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Tess

Tess

Drama · Romance · 1979

A strong-willed peasant girl is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumour that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge.

Movie details

Tess

“She was born into a world where they called it seduction, not rape. What she did would shatter that world forever.”

1979 Drama · Romance 2h 52m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

A strong-willed peasant girl is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumour that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Tess?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Roman Polanski

Written by

Gérard Brach · Roman Polanski · John Brownjohn

Nastassja Kinski

Nastassja Kinski

Tess Durbeyfield

Peter Firth

Peter Firth

Angel Clare

Leigh Lawson

Leigh Lawson

Alec d'Urberville

John Collin

John Collin

John Durbeyfield

Rosemary Martin

Rosemary Martin

Mrs. Durbeyfield

Carolyn Pickles

Carolyn Pickles

Marian

Richard Pearson

Richard Pearson

Vicar of Marlott

Court is in session

Put Tess on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.