Tess of The D'Urbervilles

[dakota]

ahh, ok,ok,now understand it, thanx Boxatrix

Yeah ,a long time ago i read the story of Elizabeth Marta Brown was the inspiration for Thomas Hardy´s novel, but the real story of this woman is quite different to the story of the book or to the movies based on that book.Here i found a link about her life if anyone is interested

neal.oxborrow.net/Thomas_Hardy/marthabrowne.htm

[Virgil Reality]

I've taken the liberty ( oh the power, the power of moving what promises to be an interesting discussion of Tess to the appropriate thread - hope you don't mind, b0xatrix and Gg

boxatrix said

Indeed Gg, Tess is having some great reviews over here in the UK and it is the concluding episode at 9pm on BBC 1 this sunday (5th Oct). I believe viewers will be seeing rather a lot of Hans in this episode. Very exciting.
I was wondering, does anyone over the pond generally know the story of Tess of the D'Urbervilles? I have explained more on the Tess thread...... very interesting stuff! x

Gg replied

"Tess" isn't read as much as perhaps Austen, Bronte, Charles D., but I think a good number of kids have to read it at school somewhere along grade 8-10. I guess it depends on the tastes of your English Lit. teacher. My problem, to get all scrappy and political about it, is that I felt so man-handled through Lit like TESS and the Russian novelists, that they felt like "notches on a belt", to be achieved, rather than experiences to be had. It's the novels I've reread outside of school that have had the biggest impact on me. On short order I got more out of his poetry than his novel in school,... because, of course, more time to digest something that hits you on a visceral level by nature.

But I mean, just the nature of the "rape/seduction" polarizes people who have read the novel in depth, and for years. How do you sum that up in a English class in a short hour? You could discuss that, and its implications, for a week of classes!

I've always seen it as a 19th century "date rape" -- but does that translate? Star would surely have an opinion to share!

..

and Virgil Reality actually has something to say too ( of course)

Actually, I would refer you to the IMDb boards where there is very detailed discussion between some posters who really know their stuff. You really need to know your Bible to understand all the symbolism I guess. What with that, and the sexual politics, it's amazing to think that it is, here, a school text. It's a big ask to get young kids to understand the text fully.

My take on the rape/seduction debate. It seems to depend on which version of the text you've read - there are different versions. Anyway you look at it, she was not a willing participant. For some, that's the definition of rape. I see it as a continuum. Between non-consentual sex and violent force there's a huge range as women have known through the ages. And the lack of struggle doesn't imply consent so much as a hope not to get hurt and an acceptance of the inevitable.

It's not just date rape. You get into a car or on a horse in the middle of a dark forest, anyone should realise you're putting yourself at risk. But Tess is 'pure' and naive. That's kind of the point of the novel isn't it? SHe's a victim.

Add to that the complicated raw attraction to Alec she fights against (He gives her the creeps but - the pheremones - it's biology, baby) And it's the old sexual harassment in the workplace issue here. The arrogance of the male of the species that they can assert their power (physical, social, money, authority)

In fact, it's one of the weak points of this version that they make it so clearly rape and she leaves right away instead of staying for a while as she does in the book. It makes some of the following a little less logical.

And finally, on a more superficial level, doncha love the expressio on Hans face in that latest Ep 4 clip where she cries "I don't have a husband!". The penny drops - a lightbulb goes off Ha ha I have a plan...


OK raving now...

Also, what about Groby? Does he keep popping up in the book, I don't recall.

[lydzieea]

Well ocationally i think. I would have known from epi 1 that he would end up a bady, but it in the book that tess goes to work for him. I dont know who plays him, but he does it quite well! lol

About the rape, i think the only reason she doesnt stay for longer, is probably a time issue. They only had 4 hours to broadcast the whole story, so i spose they had to save time where posable.

