Tess
Directed by Roman Polanski
Written by Gerard Brach, Roman Polanski and John Brownjohn from a novel by Thomas Hardy
1979/UK/France
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
Mrs. Durbeyfield: We all have to take the ups with the downs, Tess.
The story takes place during the Victorian Period in Hardy’s fictional Wessex County. Tess Durbyfield i(Nastassja Kinski) is the eldest child of many in the household of John and Joan Durbyfield. The house is living in severe poverty, largely due to John’s drinking. One day, a vicar tells John that his family is actually related to the aristocratic d’Urberville family. Mrs. d’Urberville lives not far away and John sends Tess to try to get some money. John has lost his horse and needs it to make the little he does earn.
Alec d’Uberville (Leigh Lawson) greets her and is instantly attracted. He tells her, though, that her family could not be related to his since his family bought their title. His family is very wealthy in any event having made their money through trade. He gets Tess a job in the poultry yard.
Alex pursues Tess for a long time. Finally he manages to get her to kiss him and that kiss turns into a rape. Tess departs for home and soon discovers she is pregnant.
Her baby dies within months and she leaves her home to wander. Finally she gets a job in a dairy farm, where she meets Angel Clare. The two fall in love. Is Angel what Tess is looking for?
I love Victorian literature but I have never been able to get enthusiastic about Thomas Hardy. His novels are slow and downbeat. That’s part of the problem of this movie which is also slow and downbeat if not depressing. The two men are very flawed and Tess mostly mopes around being a victim. But I am perhaps biased. There is no arguing with the stunning beauty of Kinski (only 17 years old) and the magnificent cinematography and production values.
