The problem from which the sheep were suffering when they broke out into the green field, is called "pasture bloat". They got into a field with immature legumes, such as alfalfa or clover. The food causes excessive gas production which inflates the sheeps' stomachs (rumen) and compresses their lungs so they can't breathe. Using a trocar to puncture the rumen and release the gas, as Gabriel did, is a lot messier than this film shows.
As of 2018, the Friar Waddon House in Weymouth, used for the exteriors of Boldwood's house, is a bed-and-breakfast establishment. Bloxworth House in Dorset, used for Bathsheba's house, was built in 1608 and has remained in private hands ever since. At the time of the movie, it had fallen into a state of disrepair, but has since been restored; as of 2018 it is valued at four million pounds sterling.
Shot on location, the film boasts such startling authenticity of time and character that it led Production Designer Richard MacDonald to remark, "making this film may have proved to be one of the last chances to film rural England as it looked in the middle of the 19th century." A good portion of the credit goes to the 723 neighboring farmers and their families who were recruited for background shots and small roles.
George Cukor seriously considered adapting the novel for the screen during the 1940s with Vivien Leigh or Olivia de Havilland.
Future Fairport Convention band member Dave Swarbrick can be seen playing a fiddle during the barn-dance scene.
John Schlesinger: He is briefly seen as an extra in the harvest celebration at about the midway point, before the Intermission.