Tess
Moderator: MichaelB
- antnield
- Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:59 pm
- Location: Cheltenham, England
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: Tess
Blu-ray.com confirms that the BFI and Pathé releases share a common source, and that aside from the BFI picture being marginally brighter there's no essential difference - both transfers get a perfect 5/5 score for both picture and sound.MichaelB wrote:I'm playing a final production version right now, and it looks magnificent - I can't see the slightest sign of DNR smoothing. The slight softness to the image looks like a deliberate artistic choice, an impression that has been supported by the Beaver, Mondo Digital and Blu-ray.com verdicts (the last concerning the French BD, but it's the same transfer - and the idea that the BFI would have applied "heavy DNR" to what Pathé did is too ludicrous to be worth discussing).bdlover wrote:Woah... a bit soft and no film grain suggests some heavy DNR!
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- Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:54 pm
Re: Tess
Yep, have seen this now and it's as a good a BD as one could ask for. 5 out of 5 seems fair.
Yet I disagree with one line of the Digital Fix review:
Yet I disagree with one line of the Digital Fix review:
A proper print may be too much to expect, but it is not too much to ask for. Imho, the BFI's current predilection for DCP revivals of celluloid classics amounts to cultural vandalism.The Digital Fix wrote:These days, a new 35mm print (let alone a 70mm one) would be too much to ask for, though this is a film that should be seen on a big screen.
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- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:24 pm
Re: Tess
I'll be getting this. I'm not convinced the transfer is great although the caps on Blu-ray.com look a lot better than Tooze's. A contributer to the Tess Blu-Ray package also did some good work on the Arrow Ashes and Diamonds, and that has persuaded me to support this release.
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- Joined: Wed May 27, 2009 10:18 am
Re: Tess
It took me a year and a half to get round to buying it, but you're right, the restoration is superb, as is the film. Am I right in saying the film is underrated, even by Polanski followers?RossyG wrote:I watched the BFI BD this week and the picture quality is absolutely gorgeous. The film's terrific too, of course. Have no hesitation in buying this.
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
- Lost Highway
- Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:41 am
- Location: Berlin, Germany
Re: Tess
For me Tess is where artistically it all started to go a bit wrong for Polanski. I find the acclaim the film gets slightly bewildering. Then again, my problems with it may be personal as I love the novel and this strikes me as flawed adaptation. The film is too pretty looking, considering how much of the book deals with the harsh cruelty of 19th century agricultural work. Kinski may be gorgeous, but she is miscast as a "Wessex" peasant lass. She is like an exquisite, innocent lamb to the slaughter, while part of the tragedy in the novel was Tess's inadvertent complicity in her own downfall. For a Polanski film, this lacks bite. I think there is a picturesque blandness to the film which became a feature of Polanski films to follow and I'm saying that as someone who is a huge fan of the man's better films.j99 wrote:It took me a year and a half to get round to buying it, but you're right, the restoration is superb, as is the film. Am I right in saying the film is underrated, even by Polanski followers?RossyG wrote:I watched the BFI BD this week and the picture quality is absolutely gorgeous. The film's terrific too, of course. Have no hesitation in buying this.
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- Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:03 am
Re: Tess
In that case I would recommend the BBC 2010 adaptation with Gemma Arterton as Tess. It is less romantic and more mundane, compared to Polanski's version (which I love too). I also think that for a television miniseries, it combines gorgeous cinematography with renowned BBC class acting performances.Lost Highway wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:38 amMy problems with it may be personal as I love the novel and this strikes me as flawed adaptation. The film is too pretty looking, considering how much of the book deals with the harsh cruelty of 19th century agricultural work. {Kinski} is like an exquisite, innocent lamb to the slaughter, while part of the tragedy in the novel was Tess's inadvertent complicity in her own downfall.