Tess of the D'Urbervilles (TV serial)
| Tess of the D'Urbervilles | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Written by | David Nicholls (adaptation) |
| Directed by | David Blair |
| Starring |
Gemma Arterton Hans Matheson Ruth Jones Jodie Whittaker Eddie Redmayne Ian Puleston-Davies Anna Massey Christopher Fairbank Donald Sumpter |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 (2 U.S.) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David Snodin |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network |
BBC One BBC HD |
| Picture format | 1080p / originated Panasonic Varicam 720p(HDTV) |
| Original release | 14 September – 5 October 2008 |
| External links | |
| www |
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles is a 4-hour BBC television adaptation of Thomas Hardy's book of the same name. The script is by David Nicholls. It tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield, a low-born country girl whose family find they have noble connections.
The series commenced in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2008 and ran until 5 October 2008 airing in four parts on BBC One. In the United States, it aired as part of PBS's Masterpiece Classic in two parts from 4 January until 11 January 2009. In Australia, ABC1 also opted to air this series as a two-part special each Sunday at 8:30pm from 11 April until 18 April 2010.
The cast features Gemma Arterton as Tess, Hans Matheson as Alec, Eddie Redmayne as Angel, Ruth Jones as Joan, Anna Massey as Mrs d'Urberville and Kenneth Cranham as Rev Clare.
David Nicholls first read Hardy's famous novel at the age of 16, but on reapproaching the story over 25 years later he says "it seemed to cry out for a new screen adaptation". He described it as "a wonderfully emotionally-charged story, both intensely romantic and startlingly violent". In adapting the novel for the screen Nicholls gave particular focus to the character of Tess as "an active, forceful, opinionated young working-class woman" and not merely a "passive victim". He was also "keen to emphasise that this is very much a novel about young people in love".
On completion of the project Nicholls said he was "delighted" with how it turned out, hoping audiences would find it "faithfully captures the light and shade of Hardy's masterpiece".
Nicholls worked closely with director David Blair to ensure the visual style of the series complimented his faithful adaptation of the story. The episodes were largely filmed in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and shot on high quality 35mm film rather than on digital video for a richer and more romantic appearance. Nicholls observed that "any adaptation of Hardy has to capture the beauty of his nature writing without forgetting that this is a brutal, unforgiving landscape", and that "the production should be beautiful but not 'pretty'; it should be about characters in a landscape, not just the landscape."
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Wikipedia