Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9497 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-01-01
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 117 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This curiously dry adaptation of Thomas Hardy's last novel, Jude is a good example of Michael Winterbottom's inability to make a particularly good film until Welcome to Sarajevo. Christopher Eccleston plays Jude Fawley, a self-educated stonemason who holds the dream of attending university but identifies with the working class. Kate Winslet is enlisted to play his cousin Sue Bridehead, a young woman with suffragette leanings and a position as a teacher's assistant. When the two enter into an illicit union, they are condemned to the margins of society, ultimately resulting in a horrifying tragedy. Winterbottom takes an oddly lean approach to Hardy's deterministic story, which leaves a viewer feeling short on emotion just when one needs it for the from-bad-to-worse third act. Welcome to Sarajevo proved that Winterbottom needs a whole other level of personal involvement to make a film that inspires him. Jude isn't one of those lucky films. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

DVD Description
DVD Special Features:

Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Menus
Digitally Re-Mastered
English Stereo
Subtitles: English Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Synopsis
In this austere adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1895 novel JUDE THE OBSCURE, an intelligent young British man falls prey to romance, oppressive social conventions, and unspeakable tragedy in his unsanctioned relationship with his cousin. JUDE is a tragic romance, well acted by Kate Winslet (TITANIC), Rachel Griffiths (HILARY AND JACKIE), and Christopher Eccleston (ELIZABETH) and wonderfully directed by Michael Winterbottom (WELCOME TO SARAJEVO).

Customer Reviews

Fantastic
Having read the synopsis on the back of the video case, I wasn't too enthusiastic about watching this film. However, it was highly recommended to me, and not without good reason.

Since this site already provides a description of the plot, I won't go into detail, save to say that it is well written and carefully considered. On that note, although the film borrows only the core story from the novel on which it is based, this does not in the least detract from the finished product. Fans of the novel may initially be disapointed, but if you can disconnect the two (as they are really separate creations) then this is a highly enjoyable piece of cinema.

The acting here is of a very high standard, and the two leads are so convincing in their portrayal of their respective characters that you can not help but be drawn into the complex relationship between the two. Their relationship is really the focal point of the film, with its constant twists and turns. It faces oposition almost from the start, and it is heartbreaking to watch as it blossoms into something wonderful, only to come crashing down again.

Despite dealing with dreams and ambitions, and portraying society at that time, this film is, at heart, a love story. As such, its market will be sadly divided and, at the risk of sounding stereotypical, I can't help but feel that many males will miss out on a fantastic portrayal of forbidden love. I shall certainly treasure this film for a long time to come.

Tragic and tormenting
I own the UK version (Region 2) DVD as I it was available in the US. This movie is always so hard to watch as you feel to sad and drained afterwards. Kate is fantastic as Sue and you see her potential and her spirit shine that once shined so brightly, begin to dim through the course of her life. Chris Ecclestone reveals an inhibited passion for Sue hindered by what seems a cursed life, and you can really feel the intensity between Jude and Sue. The movie is a favourite of mine for its dramatic intensity and character complexities. Thomas Hardy fans may disagree with the screen adaption but I think it is very well done as it is a dark and depressing story and has a pace to keep your spirits up long enough to finish the film. The lead actors completely make this movie bearable for the fine and polished performances. The DVD has been re-mastered and you can hear the difference especially in the scene where Sue goes to see Jude and the rain is falling in the background. I really would have liked to see interviews with the director and the actors and some more extras but all in all, superb and sombre.

Painful, compulsive viewing
This film is loosely based on the Hardy novel, "Jude the Obscure", and is true to the spirit, if not the detail of the book. Jude is played by Christopher Eccleston, who manages to convey the intensity and passion of a man who always yearns desperately for what he cannot have. Kate Winslet is initially a pert and rather over-confident Sue Bridehead, but as the plot unfolds, she portrays Sue's naked despair in a manner that is uncomfortable to watch. The soundtrack - written by Adrian Johnstone - provides a sensitive backdrop to the screen events. Don't watch this expecting total fidelity to the Hardy novel, but it does manage to dramatise the despair and frustration that envelop Jude so thoroughly.