The Mayor of Casterbridge

'Casterbridge' is Dorchester, not Oxford. You can still stand in the street in Dorchester where Michael Henchard's wife stood, opposite the hotel where he was holding court as the mayor.

Two lines stand out from this memorable movie, lines for which I suppose Thomas Hardy must take most of the credit.

Henchard's first words on meeting his wife after twenty years: 'I don't drink.'

And his wife's explanation, when speaking of the man who had bid five guineas for her and her baby at the fairground auction: 'I couldn't leave him, Michael. Not after he'd paid all that money for me.'

(Both quotes from memory, but I think they are accurate.)

The Mayor of Casterbridge is a wonderful story, maybe not the most accessible of his work but bleak but compelling and poignant. This 1978 series is superb. The photography is skillful, while the costumes and sets are both beautiful and bleakily atmospheric. The music conveys an appropriately evocative mood, while the story while unfolding at a deliberate slow pace is still moving and the script sophisticated, thoughtful and faithful in spirit to Hardy's work. The performances are just as impressive, whether in the facial expressions or the nuanced accents, with Alan Bates embodying Henchard's character to perfection. In support Anne Stallybrass and Anna Massey fare best in portrayals just as moving and well-realised. Janet Maw is also great. Jack Galloway is not quite as good, he is suitably dour but his character here is not as complex.

All in all, superb series and highly recommended. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This brilliant adaption of a typically grim hardy novel was filmed in Corfe Castle, Dorset, but is set in Dorchester (aka Casterbridge). Given that it is 45 years old and it stands up well. Technically. Bates is of course the star. Sadly, Farfrae and Lucetta are poorly caste (the newer version being much better) but it is good to see the story told as written (mostly) and no one afraid to take a long time about it. It shows a man recovering from an early failure of character, who then does well. But then he lets himself down again and starts to fail. He makes a recovery of sorts, only to let himself (and others) down again. In short. This is a story about karma and how we control our own fortune. For those of us who are able to concentrate for an extended period of time it is well worth agonising over his life.

A thoughtful TV production, running over six hours, and a fine adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel, arguably his best Wessex tale. Casterbridge stands for the real-life Oxford, a town where dreams can happen and a man such as Michael Henchard can rise as high as man can climb, and fall as far as man can sink. He is a tragic hero, a towering tour-de-force of good and evil, fearlessness and folly, and is beautifully played by Alan Bates in this version.

In support, Anne Stallybrass and Anna Massey shine the most, with Jack Galloway going some way to give life to the dour and ambitious Scot Farfrae, but stopping short of illuminating his complexities as set out in the book.

The music and the settings of this adaptation are excellent, and the atmosphere of a farm town, not yet touched by anything beyond industrialisation, is richly drawn. Slow-paced, but satisfying, this drama's reputation has grown steadily, and it is well deserved.

Interestingly, the adaptor of Hardy's book is none other than TV's infant terrible, Dennis Potter, and it is interesting to compare 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' with the likes of 'Pennies from Heaven' or 'The Singing Detective'.

A classic ancient BBC production: promising actors with a sparsely populated script, indecipherable accents, atrocious sound quality, and Extremely Long Takes Wherein Nothing Really Happens.

Potentially deeply emotional scenes are read through instead of explored. It's as if the text of the script is so sacred the actors daren't internalize it for fear of desecrating it.

Confusing jumps in time compound the badness. In addition, by trimming some exposition, we're not quite sure what transpires between some characters, or if we do know What, we're never sure Why.

This is an excellent soporific. It also works well if you need to exercise your thumb on the fast-forward button. It's difficult to miss an important piece of dialogue or even a scene. If "torpid" is what you're looking for, this is the mini-series for you.