Tess
1979 Directed by Roman Polanski
Synopsis
An Oscar winner for Best Cinematography, Roman Polanski's retelling of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles tells the dark tale of Tess (Nastassja Kinski), a teenage servant to a wealthy family whose son, Alec (Leigh Lawson), seduces, impregnates and abandons her. Tess finds renewed hope when she falls in love with Angel (Peter Firth), a parson's son – though she faces tragic consequences when he learns of her sordid past.
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Roman Polanski's adaptation of Tess is a sweeping 3 hour epic, and one of the most criminally underrated masterpieces out there. It's truly a masterwork where everything comes together beautifully, featuring first rate performances, directing, cinematography, set design, score, and last but not least, a deeply rich and powerful story.
Nastassja Kinski plays Tess, a peasant girl who is sent by her father to seek employment by a rich family he believes to be of the same descent. From there she meets her supposed cousin who becomes infatuated by her. She repeatedly denies his advances which leads to an act that propels the story into a examination of the sexual double standard that plagues society even today, and a women…
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Originally posted at: evantvmoviegames.tumblr.com/post/40772041469/tessmoviereview
What’s so great about when a movie receives a new digital restoration is that not only is its Blu-ray release imminent, but that chances are it’ll be making the rounds to certain theaters. This can be a good or bad thing depending what your stance on digital vs. film is, but when certain movies rarely show up in repertory houses, digital might be the only way to see them on the big screen.
When a young woman (Natassja Kinski) becomes the affection of two men, her choice ends up changing all of their lives.
Roman Polanski’s Tess had its digital restoration premiere at Cannes last year and has been popping up at some other theaters lately,…
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Seen as part of the "Treasures" section of the London Film Festival. Enjoyable (as much as a film based on a Hardy novel can be). I thought the main actors were excellent and the costumes deserved the Oscar.
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A sprawling three-hour masterpiece from auteur Roman Polanksi, based on the novel Tess d'Urberville by Thomas Hardy. I'm still in awe of what I've just seen. Truly a spectacle to behold.
A story of social inequities, ignorance, abuse and enduring love and sacrifice. In the late 1800's.
Such beauty and horror share screen time. Shot in over 80 different locations, there is not a shot that looks like it wouldn't be suitable hanging on a wall in a museum.
Kinski, at the young age of 17, is spellbinding to watch. The transformation she goes through, from naïve, to hateful. It really is beguiling to watch.
From start to finish, Tess is as riveting as it is absorbing. Making the most of all it's surroundings and wonderful actors.
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Tess is not the type of film that I would usually watch but my admiration for Polanski drove me to see it.
It is a beautiful film, one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. It looks and feels like a dream.
The acting is superb, Kinski is perfect as Tess, and it gets under your skin as you view. Tense, dark and bleak, it is quite an experience. -
Roman Polanski's adaptation of Tess is a sweeping 3 hour epic, and one of the most criminally underrated masterpieces out there. It's truly a masterwork where everything comes together beautifully, featuring first rate performances, directing, cinematography, set design, score, and last but not least, a deeply rich and powerful story.
Nastassja Kinski plays Tess, a peasant girl who is sent by her father to seek employment by a rich family he believes to be of the same descent. From there she meets her supposed cousin who becomes infatuated by her. She repeatedly denies his advances which leads to an act that propels the story into a examination of the sexual double standard that plagues society even today, and a women…
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My review at Nothing But The Night: nothingbutthenight.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/world-classic-film-review-tess-1979.html
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what a beautiful is ever so slightly wrong film.
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When I started watching this film, I was at first interested because of the cinematography, the directing and of course, Nastassja Kinski.
I was liking it, until it reached the hour and a half.
The story started to get me bored. It was very slow paced and too dramatic sometimes.
And the thing kept going, and I just couldn't help it anymore and had to skip some scenes to see what happened at the end.
It's not that it's crappy, it's just that it's too slow, at least for me. -
"Tess" es una cinta que es epica e intima a la vez, mas cerca a una produccion de David Lean que de Roman Polanski. A pesar de su larga duracion y un ritmo lento y evocativo, esta no aburre gracias a la magnifica actuacion de Nastassja Kinski (sin duda una de las presencias mas atractivas en el cine) y gracias a la hermosa produccion.
Aunque la historia de "Tess" es tragica, Polanski la mantiene alejada del melodrama convencional conviertiendola en una pelicula poderosa sobre la vida de una mujer pobre atrapada por las convenciones sociales de la epoca. Recomendable. -
Completely engrossing, which is pretty fascinating since the protagonist remains something of an enigma right to the end. But, as played by Kinski, she sure is a beautiful enigma. Not really the kind of film you can appreciate on a small screen.
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[Gene Siskel Film Center / DCP]