Tess Of The D'Urbervilles

Though it lacks the epic sweep of Roman Polanski's 1980 version, this poignant rendering of the classic novel boasts more fully shaped performances. A chance encounter nudges Tess Durbeyfield (Justine Waddell) and her humble family down the road to ruin. A parson (Trevor Martin) remarks to Jack Durbeyfield (John McEnery) that his family has ties to the once-illustrious D'Urberville clan, so Jack stops acting like a drunken sot and puts on airs. Determined to improve his station, Jack and his wife, Joan (Lesley Dunlop), force Tess to board with middle-class relations in a nearby county. Ironically and unbeknownst to Jack, the "relatives," Mrs. D'Urberville (Rosalind K...