IMDb >
Tess (1979)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsTess (1979) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 15 | slideshow) |
         |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
12 December 1980 (USA)
more
Tagline:
As timely today as the day it was written. more
Plot:
A young strong-willed peasant girl, becomes the affection of two men, in the end tragically falling into the arms of one. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Love
|
19th Century
|
Peasant
|
Tragedy
|
Social Climber
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars.
Another 10 wins
&
12 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Eric Dane Loves Burlesque
(From EmpireOnline. 17 November 2009, 10:51 PM, PST)
Filmmaker Roman Polanski's arrest to spark extradition fight
(From Filmicafe. 27 September 2009, 12:43 PM, PDT)
(From EmpireOnline. 17 November 2009, 10:51 PM, PST)
Filmmaker Roman Polanski's arrest to spark extradition fight
(From Filmicafe. 27 September 2009, 12:43 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
a reflection on fate
more (53 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | John Collin | ... | John Durbeyfield |
| Tony Church | ... | Parson Tringham |
 | Nastassja Kinski | ... | Tess (as Nastassia Kinski) |
| Brigid Erin Bates | ... | Girl in meadow |
| Jeanne Biras | ... | Girl in meadow |
| Peter Firth | ... | Angel Clare |
| John Bett | ... | Felix Clare |
 | Tom Chadbon | ... | Cuthbert Clare |
| Rosemary Martin | ... | Mrs. Durbeyfield |
| Geraldine Arzul | ... | Child |
| Stephanie Treille | ... | Child |
| Elodie Warnod | ... | Child |
| Ben Reeks | ... | Child |
| Leigh Lawson | ... | Alec d'Urberville |
| Lesley Dunlop | ... | Girl in henhouse |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
190 min | Argentina:150 min | France:170 min | 172 min (DVD) | West Germany:134 min (re-issue version)
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) |
Dolby (35 mm prints)
Certification:
UK:A (1980) |
UK:PG (1987) |
Iceland:L |
South Korea:15 |
Australia:PG |
Argentina:16 |
Chile:18 |
Finland:K-16 |
France:U |
Sweden:11 |
USA:PG |
West Germany:12 (w) |
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) |
Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The melody that Angel plays on the recorder is a popular Polish folk song, "Laura i Filon". Since it is rather unlikely that a 19th century Englishman would know this tune, it is safe to assume that this is something that Polanski (of Polish descent) used the tune as a "trademark" of sorts.
more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: At the beginning of the final sequence, set at Stonehenge, someone's head can be seen at bottom-left.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Filming 'Tess' (2004) (V)
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (53 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Tess (1979) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Pride & Prejudice | Far from the Madding Crowd | Emma | Dragonwyck | The Good Earth |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb France section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
This has been my favourite movie since I first saw it in the late 1980s, and I have viewed it probably once a year since that time. My videotape copy was fading and failing, so I was lucky to replace it recently with the Japanese DVD version.
When you compare it to other films made in 1979, it is amazing how little it has "aged". Of course, it is an historical drama, with a "timeless" setting. And yet the cinematography is so assuredly wonderful that the movie is almost as if set in amber.
Many have commented on the score, and it is a pity that this is no longer in issue. Still, there seem to be enough people like myself who are fans of this film, perhaps there is enough of an interest?
While the A and E version was an above-average production, I think Polanski's beats it on almost any characteristic. Polanski's film is a series of tableaux, very few of which do not work well. (One that I find a little bit stupid is the scene where Tess sleeps out in the forest and the deer comes to visit her. Gimme a break!). There are many scenes which, if left in still, look like 19th century portraiture, a la Mary Cassatt or Edgar Degas. The scene where the pedlar comes across Tess at the Crescent Hand! This guy has just stepped out of another century. This is a stunningly visual movie, and perhaps the reason it is so easy to watch time and time again. The dialogue, too, full of the cadences of West Country speech (still there, but disappearing) are an evocation of a lost age. These are hinted at in the scenes showing the modernization of England (the train bringing the milk to market, the threshing machine) which is changing their lives. Tess, and her aristocratic background, are an anachronism, particularly compared with the worldly (and successful) Stokes.
I enjoy the rhythm of the movie, which is rural and slow. Time is marked in slow and languid drips, such as we see with the milk at the dairy farm, and finally with the blood at the boarding house. This is classic story-telling, replete with foreshadowing (particularly Tess' temper and pride). What I enjoyed most is the symmetry of the story-telling, which make it more myth-like, particularly the juxtaposition of the two opening and closing scenes (the dancing of the village girls at sunset, and Stonehenge--which legend has as a circle of giants dancing and frozen by Merlin--at daybreak). Other examples are Alec Durberville's "saving" Tess from a fight with her "rival" and Angel choosing Tess over her rivals on the flooded road.
As you can see, Tess is a movie that replays itself in my mind. Polanski's effort reflects on what I think is one of the greatest 19th century English novels (in my mind, rivaled only by "Middlemarch"), and is a great springboard to further consideration of art and life.