The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
The Set of Far from the Madding Crowd
Julie Christie and Alan Bates entertain us as Hardy’s book is brought to life.
In partnership with:
Overview
Julie Christie and Alan Bates are on the set of Far from the Madding Crowd in Dorset. Julie Christie plays the role of Bathsheba Everdene as she fights to remain independent before her head is turned. Alan Bates plays the dependable Gabriel Oak in this story of love, honour and betrayal in Dorset’s farming community. Far From the Madding Crowd is Thomas Hardy’s fourth novel, set in the fictional county of Wessex. The novel has numerous adaptions for film and television.
The 2015 film version stars Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba and Matthias Schoenaerts as shepherd Gabriel Oak. Julie Christie studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama and began her career on stage in 1957. In 1961 Christie played her first television role as Christine in A for Andromeda. Her breakthrough role was the film Billy Liar (1963) and she also starred in Dr Zhivago (1966) opposite Omar Sharif in one of the highest grossing films of all time. Alan Bates won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and joined the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square. Bates was an overnight success when he appeared in John Osborne’s play Look Back In Anger in 1956.
Related
Film Director Ken Russell Film Director Ken Russell
News 1972 3 mins Location: Torquay
Writer and Director Ken Russell explains his brush with The Devils.
Michael Caine on the set of The Eagle Has Landed Michael Caine on the set of The Eagle Has Landed
News 1971 5 mins Location: St Mawgan
Michael Caine completes mission as Oberst Kurt Steiner.
Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Redgrave
Inside Film 1968 29 mins
Political beliefs and public profile is the core of Redgrave's interview, conducted at a time of immense upheaval in British life.
Anna Karina on Vivre sa vie Anna Karina on Vivre sa vie
Inside Film 2016 35 mins
The actor discusses Jean-Luc Godard’s film about a young woman who drifts into prostitution, and her relationship with the director.
Filmmakers in Focus: Agnès Varda Filmmakers in Focus: Agnès Varda
Inside Film 2021 47 mins
Writer and activist So Mayer joins filmmaker and critic Alexandra Hidalgo to discuss the work of acclaimed French director and artist Agnès Varda.
Filmmakers in Focus: Joanna Hogg Filmmakers in Focus: Joanna Hogg
Inside Film 2021 38 mins
BFI National Archive curator Will Massa and film critic Beatrice Loayza explore the work of contemporary British filmmaker Joanna Hogg.
Dashcam Dashcam
Current affairs 1966 1 mins Silent Location: Dorset
Automated enforcement is the new way police are clamping down on traffic offenders.
Britain, Kingdom of the Seas Britain, Kingdom of the Seas
1981 29 mins Location: Devon
Conservationists stand guard as the National Trust and National Trust for Scotland keep a vigilant watch on the UK’s coastline
Southampton’s MP Films his Family and Friends Southampton’s MP Films his Family and Friends
Amateur film 1931 11 mins Silent Location: Hampshire
William Craven-Ellis records the antics of family and friends in his garden, on the beach and in and around Southampton
Interview with Deborah Kerr Interview with Deborah Kerr
News 1985 3 mins Location: Dorset
Deborah Kerr explains the masoschism associated with theatrical performance.
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.