Tess of the D'urbevilles
Directed by Roman Polanski

Tess is based on "Tess of the D'urbevilles" by the great literary genius Thomas Hardy. It is one of Hardy's most tragic novels.

Tess is the daughter of the poor John Durbeyfield who learns from the local parson that he is related to ancient nobility, the last of the D'urbevilles.

On receiving this information John Durbeyfield and his wife suggest to Tess that she approach the D'urbevilles in the area, a family who have taken the name for mere convenience.

In the novel, Tess is described as a beautiful and sensuous girl, with "large innocent eyes"; she is on the verge on womanhood. She is sensitive and this is revealed through her emotions for her family. She is embarrassed and ashamed of them and yet rushes to their defence when they are criticized. The ribbon she wears in her hair expresses her individuality.

Alex, Mrs D'urbevilles son, pursues her and he seduces her in unpleasant circumstances. Tess has a baby that dies in infancy but the parson refuses to baptise the child on the grounds that he is illegitimate.

Tess moves away to become a milkmaid and meets and falls in love with Angel, a loving and tender young man. However Angel unearths the truth about Tess's past, and he leaves her to a life of drudgery and finally the arms of the brutal Alex, who she lives with to support her mother and other siblings.

This entire film like the novel focuses on the subject of fate, how fate affects our lives, how certain events and people lead us to the places we find ourselves in. Is there a universal fate that we cannot avoid in our lives, regardless of the choices and decisions we make in life?

Tess is bound by the rules and contstraints of the society she is living in and this sets the melancholy mood which flows through the story with great strength.

Angel comes to realise his mistake on judging Tess for her past alone and he comes back to rescue her too late.

"Tess" the movie is simply breathtaking, described as Nastassja Kinski's favourite role it is one of the greatest versions of the novel itself. The scenery and landscapes are wonderful; it was actually filmed in Normandy and Brittany, which portrayed a similar backdrop to Dorset, England.

Nastassja Kinski does great justice to the character of Tess and this is, without doubt, one of her finest acting roles.