The enchanting Gemma Arterton stars as Tess in the excellent 2008 BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece Tess of the D’Urbervilles, which is near perfect. Arterton is amazing as Tess: immensely talented, resilient, free spirited, ethereal, gorgeous, and the very image of Tess in my mind. The film is about a young woman named Tess who discovers that her family has noble roots, and the sorrow and misfortune that (quite literally) befall her along the way. Eddie Redmayne was also good as Angel Clare, appearing so innocently yet such a despicable character. Strangely enough, I actually hated him more than Alec D’Urberville (which is shocking considering Alec is basically a serial rapist!) – perhaps it was the fate that Tess pours her heart and all her trust into him and he throws it all away and leaves her to the night. Of course, he feels sorry about it afterwards, but too late. It was really interesting that they decided to portray Alec in a somewhat more sympathetic light (of course, his actions cannot under any circumstances be forgiven and he’s an evil bastard), giving some background as to why he’s as much of a mess as he is. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the actors – reactive, bonding, and at times explosive, but always engaging, always interesting. I just wish she could be truly happy!
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There are few actresses who radiate elegance and class, yet also have a commanding presence, in the same way as Dame Helen Mirren. A celebrated actress of stage and screen, Mirren has been acting since the 1960’s, but she has experienced a bit of a renaissance recently when studios discovered that we all love watching her in action movies like The Fate of the Furious. On this episode, Gill, Robin, and TK examine the career of Helen Mirren, list their favourite roles of hers, and ponder just what makes her so appealing. Click here to download the episode!
