Tess of the D'Urbervilles

I remember watching the Roman Polanski version of Tess of the D'Urbervilles in high school and it was terrible enough having to read the long novel but the film's terrible casting of Alec D'Urberville and the depiction of Tess as a weak woman made me utterly abhor watching the film ever again. Last year the BBC produced this polished, glossy, almost Pre-Raphaelite treatment of Tess with panoramic broad sweeping shots of the landscape, I am immediately drawn to the story and the characters. The woodlands are picturesque and rather charming, the countryside bucolic and full of lively colour. It's almost like seeing a Lula magazine fashion shoot come to life.

The costumes are perhaps more turn of the century than the era in which Thomas Hardy wrote nevertheless I think this version of the film is a much more idealistic and naturalistic take on the book stressing less realism. The young woman are priestess like in the manner of Picnic at Hanging Rock, but its a much more positive and straightforward film.

Warning below is the spoiler ending (but its utterly delightfully tragic)!!

^^^^Warning Spoiler Above

Also I'm a little technically challenged. If someone knows how to widen the frame of the blog page comment below and let me know. Cheers!