The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003 film)

2002 British TV drama series

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The Mayor of Casterbridge

Based on| The Mayor of Casterbridge
by Thomas Hardy
Screenplay by| Ted Whitehead
Directed by| David Thacker
Starring| Ciarán Hinds
Juliet Aubrey
Jodhi May
Composer| Adrian Johnston
Country of origin| United Kingdom
Original language| English
No. of episodes| 2
Production
Producer| Georgina Lowe
Cinematography| Ivan Strasburg
Editor| St. John O'Rorke
Running time| 194 minutes
Production companies| LWT
Sally Head Productions
Original release
Network| ITV
Release| 28 December (2003-12-28) –
29 December 2003 (2003-12-29)

The Mayor of Casterbridge is a British television film, produced by Georgina Lowe for Sally Head Productions and directed by David Thacker,[1] based on the 1886 novel by Thomas Hardy.[2] 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.[3] The film was shown in two parts on 28 and 29 December 2003 on ITV.

## Plot

[edit]

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As in the original story, Michael Henchard, in a drunken moment, auctions his wife Susan and their infant child to a passing seaman. Years later, Susan meets up with an apparently contrite Henchard, but he subsequently reverts to his original stubborn and unyielding character. 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.[citation needed]

Occasionally, as in the characters of Elizabeth Jane and Farfrae, forgiveness is found repeatedly and life recovers. However, in so many other cases throughout this film, enmity prevails and disaster follows. Henchard, the Mayor of Casterbridge, is presented as a selfish, atheistic, personality, and his atheistic tendencies are not shown in any positive light.[citation needed] 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 version with enormous attention to historical detail. The traditional Christian concerns with love and forgiveness[4] and the consequences of selfish behaviour, are presented with the same emphasis as in the text.

## Partial cast

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* Ciarán Hinds – Michael Henchard
* Juliet Aubrey – Susan Henchard
* Jodhi May – Elizabeth Jane
* James Purefoy – Farfrae
* Polly Walker – Lucetta Templeman
* Clive Russell – Newson
* David Bradley – Councillor Vatt
* Annette Badland – Mrs Stannidge
* Trevor Peacock – Christopher Coney
* Henry Goodman – Joshua Jopp

## Notable reviews

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* Angus Wolfe Murray at Eye for Film [3]
* The Victorian Web[5]
* New York magazine[6]
* The Guardian[7]
* Variety[8]
* The New York Times[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Review of "The Mayor of Casterbridge". TV Guide. [dead link]
2. ^ "The Mayor of Casterbridge [Part 1] (2003)". BFI. Archived from the original on 7 March 2019.
3. ^ a b "The Mayor Of Casterbridge (2003) Movie Review from Eye for Film". www.eyeforfilm.co.uk.
4. ^ "The Mayor of Casterbridge". Variety. 14 August 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
5. ^ "David Thacker's 2001 Adaptation of Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge": Sometimes Less IS Less". victorianweb.org.
6. ^ "The Mayor of Casterbridge - Searching for Debra Winger - New York TV Review - Nymag". New York Magazine. 7 August 2003.
7. ^ Anthony, Andrew (4 January 2004). "Take my wife. No, really". The Observer. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
8. ^ "The Mayor of Casterbridge". Variety. 15 August 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
9. ^ Jefferson, Margo (15 August 2003). "TV WEEKEND; Tryannies of Fate and Character From a Master Storyteller". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 November 2023.

## External links

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* BFI Film & TV Database: The MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE (ITV1, 2003) The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003 film)
* The Mayor of Casterbridge at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886)

Adaptations|

* The Mayor of Casterbridge (1921)
* Mayor Nair (1966)
* Daag (1973)
* The Mayor of Casterbridge (1978)
* Vichitra Jeevitham (1978)
* The Claim (2000)
* The Mayor of Casterbridge (2003)

Related|

* Thomas Hardy's Wessex
* Wife selling

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