's good with emotional stuff as well. In fact, brilliant all round.
It's a depressing tale all the way through - Jude has aspirations of being a scholar at university (and is certainly clever enough), but marries badly then lets her go off, then meets his cousin (Kate Winslet) and falls in love with her, etc.. You may know the story :) I spent the whole film hoping that he'd get to be a scholar in the end, but of course he didn't. Instead he ends up with an illegitimate family and complete lack of respectability. And near the end, his oldest son (with his first wife) commits suicide and kills his other two children - I found this a big shock, not knowing the story.
All in all, I think I was a bit surprised. Firstly, I didn't think Hardy was quite so into sex scenes, not that it wasn't a pleasure watching them. And secondly, the point of the story seemed to be that marriage isn't about getting your union recognised by the Church but about how you live your lives together (confirmed by an outburst from Jude at the end - "I any two people were ever married in God's eyes, we are" sort of thing) - is that the impression the book gives? Hmm, interesting.
Anyway, I enjoyed watching it - good acting, lots of pathos, maintained interest. Even if it is the most depressing film I've ever seen.