''Far from the Madding Crowd'' is a 1915 British silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

produced and directed by

Laurence Trimble Laurence Norwood Trimble (February 15, 1885 – February 8, 1954) was an American silent film film director, director, screenwriter, writer and actor. Trimble began his film career directing Jean (dog), Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, the first canine ...

and starring

Florence Turner Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films. Biography Born in New York City, Turner was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by he ...

, Henry Edwards and Malcolm Cherry. Trimble also adapted

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

's 1874 novel for the screen. ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' is a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

Cast

as Bathsheba Everdene * Henry Edwards as Gabriel Oak * Malcolm Cherry as Farmer Boldwood *

Campbell Gullan Campbell Gullan (1881, in Glasgow – 1 December 1939, in New York City) was a Scottish actor. Partial filmography * ''Caste'' (1915) - Sam Gerridge * ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1915) * ''The Great Adventure'' (1916) - Reporter * '' A Plac ...

as Sergeant Troy * Marion Grey as Fanny Robin * Dorothy Rowan as Lyddie *

John MacAndrews John MacAndrews was a British actor of the silent era. Selected filmography * ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1913) * ''The Heart of Midlothian'' (1914) * ''The Chimes'' (1914) * '' For Her People'' (1914) * '' Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1915) ...

as Farmhand *

Johnny Butt John William H. Butt (1870–1931) was an English film actor of the silent era. He was born in Bradford and died in North Bierley, West Yorkshire. Selected filmography * ''The Chimes'' (1914) * ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1915) * ''The Gra ...

as Farmhand *

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

as Gabriel's dog

Production

The rights to adapt ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' for the screen were secured in 1915 by Turner Films, an independent film production company established in England by American film star

. Filmmaker

, who had often directed Turner while they were at

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

, was head of production for Turner Films, which had its studios at

Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...

. Little is known about the production, apart from its being shot in authentic locales in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

. After the film's premiere on 16 November 1915, at a private screening at London's West End Cinema, the press response was favorable. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' wrote that Hardy "can have little reason to complain of the way in which his work has been handled. … One feels that the country in which the action is laid is really the

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

of the novel and that the farm, the cattle, the sheep are the genuine ones over which Gabriel Oak watched with such care." In February 1916, the five-reel feature film was given a general release in Britain. On 19 June 1916 the film was released in the United States, the first of six Turner productions to be distributed in the U.S. by

Mutual Film Mutual Film Corporation was an early American film conglomerate that produced some of Charlie Chaplin's greatest comedies. Founded in 1912, it was absorbed by Film Booking Offices of America, which evolved into RKO Pictures. Founding Mutual's ...

. The production was panned in a ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' review, which criticized the narrative as hard to follow and deemed the 30-year-old Turner as "no longer qualified physically to portray the roles of the simple ingenue type". The reviewer concluded, "''Far from the Madding Crowd'' is one of those stories of the type that appeared a decade to two ago in ''The Fireside Companion'', intended primarily for consumption in the scullery and pantry by the maids and the cook and the picture carries the same atmosphere." Hardy does not appear to have seen the film, although he wrote program notes for its premiere. The film's success in Britain prompted him to write his publisher that he was "glad to hear that ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' comes out so well." By 1920 Hardy had changed his opinion, saying that it "seems to have been a failure". No boxoffice records are available to determine the film's financial success. Turner Films ceased production after Trimble and Turner returned to the U.S. later in 1916.

References

External links

*
Article on the lost film, Moviessilently.com 9 June 2013
{{Laurence Trimble 1915 films 1910s historical drama films Films directed by Laurence Trimble Films based on British novels Films based on works by Thomas Hardy British silent feature films Lost British films British historical drama films Films set in England Films set in the 1870s British black-and-white films 1915 lost films Lost drama films 1915 drama films 1910s English-language films 1910s British films Silent drama films