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Format: VHS
Rated R
Recording Mode: (unknown)
Closed Captioned
122 min.
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Movie Description
Acclaimed English director Michael Winterbottom's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's tragic JUDE THE OBSCURE is a profoundly moving drama that is unrelentingly bleak in its depiction of love and poverty in the late-19th Century. The story follows Jude Fawley (Christopher Eccleston), a young English lad who finds a mentor in a schoolmaster named Phillotson (Liam Cunningham). Years later, after he's been married and cruelly abandoned by his wife, Jude meets his independent cousin Sue Bridehead (Kate Winslet), and falls in love. He introduces her to Phillotson, who becomes smitten with Sue as well, sparking a love triangle that will alter their lives forever.
With JUDE, Winterbottom proves that he is one of the world's most versatile and proficient filmmakers. In translating Hardy's novel to the screen, he retains the author's bitter hopelessness without succumbing to overt sentimentality. This can also be attributed to Eccleston, whose portrayal of the unfortunate hero is deeply affecting. As Jude's second wife, Winslet is her usual magnetic self, giving the audience yet another character with whom they will sympathize as the film builds to its somber conclusion. Special mention should also be given to Adrian Johnston's score and Joseph Bennett's production design.
Synopsis
This film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's tragic JUDE THE OBSCURE tells the story of the eponymous man, who as an English lad found a mentor in a schoolmaster named Phillotson. Years later, after he's been married and abandoned by his wife, Jude meets his independent cousin Sue and falls in love. He introduces her to Phillotson, who becomes smitten as well. A love triangle follows that will change their lives forever.
Film Notes
Released theatrically in the USA October 18, 1996.
Shown as part of the Directors Fortnight of the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.
Co-produced by Revolution Films.
Color by Eastmancolor and Fujicolor; prints by Technicolor; in Panavision widescreen.
Additional cast: June Whitfield (Aunt Drusilla), Ross Colvin Turnbull (Little Jude), and James Daly (Jude as a Boy).
Additional credits: Judy Farr (set decoration), Janty Yates (costume design), Howard Arundel (assistant director), and Simone Ireland & Vanessa Pereira (casting).
Rated BBFC 15 by the British Board of Film Classification.
Industry Reviews
"...A heartrending piece of work....[Winslet is] outstanding..."
Sight and Sound - p.45-6 - Geoffrey Macnab
"...[Eccleston gives an] extraordinary performance....A fine atmosphere of dank misery..." -- Rating: B
Entertainment Weekly - p.48 - Lisa Schwarzbaum
"...Kate Winslet adds luster and energy to JUDE....The actress is the motor and emotional center of the movie..."
Variety - Derek Elley
"...[A] handsome, uncompromising film....JUDE glows with Eccleston's and Winslet's performances..."
Los Angeles Times - p.F8 - Kevin Thomas
"...Winterbottom is angry, clear-headed, and with a sure visual sense....Winslet shows her range again...A haunting film..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (11/01/1996)
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