Tess of the d'Urbervilles
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Movie Reviews of Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Movie Review: Fabulous movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
The acting is wonderful! The story is classic! The writing is fantastic! The scenery is beautiful! This is a high quality movie!Movie Review: The heartwrenching story of a girl whose true enemy was fate.
Summary: 4 Stars
The loss of one's pride while the accentuation of one's innocence is the irony that made "Tess of the D'Urbivilles" one of the boldest and most honest novels to come out of the 19th century. Thomas Hardy's novel about a girl who is disgraced by the society that destroyed her is compelling and controversal, and in my eyes, difficult to transport onto the screen. Yet somehow, this adaptation of the Hardy classic, though different in some ways, is successful in bringing out the travesty, tragedy, and short-lived passion of a girl whose pride is ripped away from her bit by bit, yet through it all remains pure and innocent.
Justine Waddell was so captivating as Tess, embodying all the sadness and diminishing hope of her character. I was particularly impressed how as the film progressed, (especially in the final half-hour or so), Tess's once bright and accepting outlook on life turns dead, replaced by bitterness and dismay. Waddell did a clever job in portraying these opposite traits with subtlety and care.
Olvier Milbern was a good choice for Angel Clare. I liked how his physical presence stepped somewhat outside the stereotype of other men at that time. Conventional slicked back hair and spotless suits were replaced by a slight grubby, rebellious twist. This was good in bringing out Angel's emotional removal from normal 19th Century society. It was a simple, yet successful element.
I did not, however, care for Jason Flemyng's portrayal of the dislikable Alec, whose very exploitment of Tess is the reason for her terrible downfall. I thought Flemyng's performance was laboured and weak, and he did not blend well into his character's shoes at all. Generally, I thought his acting was poor, which is rather unusual for him.
That aside, for me, the film's greatest part was the heartbreaking final scene at Stonehenge. Broken and disgraced (not to mention a fugitive) Tess spends her final happy, passionate hours with Angel on the quiet dark hills next to the ancient ruins. This scene moved me greatly. The presence of the stones represented her family's distant connection to an ancient lineage. Angel's redeemed love for her, dispite everyting, is the most precious gift Tess could ever receive. But fate it seems is unsympathetic, and her dark past traps her once and for all. It's just so sad.
So, I was really impressed with this film. The scenery and bittersweet musical theme added extra essence to this great adaptation of Thomas Hardy's original story. As the film's bright opening progresses towards its climactic and heartbreaking end, we are forever reminded of a girl who lost everything to Fate... except her innocence.
Movie Review: Hardy and Tess
Summary: 4 Stars
Claire Tomalin's recent biography of Thomas Hardy prompted me to look into not only re-reading Hardy's best novels after many years but also seeing what was available on DVD. I was pleased to see a production of "Tess of the D'Urbevilles" as I always associate Hardy with this work more than any other.
It's easy to see why "Tess" is so popular among Hardy fans. It's Victorian, autobiographical and just what one might expect of the author. This production (1998) is a good representation and with some wonderful cinematography proves itself. However, the role of Tess is curiously underplayed by actress Justine Waddell to the point of any lack of sympathy for her character. What saves the film is a terrific performance by her main love, Angel Clare, as portrayed by Oliver Milburn. He manages to convey every emotion in dealing with Tess and he succeeds brilliantly. The supporting cast is excellent.
If you enjoy Hardy I would suggest a better DVD that has stood the test of time..."Jude the Obscure" from 1971. It's a couple of hours longer than "Tess" but far more emotionally charged.
Movie Review: Much better than Polanski's version
Summary: 4 Stars
At least it's more amusing.
In Polanski's version, when Tess rides with Alec to The Slopes, I don't really know why Tess gets angry. But in this version, I get it, bcoz it shows how Alec rides the carriage recklessly. Sorry, Tess, but I found it was too amusing.:P Also, the whistling lesson from Alec is quite interesting too.
And this version is much more faithful to the novel. It shows the conversion of Alec from a dandy to a preacher. Another amusing moment!:P Unlike Polanski's version, reintroducing Alec by stating that Tess' mother writes to him. If Tess' mother was willing to wrote Alec a letter after Angel abandoned Tess, why didn't she write to Alec when she knew Tess was pregnant? Polanski's Tess is quite unbelivable.
Finally, the acting of Ms. Waddell is amazing! I really get bored by Polanski' Tess. I watched Polanski's version in class, but I slept and missed some parts, and I got this version later.
This mini movie rocks!
Movie Review: Good but dark
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie is very good. I loved all the actors and exactly how they portrayed each character. The stoy is so heart wrencing and sad most of the time that I found myself depressed after viewing it! I had to laugh at towards the end though because the surprise of it all, I never thought Tess could do such a thing. And when she told Angel what she did, it all seemed like a joke, almost too corny. But I did cry my eyes out. It is still a very good movie even though the end is strange and most of the story is very dark. I couldn't help but feel the heart breaks as well for both Tess and Angel. Though I wanted to clobber him for his actions, I understood his pain.
It is only lacking 1 star in my opinion because the whole movie was acted out so well until the few last scenes. I felt Angel (the actor) lost his grip on his character and seemed too distant. The acting all around seemed to fall down hill during those few final scenes. But the rest of the movie was good. 4 stars!