Cheap Tess (Special Edition) (DVD) (Nastassja Kinski, Peter Firth, Leigh Lawson) (Roman Polanski) Price

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Customer Reviews of Tess (Special Edition)

Exquisite, captivating, unsurpassed film adaptation of Hardy
I write as someone with an English ancestry going back three centuries and a passionate love for Hardy's novels and poetry. I live within five miles of Dorset and have visited practically all the towns and villages mentioned by Hardy using his Wessex aliases. I was prepared to scoff at Tess - Polish director on the run from US police, a German girl in the title role, French locations and finance...even a mock Stonehenge. I was wrong, hopelessly wrong. Today I remain in total thrall to this movie, Roman Polanski and Nastassja Kinski. I believe it is an artistic masterpiece just as important in its own way as an Old Master painting or a Shakespearean sonnet. Tess has enriched my life, and, having it watched it at least 50 times, provides an enduring source of pleasure to me. Yes, there are moments that jar - Nastassja's occasionally-heard Teutonic accent as in "Let me see that ledder (letter)" and, in one hilarious moment, even balalaika music - but I can forgive them without the slightest hesitation. I know the area in which Hardy set Tess, and, astonishingly - as he filmed it in Normandy - Polanski has managed to recreate some Dorset settings with almost mystical skill. Marnhull, or Hardy's Marlot, for example, has a real-life church on a hill that can be seen for miles - so does the village as seen in the film. Was it accidental, or just another example of Polanski's passion for detail and authenticity for which he is justly renowned? Unfortunately, Nastassja has made some real lemons since Tess and sadly she may never turn in another performance of such outstanding brilliance. Or will she? Hardy's remaining works may give her that chance. How would she fare, for example, as Bathsheba in Far From the Madding Crowd? If you want my opinion, divinely.

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A Disappointing Interpretation of an Important Literary Work
The main problem I had with this dated film was motion. Overall, it was quite dull, and even plot elements from the book that kept my attention left me tired of the 3 hour film. I will admit that the movie followed the storyline of the book faithfully, however some key portions were left out. It could be said that reading Hardy's original novel is a prerequisite for viewing the film, because some of the movie could be quite confusing without knowledge of the book. One major redeeming quality that I noted was this: There was one important element that was retained between the book and the film, and that was how out-of-touch Victorian people seem to have been with their emotions. Many characters, Tess especially, seem quite passive, which, while it IS a period characteristic, works to dull the movie. In summation, this film is an accurate, but uninspiring rendition of a historically important piece of literature.

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Where's the DVD?
Tess is one of my all-time favourite films for a number of reasons. One, is that it is beautifully, and thoughtfully told by Roman Polanski; two, it is one of Nastassja's Kinski's finest performances in a varied (and underrated) career; and finally, it's one of the most stunningly photographed films ever. Which begs the question...why has there been no DVD release?

I saw a version of Tess on a French station in Quebec recently, and it was shown in widescreen, and it looked fantastic! The colors were vibrant and the film had never looked better.

I imagine there are probably some issues over rights to this film and that is why it is being delayed from a DVD release, but I hope they can work it out (or whatever it is that is preventing its DVD release).

Still, worth seeing on VHS though.