Episode 1 [HD]

"The Snow It Melts The Soonest . . . . . . ."
That haunting song has been stuck in my head ever since I saw this four-part BBC miniseries. It was a stroke of genius to incorporate this folk tune into the soundtrack (composed by Rob Lane), which sums up the mood and aura of this tragic tale of a young woman wronged so unjustly by two men. Gemma Arterton is wonderful as Tess Durbeyfield, probably Thomas Hardy's most well-loved heroine, exploited by her ignorant parents into claiming noble heritage and discarded by 19th century society. Hans Matheson is Alec Stoke-d'Urberville, the wealthy cad who violates her, unknowingly impregnates her with a child who doesn't survive babyhood and later comes back into her life as a supposedly reformed preacher. Eddie Redmayne is Angel Clare, the seemingly kind-hearted and tolerant parson's son who wins Tess's love but proves to be just as hypocritical as his religious family and his actions bring Tess to despair. As in most Hardy tales, tragedy looms a large shadow over the lives of his...

Fairly Impressive Film Adaptation of a Masterpiece
"Tess of the d'Urbervilles" is one of my favorite books, and Tess is I dare say my favorite literary character. I loved the 1998 adaptation of "Tess" as soon as I saw it, and I was really excited to see if this newer, longer, (hopefully) fresher adaptation could possibly improve on an already beautiful version. At the same time, I was preparing myself to try not to dislike it. Happily, I can say: though it's still not a definitive adaptation, this version definitely holds its own.

Things "Tess '08" got right:

1. A great Tess
Gemma Arterton makes this character her own. While Justine Waddell's Tess was delicate and sensual, Arterton plays Tess with more bite. Both are valid interpretations of the character. Both, however, also excel at the highly emotional scenes. Tess is a sympathetic and brilliant character and Arterton definitely does the role justice

2. Very strong supporting cast
Though I still like the supporting cast of the '98...

A Haunting Story
I've never read the book before, and this was my first time watching a film adaptation of this story. Its funny because I accidentally started watching it, but within a few minutes I found myself captivated by this movie. By the end of the first two hours I found myself hating Alec for what he did to Tess. However, near the end I almost started liking him, which really surprised me. Even though he was a bad person his character was a tortured soul. He cared for Tess as much as he could care for anyone. He even tried to make things right by marrying her. I actually felt sorry for him as she kept rejecting him. I knew that he had never changed, but I felt that he really did care for her. Perhaps it was more so lust than true love that he had for her. I also felt sorry for Tess. I felt sorry for both of them if that is possible. I didn't quite understand the whole mistress thing though. I came to the conclusion that he wanted to marry her, but he couldn't because she was...

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