TV FILMS of the week
1
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD Tonight, BBC2, 8pm
In 1870, Bathsheba Everdene
(Carey Mulligan) lives with her aunt on the adjacent property to handsome sheep farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), whose advances she rebuffs. Soon after, Bathsheba inherits her uncle’s vast estate and defies expectation to turn around the ailing farm, hiring Gabriel as a shepherd. Meanwhile, emotionally repressed and wealthy farmer William Boldwood (Michael Sheen) makes his feelings for Bathsheba known, but her head is turned by dashing Sergeant Troy (Tom Sturridge). Far from the Madding Crowd is a visually striking portrait of rural desires.
2
ORDINARY LOVE Tomorrow, BBC2, 10pm
Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson (left) deliver compelling performances as a married couple in turmoil in this intimate drama. Ordinary Love elegantly captures the minutiae of daily life for a wife and husband, encouraging us to cosy up to the lead characters before a cancer diagnosis tests the strength of marital bonds.
3
THE MISFITS
Monday, GREAT! movies classic, 4.20pm
Divorcee Roslyn (Marilyn Monroe) meets ageing cowboy Gaylord Langland (Clark Gable, left with Monroe) and his pal Guido (Eli Wallach) in a bar. They invite her to Guido’s ranch in the country and the trio decide to move in. An encounter with an ex-rodeo rider (Montgomery Clift) creates friction between the fledgling lovebirds.
4
THE GRADUATE Tuesday, BBC2, 11.15pm
Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has graduated from college and is back at his parents’ home for the summer. He wants to get into bed with sexy neighbour Mrs Robinson (Anne Bancroft, pictured with Hoffman), but it soon becomes clear that her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) holds the key to his heart.
5
DISAPPEARANCE AT CLIFTON HILL Wednesday, Film4, 9pm
When she was a girl, Abby (Tuppence Middleton, left) witnessed a boy being kidnapped on Clifton Hill, close to Niagara Falls. She is haunted by the incident, even though her sister maintains it never happened. When Abby returns to Niagara Falls to oversee the sale of the family’s hotel, she decides to uncover the truth in this thriller.
6
CITIZEN KANE Thursday, BBC4, 9pm
Told through a series of flashbacks, this groundbreaking drama focuses on how newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles, left) amassed his fortune and power – only to discover life at the top was very lonely. A reporter pieces together the millionaire’s story, uncovering an epic tale of ambition and conflict along the way.
7
THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS Friday, ITV, 10.45pm
The first film in the hugely successful franchise is an enjoyable ride which sees Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) race all-comers on the streets of LA for a first prize of $10,000. Dom feels invincible until undercover FBI agent Brian O’connor (Paul Walker, left with Diesel), who is probing a series of truck hijackings, challenges his supremacy.