I first caught this on A&E years ago, back when A&E used to randomly broadcast Masterpiece theatre to fill up their timeslots. It was only at the halfway point but I ended up staying and watching the whole thing. This was in a pre-streaming era so I wasn't able to just hop on a computer and watch the rest... instead I kept my eyes peeled till I A&E rebroadcast it (which thankfully wasn't long, they really had so little content they were constantly showing the same Masterpiece theatre movies over and over again in a loop).
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is based on Thomas Hardy's novel of the same name, a surprisingly progressive piece of late Victorian literature which argues against sexism and for the rights of women. The unfortunate at the centre of the drama is Tess, a lively, blossoming young country girl of 16 when we meet her she is the beauty of her family. Unfortunately this self-same beauty is the cause of all her woes. Her alcoholic father learning that the now peasant class family was once descended from nobility gets ideas into his head that they should be rich still and sends his daughter to the only remaining members of the d'Urbervilles family in order to beg for charity. Her cousin Alec, a predatory lay-a-bout, attracted to Tess's overwhelming beauty treats her as a toy which leads to devastating consequences for Tess.
Whatever happened to Justine Waddell? As Tess she is simply fantastic. I'm not sure she captures the sweet naivete of the character in her early years before tragedy befalls her, but she has such devastating sorrowful eyes that as Tess sinks further and further into misery she tugs at your heartstrings. Jason Flemyng is quite hammy but still terrifying as Tess's cousin Alec and Oliver Milburn (another actor whose career went nowhere) is also pitch perfect as gentleman farmer Angel.
This is just a lovely adaptation of one of my favourite works. Excellent all the way through.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is based on Thomas Hardy's novel of the same name, a surprisingly progressive piece of late Victorian literature which argues against sexism and for the rights of women. The unfortunate at the centre of the drama is Tess, a lively, blossoming young country girl of 16 when we meet her she is the beauty of her family. Unfortunately this self-same beauty is the cause of all her woes. Her alcoholic father learning that the now peasant class family was once descended from nobility gets ideas into his head that they should be rich still and sends his daughter to the only remaining members of the d'Urbervilles family in order to beg for charity. Her cousin Alec, a predatory lay-a-bout, attracted to Tess's overwhelming beauty treats her as a toy which leads to devastating consequences for Tess.
Whatever happened to Justine Waddell? As Tess she is simply fantastic. I'm not sure she captures the sweet naivete of the character in her early years before tragedy befalls her, but she has such devastating sorrowful eyes that as Tess sinks further and further into misery she tugs at your heartstrings. Jason Flemyng is quite hammy but still terrifying as Tess's cousin Alec and Oliver Milburn (another actor whose career went nowhere) is also pitch perfect as gentleman farmer Angel.
This is just a lovely adaptation of one of my favourite works. Excellent all the way through.