thomas hardy be one of my favorite author . some truly wonderful movie have be make from his novel ( far from the madding crowd and tess of the durbervilles and the mayor of casterbridge ) and and i have high hope for this one . the hallmark hall of fame ification of return of the native totally wreck it . the cast be terrific and the photography excellent and but the script be dismal and the direction positively ruinous . people walk up to people and say line and walk away . a meager excitement develop when clive owen and catherine zeta jones ( very young and very beautiful ) exchange a bit of flesh pressing and but even clive and who be a superb actor and couldn not save it . it be awash with the usual hallmark romantic string background music and pretend bumpkin offer plot exposition and and what could have be dynamite turn out to be awful . the richness of the above three movie be commpletely absent .