As a huge Thomas Hardy fan, Jude the Obscure being one of my absolute favorites, I think that this film is truly well done. It captures the essence of Jude and Sue's relationship convincingly making these characters truly three dimensional. Understandably, not everything in the novel was included in the film, but what was included in the movie stays true to the novel in all of its significant aspects. Although Hardy's Jude has curly brown hair, Chris Eccleston does such a fine job portraying Jude that it is hard to imagine Jude looking any other way. As for Kate Winslet, she shines and gives Sue more depth than can easily be found in the novel. The reversal of their views of life is portrayed so well that it feels as though it is Hardy himself directing the movie. Wonderful job, few have captured Hardy's cynicism and misanthropy the way this movie does.
