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IMDb > Tess (1979)
Tess
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Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   4,314 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Roman Polanski
Writers:
Gérard Brach (screenplay) &
Roman Polanski (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Tess on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 1980 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance 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:
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Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Sarkozy Gives Nod To Late French Filmmaker Berri
 (From WENN. 12 January 2009, 11:12 AM, PST)

French Filmmaker Berri Dead At 74
 (From WENN. 12 January 2009, 8:10 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Tess (1979) more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
190 min | Argentina:150 min | France:170 min | 172 min (DVD) | West Germany:134 min
Country:
France | UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Director of Photography Geoffrey Unsworth died of a heart attack during the third week of shooting at the end of October 1978. Most of the film's scenes shot by him were exteriors in the first half of the movie and can be noticed by some fog and slight diffusion. Ghislain Cloquet shot the second half and the remaining of the movie with most of his scenes in interiors with no diffusion. Rumor has that among the scenes shot by Unsworth before his death were: - 1) The foggy day-to-night seduction in the woods - 2) The tent and the strawberries when Tess is in the D'Uberville mansion. - 3) The large barn of cows being milked. - 4) The girls seeing Angel at sunrise. - 5) Angel carries the girls over the stream. 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 The 38th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1981) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful:-
Tess (1979), 23 December 2006
9/10
Author: imdke from Olympia, WA

I just viewed the DVD edition of TESS; I loved the Commentaries. TESS is a stunningly beautiful work of art. Thank God for the talent, vision and perseverance of Roman Polanski, his cast, crew and backers.

Given Polanski's celebrated appetite for young girls, I was not surprised that he portrayed the swinish Alex Stokes/D'Urberville in an almost sympathetic light. 17 Year-old Natassia Kinski is imbued with a luminous, almost unearthly beauty, even in the darkest of scenes. No wonder Polanski couldn't keep his hands off her. This film offers us a glance back in time to a long-gone pastoral life and the parochial intolerance of its people and their leaders. All faced the changes wrought by the juggernaut Industrial Revolution.

Long ago, while still in college, I was influenced against Hardy by W. Somerset Maugham's petulant, whining novel, CAKES AND ALE, with its veiled references to Hardy as a pedestrian writer with little artistic merit. Was I surprised when, in 1962, I got around to reading TESS! I was struck by its narrative and descriptive power and its still relevant social commentary. TESS filled me with outrage over the injustice meted out to a spirited, yet simple farm girl, whose main fault was being too beautiful. Following that enlightenment, I read just about everything Hardy has written.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Tess (1979)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
In my opinion... bornwriter17
was she on drugs when Angel came to meet her at the end? jimseville
New release: How's the transfer? shart265
sex scene? ownerbluesky
Some resemblance of Nastassja Kinski to Ingrid Bergman ajimenezp
U.S. DVD Release Needs To Be Improved mpofarrell
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