Darling made so much money that MGM pulled out the cheque book for Joseph Janni, John Schlesinger, Fred Raphael and Julie Christie and went "take our money". So they did Thomas Hardy, presumably to give Christie a big fat lead role.
The film looks gorgeous - Nic Roeg shot it and it's full of his wonderful colour. It's made with taste and skill. Everyone can act. Peter Finch is superb.
But it's almost three hours, a Roadshow, and I didn't care about anyone. Julie Christie is beautiful and a fine actress but I just didn't care. Terence Stamp livens things up as a love rat but this could've been told in 90 minutes. Peter FInch is a drip for hanging around and so is Alan Bates. Schlesinger didn't connect with the material.
Honestly I would've prepared a sexed up Gainsborough melodrama version of this with Stewart Granger and James Mason.
Prunella Ransome has a showy role as Fanny.
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