Message 603

Yesterday I had a quiet day at home and worked a little on my memoirs. I also picked up my prescription that my urologist sent in, and I deposited a check that came in the mail as a Medicare refund for part of the cost of my catheters, etc. In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Tess, which is based on the novel by Thomas Hardy. I had never read this novel, but a few years ago I watched a BBC production also based on this book, but it was not as impressive as this version. This movie production came out in 1980 after about three years of preparation, shooting and editing. It was directed by Roman Polanski after he skipped out of the US on his rape trial, so the story bears some relation to his personal experience. The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards, but only won three (for things like costumes and photography). I once tried to read another book by Hardy called Return of the Native, but after about a hundred pages nothing was happening and I judged it unreadable. The strength of this movie, and I suppose of Hardy's books, is his realistic description of the social system and the farming technology of the time when the industrial revolution was beginning to transform Great Britain, and eventually the world. Natasha(SP?) Kinsky was an unknown 15-year-old German actress when she was chosen to play Tess, although she had turned 18 by the time it was released. She does a very good job. The film is three hours long and is somewhat depressing. I give it only four stars because it is not much fun to watch such a tragedy even though it is completely realistic and true to the society and environment of the time and place, and it is an outstanding example of the cinematic art. The special features are interviews with all the main contributors to the movie, and these are very interesting