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| Under the Greenwood Tree | 
| Director: Nicholas Laughland
Actors: Keeley Hawes, James Murray (xiii), Terry Mortimer, Richard Leaf, Tony Haygarth
Studio: BBC Warner
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $12.63
You Save: $7.35 (37%)
New (43) from $12.63
Avg. Customer Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 5321
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Running Time: 93 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WARDE2493D
UPC: 794051249326
EAN: 0794051249326
ASIN: B000EBD9VC
Theatrical Release Date: April 23, 2006
Release Date: April 25, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Five Star Seller!!! New, factory sealed US Region 1 DVD. Item is 100% guaranteed not to be a bootleg or import. Item is shipped directly from our warehouse. Easy exchange if item defective or damaged in shipped.
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Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 04/25/2006 Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
The radiant glow of Keeley Hawes--an English rose if ever there was one--anchors Under the Greenwood Tree, a light romance from the normally gloomy pen of Thomas Hardy (The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the d'Urbervilles). When a young educated woman with the preposterous name of Fancy Day (Hawes, Tipping the Velvet) returns to a small village to care for her father, she finds herself pursued by three very different men: The poor but handsome Dick Dewy (James Murray, Sons and Lovers), the crude but wealthy Mr. Shiner (Steve Pemberton, The League of Gentlemen), and the erudite but pompous Parson Maybold (Ben Miles, Coupling). The story is slender but enjoyable, with hints of class conflict and the changes due to come from the impending Industrial Revolution. Hawes lends her considerable intelligence and charm to the put-upon Miss Day; she makes you feel the eroticism of washing your hands in the same basin with an attractive man. The accompanying "making of" documentary is also pleasant, though it goes on a bit too long about artificial snow. --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 43 more reviews...
 A mediocre period romance October 30, 2008
I purchased this DVD without previewing it, and I regret that choice. Though there is nothing offensive in the film, there is also not enough to keep one engrossed in it. Truly a light romance with no great depth. Rent it, don't bother buying it.
 Love it, love it, love it! October 16, 2008
I have been watching a lot of BBC period dramas lately - probably way to many - and this is one of my favorites. The story is great, the actors are great, the scenery is great, James Murray is great. You can read other reviews to get a synopsis of the story. I found the chemistry between Keely Hawes and James Murray really nice and believable. I just really enjoy watching this again, and again, and again. I finally had to lend it to a neighbor so that I could take a break from it (but alas, it is on youtube...) It is really worth at least one watch....
 Simple story October 14, 2008
Hard to believe this work was by Hardy. Normally his work is too depressing for my taste. This is much, much lighter...almost too light! Although it ends happily, it's so idyll it is totally unrealistic. Fancy Day (her name alone should tell you this is a fairy tale) turns down a wealthy tradesman who can give her comfort and the parson who can show her the grand cities of Europe to marry a man who can't even afford to give her a place of her own. Yes that's right, she chooses to live in a dirt floor cottage with his parents and siblings. Ridiculous. And we're supposed to believe that these poor uneducated folk are the happiest and best of people. Hmmm. I suppose that would be like choosing to marry someone from Harlem and moving into his parents cramped space in the projects. There are similar ridiculous elements.
But, if you can suspend all intelligent thought, and provided you don't mind the lack of fancy gowns and grand rooms, this is a pretty little romance.
An upbeat Hardy September 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Under the Greenwood Tree
Thomas Hardy, master of the nineteenth-century rural English gloom and doom novel, penned a sweet, uplifting romance in Under the Greenwood Tree. Skillfully adapted to the screen, this tale that originally centered around local young man Dick Dewy, is now recast with Fancy Day (Keeley Hawes) as the central figure and with the three men who love her secondary. It works very well and creates a bit of charm in an otherwise simplistic tale of rustic romance in a small Dorset village (though the film was entirely shot on the Isle of Jersey) amid the changes hinted at by the impending Industrial Revolution.
It is the story of Fancy, a schoolmistress who returns to the village of Mellstock. She is young, beautiful and educated, and the villagers don't know what to make of her. Handsome Dick Dewy (James Murray), a workingclass lad, is instantly smitten as are nouveau riche farmer Mr. Shiner (Steve Pemberton) and the local vicar, Parson Maybold (Ben Miles).
Fancy feels a need to honor her father and marry well, but in the course of events she falls in love and must choose between following her father's wish or following her heart.
Beautiful photography and authentic scenes and costuming add to the charm of this lighthearted adventure.
Recommended.
Favorite Story of All Time August 24, 2008
I purchased these items on DVD to replace items taped off PBS years previously. They were excellent then and are equally interesting now.
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