Jude (1996)

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writers:

Hossein Amini (screenplay)
Thomas Hardy (novel)

Release Date:

18 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

His World Could Never Change... Until She Became His World.

Plot:

A stonemason steadfastly pursues a cousin he loves. However their love is troubled as he is married...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Cousin | Stonemason | Nudity | Adultery

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Christopher Eccleston	...	Jude Fawley
Kate Winslet	...	Sue Bridehead
Liam Cunningham	...	Phillotson
Rachel Griffiths	...	Arabella
June Whitfield	...	Aunt Drusilla
Ross Colvin Turnbull	...	Little Jude
James Daley	...	Jude as a Boy
Berwick Kaler	...	Farmer Troutham
Sean McKenzie	...	1st Stone Mason
Richard Albrecht	...	2nd Stone Mason
Caitlin Bossley	...	Anny
Emma Turner	...	Sarah
Lorraine Hilton	...	Shopkeeper
James Nesbitt	...	Uncle Joe
Mark Lambert	...	Tinker Taylor

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality and intense depictions of death and birth.

Runtime:

123 min | Germany:118 min (TV version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | Japan:R-15 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Beamish Open Air Museum, Beamish, County Durham, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Christopher Eccleston (Jude Fawley) and David Tennant (Drunk Undergraduate) both later portrayed the Doctor in "Doctor Who" (2005). The former played the Ninth Doctor in 2005 while the latter since played the Tenth Doctor since 2005.

Quotes:

Sue: Why are you looking at me like that?
Jude Fawley: Does it scare you?
Sue: No. I am not afraid of any man.
Jude Fawley: Why?
Sue: Because no man would touch a woman unless she gives him reason to. A touch or a look that say come on. If you never look, they'll never come. You are the timid sex.

Movie Connections:

References Jules et Jim (1962)

An imperfect adaptation but powerful film in its own right

This is not a film for Hardy purists, nor is it for the faint-hearted. No two-hour adaptation could do complete justice to Hardy's final work, and many of the themes of religion, education and society are pared down in favour of the tragic central relationship between the eponymous Jude and his cousin Sue.

Eccleston and the then up-and-coming Winslet are superb as the on-off couple, lifting the film despite some patchy directing. The passage of time and emotion is dealt with heavy-handedly (albeit faithfully) by Winterbottom, but this is in contrast to some beautiful and touching set-pieces. This is where the film excels, especially in the bold decision to cut the final stage of their relationship in favour of a powerfully bleak ending in which the audience, along with Jude, is left with little closure.

No happy endings here, then, and those of fragile stock should be warned that, despite being visually underplayed, the pivotal scene is played with a brutal tragedy which makes it no less shocking.

Finally, I feel the score should be given special mention: this was Adrian Johnston's first major work but it succeeds as an evocation of tenderness, piety and sorrow, especially in the final two scenes of the film.