Lydia
xxx

[dakota]

Tomorrow the last episode of Tess!!!!!!, i can´t wait to watch it . I think after watching him in Tess, the number of fans will grow up ;D

[exam]

Yup! You're quite right! I'm now looking for Nemo every where!
It's good that BBC has this cool iPlayer so my torment can end quickly

[jessie]

I'm so looking forward to watching though its gonna be sad!
I'm going out tomorrow, and I was like I'm coming home for 9! I am! xD haha

[jessie]

Oh dear me! I've never cried so much at a tv show before! lol Even though I had read the book before, it still got to me the ending part, especially when they were dancing because it was like the dance they never had! ='[
And when she hit Alec near the start I was like whoa!! lol
But I still think she should have never killed him, I know she was probably paniced and stuff but she could of great away with Angel somehow for it to be happy! lol But then I suppose it makes a change =p

[boxatrix]

Without spoiling it for anyone who hasn't been luck enough to see Tess yet..... it has just finished on the BBC over here in the UK, and like Jessie said, it was very very good. Hans as usual was superb and obviously gave the character everything he had. But may I just be a little traitor and say that I thought that Eddie Redmayne, who played Angel, was absolutely brilliant. Gemma Arterton was good also, and I have liked her in everything I have seen her in, particularly in St Trinians as I found it hilarious and cried with laughter the whole way through, but have to say that Redmayne was very very good as Angel and that I think that the part suited him much better than it would have Hans, contrary to popular opinion!! It was nice to see Hans playing a 'baddy'!

Also, having studied Hardy's novels in school and hated it then, I have to say that even though the story of Tess is a really emotionally and psychologically charged one and is beautiful in places, I still can not bear too much of Hardy..... oh the depression!!

[jessie]

I agree, great to see Hans as the baddie, I thought he played it very well! I would like to see him do more of them sort of roles =p
And as for the rest of the cast, they were excellent aswell, I wasn't too keen on Angel at first but I really liked him by the end of this! And Gemma Arterton, like you said, shes good in everything you see her it St Trinians, Lost in Austen, now this and she'll probably be great in James bond too!
Looking forward to getting thos on DVD! xD

[exam]

I'm sorry but I still think the ending was too abrupt.I don't feel moved at all.No emotion what so ever .Angel was good but some how his character was not explored fully , hence I feel he fitted with my imagination of Angel appearance but there is some thing lacking .The soul of the character.The hypocrisy of Angel's character.Something is just not quite right. Nevertheless, I was pleased with Hans-Alec , it was quite moving and scary at the same time.He's totally messed-up and manipulative guy yet he doesn't deny it like all the other men, like Angel.What an open mind Angel has! Any way, this is where Eddie failed to impress me , I don't feel that he demonstrated this dimension of Angel sufficiently.Moreover, I don't feel the chemistry between Eddie and Gemma strong enough here.

This version is really nice but I'm afraid that I will only remember the 1 st episode and all the scenes between Alec and Tess. Hans and Gemma are great in here. BBC has captured well all the complexity of Alec'character.He is not just a pure devil but he's a human being.Indeed, he does not have strong will and great control.He abandones himself to the pleasure and gratification to the point of destroying any bit that is goodness and pure inside him...So the consequence he must bare.....it's ironic though when he told Tess that if she was the cause of his downfall, she might as well be responsible and she did....she killed him....and received her punishment for taking a man's life....

[Gg]

Hans did do Alec beautifully! But are we surprised? I think it may have had nothing in fact to do with the BBC, but the actor who played him.

[vicky86]

ive just watched the last episode, i did think that there should have been another episode they tried to sqeeze so much into the final hour. Hans has just been brilliant in this i carnt wait for his next project!

[lynette]

When I am here to read your response to epi.4, I am hot .) Perhaps this episode back on youtube.com.

[Virgil Reality]

Interesting to read the varied reactions - but all seem unified on one aspect - Hans' preformance. And not just here, where the reaction is obviously biased, but other messageboards I've neen following all seem to agree that, despite the various drawbacks of this production, Hans' and Gemma's performances have been a highlight.

Do I smell BAFTA's?

[Gg]

OMG -- BAFTAS!!! Don't jinx it!!

about d**n time