Clive Owen Movie:

		List Price: $19.98		Label: Hallmark Salesrank: 49456 Released: May 21, 2002
		Our Price: $48.99
		Used Price: $22.95
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

The Return of the Native (Hallmark Hall of Fame) Reviews:
Wonderful Film
2009-11-10 - Great CD. However, quality was a little grainy. Still the Story line came through with no issues.

DVD
2009-09-18 - The DVD was craked in transit.
Not the dealers fault - money was refunded.
no complaints - accidents happen

Expectation Is Everything
2009-08-12 - The first time I saw this film, I was very disappointed. It was the first rendition of a Thomas Hardy novel I had seen; and I expected a great deal more than the film delivered. "The Return of the Native" is my favorite Hardy novel, though Clym Yeobright, the main character, is not my favorite Hardy character. In fact, very few of Hardy's characters - especially his male characters - are truly admirable. But then, Hardy is more an anti-Victorian author in that he is attempting to depict real people, not larger-than-life cardboard heroes and heroines. It goes without saying, of course, than Clym's eventual blindness simply mirrors his blindness to those around him - his "tragic flaw." Even so, I found Ray Stevenson's portrayal of Clym convincing in that Stevenson seemed to personify Clym's obtuseness. I did not, however, care for Catherine Zeta-Jones' Eustacia Vye. It wasn't her performance, which was nuanced and accurately captured Eustacia's character. Somehow, she just didn't look the part - though I have to say, it was Eustacia as I envisioned her reading the novel, not necessarily Eustacia as Hardy intended her to look; and certainly not Eustacia as others might visualize her. It's just that Eustacia is such a powerful presence in the novel that it's difficult to imagine someone as innocently beautiful as Catherine Zeta-Jones evoking so much emotional reaction in others. There was an Audrey Hepburn kind of almost childlike innocence about her when there ought to have been more of a Merle Oberon (a la "Wuthering Heights") coldness. I can't picture anyone not liking Catherine Zeta-Jones' Eustacia Vye.

At any rate, though I still found Catherine Zeta-Jones too innocent-looking for Eustacia Vye, when I watched the film a second time, I loved it. The reason is simply that I had no expectations of liking it, so there was no possibility of disappointment. Consequently, everything beautiful about the film came through clearly this time; and everything that might be "wrong" about the film completely vanished. Once again proving that one's perspective has more to do with their enjoyment of a film than anything else.

so-so
2009-07-18 - There is such rich material in Hardy that it's hard to go too wrong, and this version is passable enough. Some notes:

1. Everyone's complaining about the cinematography. The problem is simple: the thing was shot on a video camera, and evidently not a very good one. Presumably this series was meant for British television only. In any event, it's hard to get past this, even well into the film.

2. Catherine Zeta-Jones has long had a reputation as an actress with a haughty and unpleasant personality, and I daresay you can get a whiff of that here.

3. The movie is only about an hour and 45 minutes, so while it follows the novel closely, it only follows the major lines. For example, in the book, the part where Clem decides to be furze-cutter seems to go on and on, but in the movie, it's like he's in his back lawn doing some yard work for only a day.

4. No subtitles! Grrrrr!

return of the native dvd
2009-05-09 - I would rate the transaction with this seller very good. The price was appropriate and the entire turnaround time was excellent. The product arrived in very good shape due to great packaging. I would purchase from this seller again.