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Tess of the d'Urbervilles

15 years ago

Did anyone else watch the Masterpiece Theater production of Tess? It was on here in two episodes that ran the past two Sunday nights. I enjoyed it (if that is the right term for Hardy), but it's been so long since I read the book that I would like to hear from some of you whether it was true to the book.

I thought it was interesting that the woman introducing the program said the novel was so controversial that contemporary hostesses had to be very careful with seating at their dining tables because people were so very decided in their opinions.

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Comments (4)

christinmk z5b eastern WA
15 years ago
I saw it too. I did not know it was being aired, so missed the first fifteen minutes of the first half. I read the book last spring, but I do not remember every detail of it. Over all I think the film was fairly true to the book.
It was okay, but not really amazing. I would have liked it to been different in terms of the cinematography.

I have to say that the area in which they filmed was BEAUTIFUL. Every part of the scenery was just as I had imagined it from reading the book. The landscape, the D'Urberville estate, and the dairy farm were exactly how I had envisioned them.

The characters were not what I had imagined at all. The actors that played Tess and Angel did not awe me; they were not particularly passionate in thier acting. The actor that played Angel was scrawney. I almost thought he would collapse when he carried the three dairy maids across the flooded road.

There were a couple of things that bothered me. The first was the rape scene. It was not graphic or anything, just strange. The fog seemed to have had a life of its own.
As soon as Tess is sleeping it gently crawles up, and then starts rolling in when Alec comes back. As soon as the rape is over the fog suddenly slinks back from whence it came. It reminded me of some horror movie fog that comes to steal your breath away or something.
I also thought they could have extended the part where Angel and Tess talk together at the farm. They didn't include the general exchange of ideas. But these are just minor complaints.

I do have a question, it is about hair. Did females of that time have bangs? I always thought they wore it 'off the face'. And were men usually clean-shaven?
CMK
carolyn_ky
Original Author
15 years ago
Ha! The bangs bothered me, too; and the actress didn't seem to be as beautiful or charismatic as she needed to be.
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timallan
15 years ago
I have not seen this particular series, though it sounds interesting. I do recall the book as being unusually bleak and tragic, even by Hardy's standards. I don't know if I could face reading it again!
woodnymph2_gw
15 years ago
We had to read this bleak novel in High School, and I'm afraid it went far over my head. I think I only appreciated it when I, as a grown up, went to see the earlier movie. Natassia Kinski played the role of Tess and I thought the film quite moving.

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