Tess of the D'Urbervilles tonight. Excited??

[wintera]

Really looking forward to this new bbc adaptation. The reviews I've seen up to now have been very complimentary. Cast also looks good.

Didn't really cop a good enough look at Angel. Thought the rest of it was rather promising (massive Hardy fan here)
I too sighed over Tess's rural 'hovel' in envy
Poor Dh watched it for my sake and kept looking and me and saying ''Hmm. Is he going to be a bad man. A really bad man? Oh, tell me it has a happy ending...Ruddy Norah, does it get worse? ''

my poor DH was also forced to watch it - I got "he's a cad" all the way through it, then a "where did the baby come from".

rookiemater, my mum agrees with you about the slow moving thing, doesn't see how they are going to fit in the whole story in just three more episodes.

I thought the rape scene was really well done. I liked the fact that it was really hard to see anything, very disconcerting. I thought it was very clever filming it like that.

Didn't agree with the lady on the Newsnight clip who said she thought that the rape scene was a cop out. The book is vague regarding what actually happens in the woods so I thought it was right that it was filmed like that.

I didn't like what they did with that rape scene at all... it looked really naff. Just do a cut-away to the next scene if you want to be ambiguous.

Very disappointed by Angel in the brief glimpse we had. Yuk.

My DH also said "So is that her baby then? Where did that come from?". Not bad, considering he's going to be a dad in 2 months.

I don't think it's that ambiguous in the book. I think it's quite clear that he seduces her and she feels guilty about that.

re the rape scene, I think Hardy had to be careful about how explicit he was because of being censored in some way.

ive never read tess of the D'urbervilles!i watched this acidently(came in to room and was on)and really enjoyed it.i hate to see a tv adaptation without reading the book but shall now be reading it!

On R4 the other day they said one of the bits that had to be removed from the book originally was the part where Angel carries the milkmaids over the flood. Hardy had to subsitute a wheelbarrow to carry them over. Because apparently that was too intimate a contact.

Interestingly (well, if you're me, I suppose ) there are two versions of the text. In one - the one that is most frequently read - it is only implied very subtly that he forced her - Hardy mentions her sobbing but also talks about her confused surrender to Alec. In the other edition (the first edition), however, he gives her something to drink from a bottle when they're in the woods- the implication is that it's some kind of sleeping draught - suggesting rape much more strongly.

I love this novel and really enjoyed watching Sunday's episode although I had a fair few nitpicks with it like some others. Angel is meant to be a fairly spineless character however! When I taught this at A level, my favourite essay to set went as follows:

The minister's son in his conceited impotence violates Tess far more nastily than her sensual seducer - discuss. Which boils down to 'Angel is worse than Alec'! I used to have some great arguments with students over that one.

I agree with you OrmIrian, I always thought that Tess was seduced by Alec in the woods, and I seem to remember the 1998 ITV version having her in a dream like state but enjoying it and then feeling terrible afterwards when reality kicks in.

However, when I spoke about this to my Husband the other night he said he thought the BBC would have filmed it as a full on rape scene because its getting into a really dodgy area if they show her enjoying it. The whole "She said no but meant yes" thing would come up and maybe the BBC just didn't want to go there. Have spoke to a few people over the last few days and some say definitely rape and others say seduction. People seem to have a different interpretation it seems! With this in mind, it may have been better to just show him appraching her and leave the rest up to the viewer, even though I thought the scene was well done.

Ooh I like that question! Makes me want to study english all over again. I wish I could teach A Level but my school is only 11-16.

I love teaching A level, janeite. Not meaning to rub it in/make you more but it's the saving grace of teaching for me.

I agree thats a bloody great question for an essay! Anyone going to attempt to answer it??!!

What sort of answers did you get to it? And what were the arguments it brought up? I would be very interested to know! Isn't it great that we are having these kind of discussions about it, still to this day?

I may have this wrong but isn't the woman who plays Tess' mother from Nighty Night and Little Britain?

Yes she is. Also from Fat Friends and Gavin and Stacey too!

Oh yes!

I was wondering if she was going to ask Tess if she'd 'ad a bit of c&*k' ala Little Britain.

Sorry to lower the tone. I'll get me coat

Yes, Tsar, and don't come back til you've written 1000 words on the set title, please

A surprising number of students felt that Angel was more a fault that Alec - that his betrayal was greater because Tess really loved him, iyswim. They argued that Tess moved on after Alec, she fell in love and found hope again, but Angel's betrayal just crushed her.

Fair enough! Not a fan then?!

I missed this. IS there another showing on BBC before next Sunday?? I have looked on the Sky search thingummy but it doesn't mention it. Anyone know, please.

and yes I adore this book, esp. as the unrealistically beautiful Natasha Kinskey played Tess in a version shortly after I 'did' it for A Level.

Its definitely on bbc iplayer on demand, as I've seen it listed there. Here is a link for you -

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00dlpcj/

We have on demand with our digital tele package so you could have a look on there too if you have it!

thanks wintera! I forgot about that facility as I never use it.....TILL NOW!!!

slayerette
good question

And I would argue yes principally because there's nothing worse than a god bothering hyprocrite! At least Alec kind of knows he's a bad 'un. But they're also BOTH BAD as are Alec's useless mother and the one who really owed it to her to warn her i.e her nastily culpable mother!!

slayerette
good question

And I would argue yes principally because there's nothing worse than a god bothering hyprocrite! At least Alec kind of knows he's a bad 'un. But they're also BOTH BAD as are Alec's useless mother and the one who really owed it to her to warn her i.e her nastily culpable mother!!