Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 17, Week 3

Thanks to UK extradition laws, Roman Polanski had to substitute France for England in his adaptation of high-school lit standard, Thomas Hardy's Tess. I loved all three-hours of the film when I saw it back in 1980, but then again that was the year my undying worship of Klaus' daughter began.

I watched the film before preparing the quiz, and I can't help but think that Nastassja simply isn't right for the part -- that she's too beautiful (and too Teutonic) to play Hardy's tragic heroine, described as a "fine and picturesque country girl, and no more." Let's not even get started on the accent. That said, Polanski's stripped-down approach, which pares the novel down to basically a character study by removing most of the melodramatic and moral elements of the source material, is what separates it from countless other adaptations of Victorian classics.

This week: things begin to get difficult. You'll have to brush up on your French actors and actresses to identify this one (from about fifty others). Name the film. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!

Comments

[Beyondmusic]

cool

[wells]

Oh, come now, all four are hot!

[colinr]

You might be interested to know that the BBC has just started a four part mini-series adaptation of Tess as this year's literary adaptation. It's actually not that bad!

[Filmbrain]

You've got a one track mind Wells...

[Campaspe]

Hardy was a touchstone writer for me as a high-school lass. Like Holden Caulfield, I liked that Eustacia Vye and I also loved Tess. Hardy hasn't been adapted much for the big screen and when he has, the movies usually have little Hardy in them, I find. Tess was an eyeful but ultimately not that great, or so I thought when I saw it. I did like Far From the Madding Crowd but again, somehow not very Hardy. His qualities as a novelist are hard to pin down on screen.

[Noel Vera]

My favorite Hardy would be Winterbottom's Jude. Bleak just about describes it.