Tess | Movie Review

Tess - 1979

Directed By : Roman Polanski

Tess is a very frustrating character. You start to question her many times in the film. Whether she is pure, angelic, enduring or just plain stupid. She surely not an idiot though, and there is a real frustration. The pain and misery she goes through seems at times to be self induced. But it is way more complicated than that to understand the origin of her misery. And though her own naivety or her ignorance about the evils of society, and, people in general cause her much of that misery, they aren't certainly the only reasons or even the chief reasons. 

Hardy's masterful prose definitely raises questions on the plight of people like Tess. One must acknowledge that Tess do exist in real world. And that makes the character so frustrating. Countless number of Tess are bearing the pains others have inflicted without raising a word, silently. And Hardy so sensitively put forward one such story of misery and tragedy. The characters and their behaviours, beliefs, habits, flaws and virtues provide most of the substance to the book, and the film as well. It is a thoroughly important film to discuss, muse and contemplate over. 

The film carefully handled the dense source material. The most admiring aspect of the film being its richness of setting and exquisitely shot visuals. Rarely it happens that a film captures the amount of realism in a setting and accuracy in period which Tess did. The world built here is exquisite in every sense of its word. Shot originally in France, it really captures the essence of Hardy's natural and utterly breathtaking description of the setting and environment. Though Hardy's world was perhaps much more darker and gloomy. Hardy tried to convey things though the environment and it is important to get it right. Tess do it to a satisfying extent. 

There is a seriousness the way film handles the subject which is so intricate and complex to put onto the screen. It is ambiguous and layered. Still, perhaps the films in general are not as efficient medium as books to convey the complex emotions, intricacies of human nature and relations, and deep desires, needs and beliefs of a person. For instance, the film does not convincingly portray the inner world of Tess, her desires or her emotions. Why she bears it all? Why she isn't rebellious? Why she do not oppose? Or what she actually wants? Its ambiguous. It remains a mystery throughout. Or take example of Angel, we never quite understand him as well. 

Certainly, the characters are layered. And there is enough to unweave below the visible surface. It isn't a shallow adaptation, or exercise in particular way of filmmaking, instead a deeply felt and thoughtful interpretation. It takes its time, it don't rush or try to make it an easy watch, more the better. 

One of the things lacking is the incompleteness of the Tess' gradual journey through misery and pain. We cant quite sympathise with her as we ought to. Another way of saying it can be that, she should suffer more. It certainly is not that. The revelations Tess goes through that non ending misery is actually crucial to be shown much more effectively. Her non ending misery is painful yet it serves an important purpose. And though there is not a neglect towards it, it isn't quite as effective. Though this is just a personal whim of mine. 

The film is gradually growing on me. In retrospect I find it much more thoughtful and important film than what I first conceived it to be. It is a film which will linger in my mind for quite a some time now. 

Rating : ★★★½