Rating: 
Summary: Contrarian Reviewer
Review: While I agree with most of what has been said about this production, I do feel that the movie misrepresents Hardy's sentiment about Alex and portrays him as a somewhat sympathethic character. To me, this totally distorts the real feeling that Hardy was trying to convey. Also, leaving Tess's younger sister out of the story line changes the impact of the ending!If I hadn't read this great book, I would feel very differently about the movie, but ...
Rating:
Summary: A fine film in its own right
Review: With a lot of period movies that are adapted from a classic novel, we judge the film by its adherence to the novel. Was it accurate? Did the film keep the scenes, combine them, or eliminate them? This is fine if you just want to see what you have read, but this film stands fine on its own. The story covers a few themes that make for interesting discussion. First, the theme of a family name is covered. The life of this poor family is changed when the patriarch is told that he is descended from an aristocratic family. Although this changes the family's spirits and dreams, it really does nothing to change their plight. Likewise, the families with aristocratic names don't necessarily stand as pillars to the community. The question of the legitimacy of names is also brought up. The other idea is the plight of women in the 18th and 19th centuries. What could they do? Whereas men could rebuild a life regardless of past deeds, women did not have the options. Tess continues to survive regardless how hard things are. Her spirit throughout remains noble despite her deeds. I would recommend watching this movie even if you haven't read the novel.
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