Under the Greenwood Tree
Actor(s):
Keeley Hawes, James Murray, Terry Mortimer, Richard Leaf, Tony Haygarth
Director(s):
Nicholas Laughland
Label: BBC Warner
Publisher(s):
BBC Warner
Studio: BBC Warner
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
MPN: WARDE2493D
Format(s): Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $14.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Similar Items:
The Inheritance
North & South
Our Mutual Friend
The Buccaneers
Wives and Daughters
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Cranford
Middlemarch
Daniel Deronda
Masterpiece Theatre: Northanger Abbey
Editorial Reviews
Description
In a small village in the south of England, Dick Dewy, a handsome working man, falls in love with Fancy Day, a newly arrived schoolteacher from a wealthy family who happens to be the village beauty. But other, richer men also want to win the hand of Fancy. There's Farmer Shiner, a wealthy landowner, and Reverend Maybold, the decent young vicar. Who will win Fancy's hand? And even if she agrees to marry Dick, will her father consent to the marriage? This charming, timeless story of rural life gave Thomas Hardy his first real taste of success, and with its rustic setting and moving tale of young love, it weaves a spell that still entrances today.
Amazon.com
The radiant glow of Keeley Hawes--an English rose if ever there was one--anchors Under the Greenwood Tree, a light romance from the normally gloomy pen of Thomas Hardy (The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the d'Urbervilles). When a young educated woman with the preposterous name of Fancy Day (Hawes, Tipping the Velvet) returns to a small village to care for her father, she finds herself pursued by three very different men: The poor but handsome Dick Dewy (James Murray, Sons and Lovers), the crude but wealthy Mr. Shiner (Steve Pemberton, The League of Gentlemen), and the erudite but pompous Parson Maybold (Ben Miles, Coupling). The story is slender but enjoyable, with hints of class conflict and the changes due to come from the impending Industrial Revolution. Hawes lends her considerable intelligence and charm to the put-upon Miss Day; she makes you feel the eroticism of washing your hands in the same basin with an attractive man. The accompanying "making of" documentary is also pleasant, though it goes on a bit too long about artificial snow. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews
Predictable....
It's a cute film but very predictable, which in turn makes it a little boring. I love Keely Hawes and I am able to look past her MI-5 character. The acting is good, but there is no depth to any of the characters. They all fall a little flat. A movie that should be seen on PBS for free, not to pay money for.
A mediocre period romance
I purchased this DVD without previewing it, and I regret that choice. Though there is nothing offensive in the film, there is also not enough to keep one engrossed in it. Truly a light romance with no great depth. Rent it, don't bother buying it.
Love it, love it, love it!
I have been watching a lot of BBC period dramas lately - probably way to many - and this is one of my favorites. The story is great, the actors are great, the scenery is great, James Murray is great. You can read other reviews to get a synopsis of the story. I found the chemistry between Keely Hawes and James Murray really nice and believable. I just really enjoy watching this again, and again, and again. I finally had to lend it to a neighbor so that I could take a break from it (but alas, it is on youtube...) It is really worth at least one watch....
Simple story
Hard to believe this work was by Hardy. Normally his work is too depressing for my taste. This is much, much lighter...almost too light! Although it ends happily, it's so idyll it is totally unrealistic. Fancy Day (her name alone should tell you this is a fairy tale) turns down a wealthy tradesman who can give her comfort and the parson who can show her the grand cities of Europe to marry a man who can't even afford to give her a place of her own. Yes that's right, she chooses to live in a dirt floor cottage with his parents and siblings. Ridiculous. And we're supposed to believe that these poor uneducated folk are the happiest and best of people. Hmmm. I suppose that would be like choosing to marry someone from Harlem and moving into his parents cramped space in the projects. There are similar ridiculous elements.
But, if you can suspend all intelligent thought, and provided you don't mind the lack of fancy gowns and grand rooms, this is a pretty little romance.
An upbeat Hardy
Under the Greenwood Tree
Thomas Hardy, master of the nineteenth-century rural English gloom and doom novel, penned a sweet, uplifting romance in Under the Greenwood Tree. Skillfully adapted to the screen, this tale that originally centered around local young man Dick Dewy, is now recast with Fancy Day (Keeley Hawes) as the central figure and with the three men who love her secondary. It works very well and creates a bit of charm in an otherwise simplistic tale of rustic romance in a small Dorset village (though the film was entirely shot on the Isle of Jersey) amid the changes hinted at by the impending Industrial Revolution.
It is the story of Fancy, a schoolmistress who returns to the village of Mellstock. She is young, beautiful and educated, and the villagers don't know what to make of her. Handsome Dick Dewy (James Murray), a workingclass lad, is instantly smitten as are nouveau riche farmer Mr. Shiner (Steve Pemberton) and the local vicar, Parson Maybold (Ben Miles).
Fancy feels a need to honor her father and marry well, but in the course of events she falls in love and must choose between following her father's wish or following her heart.
Beautiful photography and authentic scenes and costuming add to the charm of this lighthearted adventure.
Recommended.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME OF THE CONTENT THAT WE MAKE AVAILABLE TO YOU THROUGH THIS APPLICATION COMES FROM AMAZON WEB SERVICES. ALL SUCH CONTENT IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS." THIS CONTENT AND YOUR USE OF IT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND/OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Powered by PNAmazon © 2003-2007 ttgapers.com
