Tess of the d’Urbervilles

Synopsis

Gemma Arterton stars as Tess, the spirited heroine of Thomas Hardy’s immortal work; Hans Matheson plays Alec, who seduces her; Eddie Redmayne is Angel, with whom she falls in love, and Jodie Whittaker plays Izzy, her best friend.

When Tess’s drunken father discovers their family can trace their ancestry back to Norman nobility, Tess’s unhappy fate is set in motion as a train of events is unleashed. Driven by family poverty, the beautiful and innocent Tess claims kinship with the wealthy D’Urbervilles and seeks a portion of their family fortune, meeting the manipulative Alec who proves to be her downfall. Trying to rebuild her life, Tess is employed as a milkmaid and meets Angel Clare. They fall in love and Angel proposes. Scared of losing him, she can’t face telling him about her past, but on their wedding night Angel confesses a previous affair, so Tess, convinced that he will now forgive her, owns up about her own relationship with Alec - with tragic consequences.

Adapted by David Nicholls and produced by David Snodin, this new BBC adaptation is an intense and provocative depiction of the tragically beautiful story. This DVD features this dramatic adaptation plus a behind the scenes, including interviews with cast and crew, and an extensive photo gallery.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2008

Notes

Broadcast in 4 parts on BBC1 on 14/9/2008 and 5/10/2008

Subjects

English language and literature

Keywords

feature films; Hardy, Thomas; Literary adaptation

Credits

Writer

Thomas Hardy

Cast

Anna Massey
Gemma Arterton

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£24.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

200 minutes

Year

2008

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributor

Name

2 Entertain Video

Email

DVDenquiryline@bbc.com

Web

http://www.2entertainvideo.co.uk/ External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7612 3000

Fax

020 7612 3003

Address

BBC Worldwide
33 Foley Street
London
W1W 7TL

Notes

Specialises in distributing archival film and television titles, predominantly licensed from the BBC (the principal shareholder is BBC Worldwide). Sale on DVD through retail outlets. As of 2016 2Entertain is being gradually wound down and its output reduced. If something is not available via them it is advisable to try the BBC Store at https://store.bbc.com/

 

Available from retail outlets