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.
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