Amy Adler In late 19th century Britain, Jude (Christopher Eccleston) is a conundrum. Born to a poor family, he nevertheless loves scholarly pursuits. A kind teacher tells him that not far from his pastoral village, the great city of Christminster is the way to academic success. Jude decides at once he wants this, desperately. However, in the meanwhile, by chance, a farmer's daughter, Arabella (Rachel Griffiths) spies him and wants him for herself. Throwing Jude's ambitions off course, Arabella says she is pregnant and a wedding follows soon after. It's a dismal match. What's more, Arabella's pregnancy doesn't advance. After a horrendous winter night, when Arabella insists they slaughter a pig and dress it, Jude has had enough. He departs for Christminster. Yet, the hallowed walls of higher learning are not made for the poor folks, alas. Jude finds work as a stonemason in the meanwhile, but when he applies to the college, he is rejected, despite his evident knowledge of the classics. This young man is in despair. However, his attentions are soon diverted by an introduction to his long lost cousin, Sue (Kate Winslet). The two are mates immediately, loving the same subjects and living life not quite by the rules. This results in Sue losing her calligraphy job but Jude helps find her another one, a teaching position. Yet, when Jude confesses he is married, Sue rushes to tie the knot with the senior teacher at the school. Now, BOTH OF THEM, are married to a partner they don't love. Yet, these two can't stay away from each other. Eventually, Sue leaves her husband for Jude and the two traverse other towns, pretending to be man and wife. Somehow, they are always found out. In addition, they become the parents of three children, making their lives difficult. What will become of them, these two whose strong ambitions receive society's slaps in their faces? This majestically sad classic from Hardy will probably never be put to the screen as well as it is here. First, Eccleston and Winslet are perfection in difficult roles while the secondary actors are very fine, too. Then, the scenery and costumes are superb. One really believes they have been transported back to an earlier time. Then, too, the director Michael Winterbottom presents many beautiful scenes; one is the "seaweed stalk" fight that Jude and Sue have on the beach in happy times. Beware, however, there is full frontal nudity from Winslet and other bold sexual scenes. Most importantly, Hardy's conflicting themes are made for heavy ponderings. What is good and what is evil? Are conventions to be kept or broken? Is God a lovely father or a punishing taskmaster? One will not come away from this movie without being asked to answer these questions that are truly impossible. If you are a thoughtful film goer who loves the best in cinema, you would be very amiss to miss Jude.

webber-george If you like dark dramas with a touch of romance, then this is the movie for you. The film is actually very true to the book and absolutely engrossing. The acting in the film is truly superb so much that the characters come to life on screen, so that you almost can become them and see through their eyes. This is a moral play, as well as a look at the way society imposes rules of conduct. When I came in toward the middle of the movie, but I got sucked into it. I find it a great movie to watch on a nice rainy day. Obviously, the book is practically required reading after you see this movie. Truly a haunting movie that you will remember for a long time and keep coming back to.

TheLittleSongbird Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure is a very complicated and ambitious book, and while heavy-reading it is a fine piece of literature. This 1996 film adaptation is a rock-solid adaptation, that is ambitious and realistic. I will admit some parts like the killing of the pig is anything but tender, but none of the scenes are over-sensationalised.As an adaptation of the book, it works very well. If I had a quibble, the secondary characters could have been developed more than they were depicted. The screenplay is well crafted; the writers and the director have at least some idea how Hardy's work should work on film and stay relatively true to the book. The music both haunting and beautiful at the same time was absolutely outstanding.The direction is very fine, never sluggish and never overdone. It was about right. The cinematography is superb, dark, fluid and sensitive. And the period detail was just as good. It was this element alone that contributed to the mood of the adaptation. The love story here which is dirty and tragic was beautifully realised, and very rarely struck a false note.The performances were just brilliant, no overplaying or underplaying as far as I could see. Special mention must go to the two lead performances. Christopher Ecceleston is a very talented and I think under-appreciated actor, and in the title role he was perfectly cast and showed real versatility. As Sue Brideshead, the beautiful Kate Winslet is positively luminous and is true to her character. Out of the supporting performances, the best is Rachel Griffiths as Arabella, a very modest performance I must say.Overall, has its minor flaws but a very well done adaptation of a complicated book. Always realistic and never overly-sentimental as I feared. Though the ending is heart-rending. 9/10 Bethany Cox

newradical336 did anyone notice as I did the use of Edinburgh for the town of, I think Christchurch, or some made up place where Jude goes to pursue university? Being home that I miss often i instantly recognised most of the scenes there as being filmed on the Royal Mile in the old town and directly around the square in front of St Giles. Also all the churchyard scenes, including their children's graves was in Greyfriars Churchyard nearby. i found it interseting why theyd give it a false name, furthered by the fact that in the scene in which Jude follows Sue into a public meeting in a hall the man speaking almost seems to be discussing the divide between "the new town" and "the old" which anyone who's visited Edinburgh will be well aware almost splits the town in two, the rich and the poor. the new town being visible in the film in scenes such as following the children's death and Sue's departure Jude follows her to an anonymous house before she returns to the church, I think its just below Queen Street. Where was that supposed to be by the way? Just happened to catch the film while flicking last night and thought it was ace, harrowing, but rewarding nonehteless.