Reflection on the Movie-screening of 'Jude' Directed by Michael Winterbottom in 1996.

This blog is written as a response to the movie-screening of 'Jude' movie, a 1996 British period drama film directed by Michael Winterbottom, and written by Hossein Amini, based on Thomas Hardy's 1895 novel 'Jude the Obscure.'

The movie was screened in our classroom on 3rd December, 2021 at Department of English, MK Bhavnagar University.

Here we will discuss outcomes which are reflections of the novel learning and movie-screening as well.

So, first of all I would like to assert the benefit of watching movie rather than only skimming over the pages of text. The movie gives you more vivid pictures of the events inscribed in novel, but simultaneously the activity curtails our imaginative power as well, for watchers cannot imagine the scenes the way their imagination make them to imagine, instead it just gets limited to only on what director has displayed on face the screen. But, as asserted prior to this argument that watching a movie involves both - vision and sound, which combined together give vivid scenario of the events inscribed in novel, heightening the impact of the novel on the minds of ardent spectators.

Moreover, the film adaptation is prone to fall unfaithful to the original text in someway, despite the movie includes many textual incidents and are depicted as same as they are narrated in the novel, which makes it most nearly faithful to the original text. For instance, the scene of Sue bewailing upon encountering the corpse of Little Father Time along with her two infants, she falls numb and it is shown that no excessive background music is taken to elevate the sorrowful scene as similarly the scene is narrated in the novel.

Thomas Hardy has proved himself the master of criticising the contemporary English society as well as the dark face of all such devilish practices happening all across the world. In his novels, one is sure to face the "most repellent" reality as Eagleton points out. He makes critique of social norms, religious bigotry and economized education system. It is the irrefutable fact that in any civilization, if education is trademarked, that civilization is going star-down to collapse. And so happened with Victorian England despite the Forster Elementary Education Act in 1870 which established partially state-funded Board Schools to be set up to provide primary education in areas where existing provisions were inadequate, but they still charged a fee, which many poor families could not pay.

So, in the novel, when the protagonist Jude goes for study at Christminster, he was presumed to have been knowing Latin language at first place, only then the further education was supposed to be given to him. He fails to pursue his dream even though his knowledge was far better than his fellows due to his class and impoverished condition.

Hardy seems to volly the prevalent social norms of 19th century England at first sight, but suddenly he reminds the horror of society and customary observances which are inhumane and can be found in any society around the world. The very epitaph of the novel : 'the letter killeth...' suggests the same idea. The epitaph is taken from the New Testament of the Bible in which Apostle Paul states : "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth the light." Here, one is supposed to understand the meaning of the sentence. 'The letter' is exact observance of what is written in law and book of code of general observance; but why 'the spirit' - which means the indicated meaning of the written text - is not seen by the people? This remains the striking question in many civilizations to the day, and at what Hardy pulls his pen to write down the folly of so-called civilized societies of the earth.

We have a better example of the aforementioned argument derived from the novel. When Sue and Phillotson dialogue in Part 4, Chapter 3 :

“What is the use of thinking of laws and ordinances,” she burst out, “if they make you miserable when you know you are committing no sin?”

“But you are committing a sin in not liking me.”

“I do like you! But I didn’t reflect it would be – that it would be so much more than that… For a man and woman to live on intimate terms when one feels as I do is adultery, in any circumstances, however legal. There – I’ve said it!... Will you let me, Richard?”

When it comes to feminist reading, Sue Bridehead and Arabella Donn - both the characters pop up on surface to be studied and analysed. Arabella is a lady with quirkiness whereas Sue, on the other hand, is completely opposite to Arabella as far as conduct and temperament are concerned. After the death of Jude at the age of 30 years, Sue lives out her life in disappointment with Phillotson; Arabella starts searching for a new husband. Here the faithful disposition of both the characters are reflected. Sue is quite logical and rational personality but eventually turn a believer under assumption of 'divine retribution.'

The male characters are Jude Fawley himself and his dream-sower in his mind Richard Phillotson, including Little Father Time as well. Jude being the protagonist suffers throughout the novel, and as fate would have it, he dies in illness and with disheartened state of mind only at the age of 30 at the end of the novel. He is never ever shown succeeding in even a single moment of in the novel, although he cherishes a small amount of quality time with Sue at falling action in the novel.

Let us conclude the discussion of the most prominent glimpses of having the movie watched and studied the novel. The movie and novel stand side by side as far as the narration is concerned. Several improvisation is made by director although which adds to the better presentation of the original text. For instance, when Jude gets a sudden betrayal from his first wife Arabella as she flies away somewhere, the 'Alambana Vibhava' or surrounding scenarios are depicted with snow and cold wind which are the symbols of grief and cynicism of one's state of mind, for what the novel is uphold.

Thank you!

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