FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD — 1967-1968: Diary of a Posh Schoolgirl

Dec 28

Dec 28 FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

1960s Media

Far From the Madding Crowd - "the most beautiful, beautiful film."

T H U R S D A Y, 2 8 D E C E M B E R

Ma and Pa drove us to London, to a lecture for young people at the RIBA.

John Donat was the speaker and it was about our environment. He showed us colour slides he’s taken, and talked about how terribly important landscape is to architecture. Because of the railways, regional architecture has ceased to exist and the motor-car means we have a dreadful aesthetic problem on our hands. He suggested we take photographs of environments we like and don't like. It was very, very good.

Ma and Pa fetched us at 4.30 and we went to Gordon Lowe's. I got a pair of navy ski knicker-bockers with red socks, a gorgeous white, light anorak, and a super pair of French corduroy trousers in a rusty colour. I only wish my legs were longer and thinner; I can't really look good in anything.

It was very entertaining watching all the King’s Road types. The boys are fantastic. The girls all look tarts, they’re so swinging. We looked for a Chinese restaurant and finally settled on a really good one called Marco Polo. I had a ‘spring roll’ (a delicious pancake thing full of shoots!) then we had a set meal for four. This consisted of six bowls of delicious things: chop suey, chicken with almonds etc. At the end I had chow chow – funny fruits tasting of ginger.

“Then we went to the Metropole Cinema to see ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’. ”

It was the most beautiful, beautiful film and the photography was fantastic. The farmers and farmhouse girls deserve as much praise as Julie Christie, Peter Finch, Alan Bates and Terence Stamp because they were simply marvellous. It was all perfect, from the storm when Gabriel and Bathsheba save the hayricks to the scene where Sergeant Troy acts Dick Turpin and the circus audience becomes as excited as the cinema one! But what rather spoilt the evening was I sat next to Mummy in the intermission which Chump did not like - she thought she had a right to sit there the whole evening!