Tess
Drama, Romance
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment  (1980) 190 mins PG

7.2 (3,805 votes)
From The 2003 Academy Award Winning Director of The Pianist - Roman Polanski

Natassja Kinski stars in Academy Award winner Roman Polanski's (2993 Best Director The Pianist) critically acclaimed screen adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1891 literary masterpiece, Tess of the d'Ubervilles. A visually stunning recreation of Victorian England's lush pastoral landscapes. Tess's Academy Award winning cinematography (1980 Geoffrey Unsworth, Ghislain Cloquet, Best Cinematography) is presented in its original Panavision aspect ratio for the first time in 25 years.

Finding employment with the wealthy d'Urberville family, Tess (Kinski), a teenage farm girl of exceptional beauty, comes under the lustful eye of Alec (Leigh Lawson), their ne'er-do-well son. Although she rejects his amorous advances, Alec forcibly seduces Tess, leaving her pregnant and alone. ...

Play

Cast and Crew
Nastassja Kinski  ......  Tess Durbeyfield
Peter Firth  ......  Angel Clare
Leigh Lawson  ......  Alec d'Urberville
John Collin  ......  John Durbeyfield
Rosemary Martin  ......  Joan Durbeyfield
Carolyn Pickles  ......  Marian
Director  .....  Roman Polanski
Producer  .....  Claude Berri
Writer  .....  Gérard Brach; Roman Polanski; Gerard Brach
Notes
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)

Trivia:
Set in England but filmed in France, as director Roman Polanski was wanted on sex-related charges in the United States and could have been extradited from England. (more)

Filming Locations:
Château de Beaumanoir, Le Leslay, Côtes-d'Armor, France (more)

Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations (more)