Tess

A film by Roman Polański, adapted from the novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy.

Tess is the daughter of John Durbeyfield, a poor, simple peasant farmer in rural Dorset who discovers that he is actually of noble descent. Tess is sent off to the manor to work for their wealthy relatives, who in fact have bought the illustrious d'Urberville name with its coat of arms, the real family's lineage having become extinct. There, seduced by Alec, a suave but sinister 'cousin', she bears a son, a sickly child who dies in infancy. In the setting of a morally rigid Victorian England, Tess must carry the shame of her past even into her marriage to Angel Clare, her true love – until she cleanses herself of all guilt in one ultimate act of passion.

Tess is the perfect heroine, the victim of her own purity, innocence and beauty. A poor man's daughter, an aristocrat's mistress, and a gentleman's wife. Each manipulates her for their own needs and desires, with little regard for her feelings or wellbeing. She is a complex character destined to carry the burden of her class, and the tale works on different levels – as a romantic/tragic love story, and as an accusation of the hypocrisy of Victorian society.

This award winning classic adaption, shot in northern France and released in 1979, portrays Hardy's novel to perfection, offering a glance of late 19th century pastoral life before it was completely lost to the Industrial Revolution. The enchanting and subtle cinematography appears beautifully natural, its images and emotions lingering in the memory long afterwards.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

A film by Peter Webber

In order to support her family, seventeen-year-old Griet becomes a maid in the house of Johannes Vermeer and soon attracts the master painter's attention. Although worlds apart in upbringing and social standing, Vermeer recognises her intuitive understanding of his work and slowly draws her into his mysterious world of art and passion.

Whilst she falls increasingly under Vermeer's spell, his volatile family quickly grow jealous of her. Maria, his shrewd mother-in-law, struggles to maintain the family's lavish lifestyle, and seeing that Griet inspires Vermeer, takes the decision to let their relationship develop. Van Ruijven, also sensing the intimacy between master and maid, commissions Vermeer to paint Griet's portrait.

Adapted from a work of fiction by author Tracy Chevalier, the story suggests the events surrounding the creation of the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring by the 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. Little is known about the girl in the painting, but it is speculated that she was a maid who lived in the house of the painter along with his family and other servants.

The End of the Affair

A film by Neil Jordan, based on the novel by Graham Greene.

A passionate woman trapped in a sterile marriage, Sarah Miles is immediately and irresistibly attracted to the handsome young novelist, Maurice Bendrix when they meet at a party given by Sarah's worthy but dull civil servant husband, Henry. They begin a passionate, illicit and sexually liberating love affair. After five intense and passion-filled years during World War II, Sarah abruptly walks out of Maurice's life with no explanation, leaving him utterly bereft.

Two years later, Bendrix has a chance meeting with Henry. His obsession with Sarah rekindled, he succombs to his jealousy and arranges to have her followed by a private detective. Haunted by memories of their affair, he re-enters her life in a desperate attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the end of the affair.

A tragically romantic story of love, desire, betrayal and sacrifice. The story evokes a sympathy for each of the three characters – each is a victim, and we feel for each regardless of the rights and wrongs of their respective situations. The film achieves a rare lyricism, an emotional richness and romantic purity, with beautiful cinematography and a powerful musical score by Michael Nyman.

Cet obscur objet du désir

A film by Luis Buñuel, adapted from the novel La femme et le pantin by Pierre Louys.

Recounted in flashback to a group of railway travellers, the story wryly details the romantic perils of Mathieu, a wealthy, middle-aged French sophisticate who falls desperately in love with his 19-year-old former chambermaid Conchita. Thus begins a surreal game of cat-and-mouse, with Mathieu obsessively attempting to win the girl's affections as she manipulates his desire for possession, each vying to gain absolute control of the other.

Deeply rooted in cinematic symbolism and brimming with subversive wit, this bizarre film takes a satiric aim at a decadent, decaying society riddled with political unrest and moral bankruptcy. It was Buñuel's last film and is most noted for the director's use of two actresses (Carole Bouquet and Ángela Molina) to portray the different emotional aspects of the part of Conchita.

I first saw this film at University of York, shortly after its release in 1977 – thirty years later, it is just as surreal as I had remembered. A superb, if unusual film, That Obscure Object of Desire is a fascinating, humorous and poignant study of the obsessiveness behind relationships, surrounded by absurd, strange and inexplicable events.