Nathaniel Parker is the saving grace of this TV adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel. He doesn't make me forget Alan Bates in the same role (Gabriel Oak), but he is mesmerizing. As another reviewer noted, Parker plays the role with more emotion below the surface.
Paloma Baeza, unfortunately, is completely, drearily wrong for the part of Bathsheba Everdene. She captures none of the character at all; no wonder I'd never heard of her before. She is, flat-out, boring. The character is a mass of contradictions, sometimes sympathetic, sometimes maddening, but never boring, as Baeza is. Perhaps she thought that if she just turned up for work knowing her lines, she wouldn't be expected to actually act, or anything. Wrong. She's terrible.
The film is beautifully directed and, for the most part, well-acted, but Baeza casts a pall on the entire production. Even given the way the proposal scene was written, she could have brought some emotion to it, rather than regarding Nathaniel Parker with a facial expression that suggests, "Are we done for the day? I'd like to get out of this costume and find the nearest pub."
Paloma Baeza, unfortunately, is completely, drearily wrong for the part of Bathsheba Everdene. She captures none of the character at all; no wonder I'd never heard of her before. She is, flat-out, boring. The character is a mass of contradictions, sometimes sympathetic, sometimes maddening, but never boring, as Baeza is. Perhaps she thought that if she just turned up for work knowing her lines, she wouldn't be expected to actually act, or anything. Wrong. She's terrible.
The film is beautifully directed and, for the most part, well-acted, but Baeza casts a pall on the entire production. Even given the way the proposal scene was written, she could have brought some emotion to it, rather than regarding Nathaniel Parker with a facial expression that suggests, "Are we done for the day? I'd like to get out of this costume and find the nearest pub."