At Another Spot...Namely the Gutter...

I have been meaning to read "The Mayor of Casterbridge" by Thomas Hardy since my friend, Heather, recommended it to me a couple of months back. I have read Tess of the D'Urbervilles, also by Hardy, and this new story seemed to be another of great tragic proportions.

Hardy has a knack for writing of the tragic nature of man. He writes of despair, despondency, innocence wronged and slighted. He writes of selfishness and depravity, ruthlessness and forgiveness in the sight of great wrongs. He does an excellent job of meeting out the play-by-play of each human being and it is done in such a way that you would rage and rail against those who sorely use the innocent and despise and feel sadly for the villain and his condition in all of his wickedness.

A few years back, my mother gave me an A&E set of Old English Biddie Movies, as my beloved likes to call them. In the collection was the film version of "The Mayor of Casterbridge." I don't know why I hadn't watched it before, but no matter, because I watched it tonight. Wow. What an outstanding rendition of what is undoubtedly a most excellent piece of literature. Where I wanted to read it before, I can hardly stand to wait to get it now!

The film version was deeply engaging and sucked me right into the storyline of one man's life of choices and its impact on all of those around him. It's multiple hours long, not sure how many, but I was up until 4:30 a.m. because I couldn't pause it and walk away from it.

The story is explicit in its portrayal of this mortal coil and the tragic human failings that no doubt we have all experienced, though hopefully not to this degree. To give you a brief picture into the tale, it starts out with a young man, his wife and baby trudging through the countryside. At one point, in a fit of drunken idiocy, the man sells his wife and baby daughter to the highest bidder (being a sailor) for pennies. When he sobers he comes to the realization of what he has done, swears to God on the Holy Bible not to drink for the next 21 years, during which time he prospers exceedingly and then along comes the wife and daughter lost so long ago, and the story ensues from that point.

The tragedy of poorly made choices at every possible turn and the bitterness of a self-interested life and the downfall that all of these things colluded to create is movingly performed by Ciaran Hinds as Michael Henchard--the Mayor of Casterbridge. On the other hand there was the perseverance and beauty of stoically bearing your burdens and the burdens placed upon you by the choices of others and by maintaining kindness in your heart and a loving, persevering attitude. Again, outstanding performances by Jodhi May as Elizabeth-Jane and by James Purefoy as Donald Farfrae are absolutely stellar.

So as not to ruin it, should you choose to view it (which I definitely recommend) let me say only this, that the movie was absorbing through to the very end---where I wept many tragedy-touched tears. It is one of the most moving endings to a film I've ever seen. What a tear jerker--it was great.

So, go get a beverage of choice, pop some popcorn, maybe even some chocolate (it's several hours after all), grab a tissue or two, and settle in for an absolutely engaging and wonderful story of tragedy and redemption.

Two thumbs up, and two toes...