TheLittleSongbird Not one of the Thomas Hardy masterpieces(Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the D'Urbevilles and The Mayor of Casterbridge), but any work of his is well worth the read and The Return of the Native is no exception. There are better Hardy adaptations, but that is not to knock Return of the Native(1994) completely as it is still quite good. Albeit not without problems. Ray Stevenson is rather colourless and one-note as Clym Yeobright(that his "martyr complex" isn't really all that evident here makes the character himself flat admittedly). The events that happen during the final twenty minutes seemed too glossed over and broadly played, the whole Eustacia's ghost part was hilarious for the wrong reasons. And while the emotional impact and spirit mostly are there for about 2/3 of the film some of it did feel like a lot of skimming the surface and not quite enough depth/meat(the same problem I had with the 1997 film version of The Woodlanders). On the other hand, there is no fault to be had with how the film looks, it is a very beautifully shot adaptation with even lovelier countryside scenery. The costumes are vivid and the contrasts between rich and poor are easy to see and convincing. The music is very lush and romantic-sounding, that it is characterised mainly by strings(of all four orchestral sections, the strings section is most likely the best at depicting love and its consequences) adds to that effect. The script is mostly literate and does have evidence of the ironic and the tragic(though both elements are presented stronger in the book), it's only really with Stevenson where it feels weak. The story and characters have much much to them in the book where there is a lot more detail and time, but they are still involving while the story is touching, doing a great job at maintaining the book's pacing and for conveying how the characters interacted, behaved and lived accurately. Apart from Stevenson, the acting is fine. There may be reservations of whether Catherine Zeta-Jones is too innocent-looking for Eustacia, that still doesn't stop her from giving a nuanced portrayal of a complex character, she also has only looked more beautiful in Darling Buds of May. Clive Owen plays Wildeve with handsome broodiness and fire while Steven Mackintosh is quietly dignified. Joan Plowright and Claire Skinner are very good too and are true to their characters. All in all, not perfect and left wanting as an adaptation but on its own especially in the production values and the cast it's still a good film. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Noirdame79 I caught the first half hour of this when it originally aired on CBS in 1994, but as I was a teenager I did not know of Thomas Hardy's work, nor did I recognize Catherine Zeta-Jones or Clive Owen as they were both unknown in North America at the time. I have since taken a liking to watching period films and reading the classic novels upon which they are based. I have read the novel of The Return of the Native several times; it is one of my favorite Hardy novels, but I couldn't help but notice some similarities to Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, similarities that are evident in the film as well. Wind-swept moors, a headstrong, misguided heroine who marries a kind-hearted but dull gentleman for opportunity and possibility of society acceptance yet she maintains her strong connection to the brooding, roguish man who is tormented by the spell she casts. Spell, of course, used as a figure of speech, although raven-haired Eustacia Vye (Zeta-Jones) is suspected to be a witch and shunned by the locals of Egdon Heath, since her effect on men seems to have some kind of bewitching quality in their eyes. Even though Damon Wildeve (Owen) is pledged to marry the fair Thomasin Yeobright (Claire Skinner), he cannot seem to shake his feelings for Eustacia, who keeps drawing him to her with her bonfires and her indecision to leave England with him. As much as she wants to escape from Egdon, she feels that somehow Wildeve is beneath her, so when Thomasin's cousin Clym (Ray Stevenson) returns from Paris, she immediately sets her sights on him and leaves Damon in the dust. He, in turn, marries Thomasin almost out of spite, hoping to hurt Eustacia, but she only pushes forward with her plan to win Clym's heart, wed him and hoping that he will take her away from the heath she despises so much. However, with Hardy, things rarely the work out the way his characters hope - Clym wants to stay in Wessex, to open a school and live simply, which only brings his wife to despair and boredom. She begins to wonder if she made a mistake, and re-encountering her former lover only cements her confusion. She is somewhat torn, and this ultimately brings on her downfall as well as Damon's. Other notable portrayals are Steven MackIntosh as reddleman Diggory Venn, who unselfishly loves Thomasin and will do anything to see her happy; his character is both honorable and down-to-earth yet possesses a kind of unworldly knowledge about what he sees around him. And the ever reliable Joan Plowright as Clym's mother turns in yet another wonderful performance. Of course, there are liberties taken (cause of death of Mrs. Yeobright is altered, omission of Damon and Thomasin's child, inclusion of more of the novel's text would have been good at the climax), but overall, for the running time, Hallmark did a commendable job with this presentation. The characters of Eustacia, Wildeve, Diggory and even Thomasin have always held more interest for me than Clym, who in my opinion was never a very compelling character to begin with, sort of like Edgar Linton. Stevenson, also a virtual unknown at the time, does well with his pretty much thankless role - I never really understood what Eustacia saw in him other than her plans for escape and maybe his idealism, but Damon was a far better match for her. With Clym, she sees what she wants to see, whereas with Damon the reality is something that she doesn't know if she wants to see (there has to be some symbolism of Clym losing his sight). Of course, Eustacia and Damon are the most tragic, and are doomed, not only because they are both outsiders and their relationship to each other (which would be considered scandalous in Victorian England), but their desire to escape is only achieved in death. One of the complaints I have about this production is how there was none of the novel's dialogue when Eustacia takes her fatal plunge and Wildeve's ill-fated attempt to rescue her were included.Filmed in Exmoor National Park (rather than in Dorset), the location does make the setting seem more rugged and wild, the music is very emotional and romantic, the cinematography very lush and pretty, Zeta-Jones is costumed more colorfully than the other women, no doubt to make to make her more distinctive (but her beauty does that alone). Very good supporting cast also. And I have to say, I cannot picture anyone else but Catherine and Clive in the roles, even when I read the novel. It's worth seeing for them and the landscape alone!

jlowman99 I only wish it were possible to see this movie on the big screen. The scenery was magnificent. Hardy loved the English countryside and this production made me feel as though I was there and at that place in time. I loved "Far From the Madding Crowd" also, but I think Catherine Zeta-Jones is better cast as Eustacia than Julie Christy was as Bathsheba. As a matter-of-fact I think Catherine Zeta-Jones would have made a perfect Bathsheba in a "Far From the Madding Crowd" film if she could have played the part at the same age she was when she acted in "Return of the Native." (she was about 25). After all, Thomas Hardy's Bathsheba was dark-haired and beautiful. Not to say that Julie Christy was not good in the role, but she didn't have dark hair and her hair style seemed from the sixties. I would love to see an Ang Lee ("Sense and Sensability", "Brokeback Mountain", and many more films) version of either one of these movies in the future.

drew_graham1 I saw this first when my older sister watched it for a class in high school and I was immediately taken by Catherine Zeta-Jones. She looked stunning, nearly perfect in every particular, almost like a flawless Disney heroine. Later, when I read the book (which soon became my favorite classic novel of all time), and did a research paper on Hardy heroines (Eustacia Vye from The Return of the Native, Bathsheba Everdene from Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess Durbefield from Tess of the D'Urbervilles), I read the description of Eustacia and found that Zeta-Jones was TYPECAST as the seemingly angelic, but ultimately tortmented woman. I quickly became a Catherine Zeta-Jones fan and sought out her other films. This one ranks as one of her best.A fantastic work, especially for Hallmark, I agree that had it been made in Hollywood, Catherine would have won her first Oscar long before Chicago. Watch this heartbreaking film and then (or before), read the book. Also outstanding are Clive Owen as the equally tormented Damon Wildeve and Ray Stevenson as Clym Yeobright and the title character. Diggory Venn and Thomasin Yeobright are also well-played.10/10.