Andrey A
They say that love will save the world. And it is true, in most cases love gives people the most beautiful things - happiness, hope, joy. But there are tragic cases when fates collapse, people die, misfortunes come because of love. I did not expect that the movie Jude will show us just such love....
The end of the 19th century. In a small English town lives Jude Foley, a laborer who makes a living carving sculptures out of stone, or works on construction sites. He is married, but in an unhappy marriage - his wife has convinced him that she is pregnant. He also wants to attend university despite his age, memorizing Latin and Greek texts. After his wife leaves him, Jude meets his cousin Sue Brighthead, a charming teacher. Feelings immediately flare between them, but since they are relatives and Jude is still not divorced from his first wife - they cannot be together without incurring the condemnation of the locals and the church.... Many years of meeting and parting, love and unhappiness await them, with unexpected consequences.
I had no idea what awaited me when I started watching the movie. I thought - it will be a dramatic love story, where everything will end when the main characters are together. But no, it's all just the beginning. The union of the main characters only starts the story. It's not just a drama - it's a real tragedy. God's wrath was seen in it - though you can cite an example where kings also entered into blood marriages and no one looked at it with such condemnation. Even getting married would have made little difference - sometimes people judge others too harshly and unfairly. After all, Jude and Sue just wanted happiness.
I know him as a cold-blooded and fierce villain, as an eccentric and charming time traveler, as an elegant antagonist, and I can picture him quite clearly in his upcoming role as leader of the dark elves. But never could I myself envision Christopher Eccleston as a romantic hero. And yet Jude Foley was exactly the romantic - he dreamed of becoming one of the scholarly husbands, he dreamed of finding happiness and love, he smiled so often. Along with the charming, young Kate Winslet - they play wonderfully together. Their feelings are genuine, real and genuine. It was easy to believe that they loved each other and could never fall out of love. They made decisions together, agreeing on almost everything - even Sue's refusal to not legalize their relationship. They move from town to town, where they are almost always denied all hotels because of their situation, and the townspeople look at them with contempt. None of this can lead to a happy ending.
There are not many main characters in the movie, especially we would like to mention Judah's wise grandmother Druzella(June Whitfield), who watched the development of their relationship and foreshadowed what might await them if they get married, reminding them that their relatives are simply not made for marriage. And we can't forget one scene that was the second reason to see the movie - this scene was just as fateful for the two actors involved: when a drunken student challenges Jude to a poetry duel, where Christopher Eccleston responds to David Tennant's challenge by quoting Latin texts magnificently. It was fate - no exaggeration.
Jude Unearthed is the name of this book. It's a story about an ordinary man who wanted to be outstanding, but fate doesn't give him the chance to get an education, and he creates beautiful sculptures and other works in stone. He wanted to love and be loved, but the fate though gives him a chance, but then puts before the lovers such tests that it is not clear - whether their love can withstand such a test. The movie Jude - made a deep and sometimes shocking impression on me. I would recommend it to all lovers of drama that ends in an unpredictable way.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
07/09/24
Full Review
Charles T
Well over one hundred years ago, Thomas Hardy experienced critical backlash against his novel "Jude the Obscure" and never wrote another novel. This film version is also controversial, but definitely worth a look. This stars Christopher Eccleston in the title role as a stonemason who yearns for higher learning and a better life. Eccleston's portrayal of Jude is excellent in that he is no Hollywood pretty boy. His ears are too big and his face sallow, but his expressions and gaunt look help his performance immensely, especially in the latter half of the film. Too bad the audience is left in the dark about what exactly makes his character tick. Jude's cousin, Sue, is played by Kate Winslet. She brings a professionalism to her role that almost overshadows Eccleston. Every nuance of her work here does not seem calculated, but very natural. Jude's wife, Arabella, who leaves him, but keeps popping back into his life over and over again, is played by Rachel Griffiths. Her character is a major flaw in the film. Gothicism was fading in the time this novel was written; readers were experiencing more realistic situations in novels by the likes of Charles Dickens, or fantastic situations in novels by H.G. Wells. Arabella seems old hat in a period film. When she is introduced, the scene is full of sunshine and Utopian bliss. Throughout the film, she appears in black widow's wear, striking a contrast against gray backgrounds and the forced happiness of Jude and Sue. This role screamed for a more intense actress along the lines of Nicole Kidman or Emily Watson. Griffiths does not have the presence needed. Any other actress would have taken the part and sunk her teeth into it, but Griffiths comes across as a pitiful old maid without a thought in her head. In the beginning of the film, in her cutesy courtship with Jude, another actress may have appeared whimsical and innocent, Griffiths plays Arabella like a moron. The director is well known in British and art house circles. His direction is expert, and different from other adaptations of long English novels. Winterbottom uses filmed captions to let the viewer know where Jude's travels take him. The film opens during Jude's childhood, and Winterbottom shoots the entire sequence in black and white, evoking antiquated romantic memories. The screenwriter, Hossein Amini, and Winterbottom load the film with too much sex, after a while it almost overshadows the plot and characters. The musical score and set design are marvelous and I would highly recommend this film to others, but maybe not as a study aid for Thomas Hardy-reading high school students. "Jude" has plenty of raw emotion, including the stinging fate of Sue and Jude's children, but Jude's character remains, pardon the pun, obscure. There is something great here, despite the flaws.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
09/29/23
Full Review
isla s
A bleak and sobering watch, this film has good central performances from Christopher Eccleston and Kate Winslet. Its an average watch overall I'd say - a bit of a slow burn, plot wise, at the start - its an alright watch, though its not a film I'd actively recommend, unless your particularly keen on the main stars already mentioned. Also, I should perhaps point out that this film features a rather explicit (understandably very bloody) scene when Kate's character, Sue, gives bith. There is definitely a taboo element to the story but I wouldn't say its an out and out thrilling watch. It's an ok film though.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The greatest 02 hours: and 03 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
Full Review
colin m
Drama based on Thomas Hardy's novel "Jude the Obscure". How relationships get screwed up, with consequences.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Unusual even repelling moments accurate to the time period they were depicted. Remarkable story of determining one's destiny in a time of dominating social and religious pressure. It also is a very convincing exploration of implications of true love. Overall, it leaves a sense of gratitude for where we now exist in history.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/14/23
Full Review
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