Brandy McDonnell [img url=http://blog.newsok.com/dittocontent/uploads/sites/28/2015/05/madding2.jpg]3674532[/img] A abbreviated version of this review appears in the Weekend Life section of The Oklahoman. 4 of 4 stars. Movie review: 'Far From the Madding Crowd' Far from a staid and dusty old story of bygone days, Danish director Thomas Vinterberg's new cinematic version of Thomas Hardy's oft-adapted 1874 novel "Far From the Madding Crowd" glows with life and vitality, while reining in the romantic melodrama. Leave it to Thomas Hardy's groundbreaking heroine Bathsheba Everdene to prove just how timely and resonant a period drama can be. Far from a staid and dusty old story of bygone days, Danish director Thomas Vinterberg's ("The Hunt") new cinematic version of Hardy's oft-adapted 1874 novel "Far From the Madding Crowd" veritably glows with life and vitality, while blessedly reigning in the romantic melodrama. It's not an easy balance, but Vinterberg has one of the best actresses working today, Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan ("An Education"), to carry his film, and in her graceful way, she turns Hardy's proto-feminist protagonist into a multidimensional character, one who is spirited yet serene, smart but impulsive, independent if a bit too proud. We first meet Bathsheba Everdene, whom "The Hunger Games" novelist Suzanne Collins made a sort of literary ancestor of her valiant Katniss Everdeen, working on her aunt's farm in the English countryside, where her feisty nature and radiant beauty capture the fancy of neighboring sheep farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts).Read more on NewsOK.com