The Elephant Man 1980  PG, 125 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: David Lynch
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, Helen Ryan, John Standing, Dexter Fletcher, Lesley Dunlop, Pat Gorman, Phoebe Nicholls, Claire Davenport
In the 1800s, John Merrick "The Elephant Man" (John Hurt) suffered from neurofibromatosis, a terribly disfiguring disease and has spent most of his life as a carnival freak. He is befriended by Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) who sees more in Merrick than his outward appearance. Treves brings Merrick to the hospital where he works, and, for a short time, Merrick gains human dignity. But, Treves begins to question his own motivations after the press learns about Merrick's hospital stay and exploits him. The film received eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Actor (John Hurt), and Director.
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Tess 1979 PG, 192 min.
Genre: Drama / Romance
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Nastassja Kinski, Peter Firth, John Collin, Tony Church, Rosemary Martin, David Markham, Richard Pearson, Arielle Dombasle, Carolyn Pickles, Leigh Lawson, Pascale de Boysson, Suzanna Hamilton, Caroline Embling, Lesley Dunlop, Sylvia Coleridge
Set in 19th-century England, this is a fine adaptation of Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." Beautiful peasant Tess (Nastassja Kinski) is sent to live with her relatives, the D'Urbervilles. It turns out that the family living there is not her family; they have bought the family's name. "Cousin" Alec (Leigh Lawson) becomes Tess' lover, and Tess becomes pregnant but loses the baby. Now, Tess goes to work on a dairy farm where she falls in love with Angel Clare (Peter Firth), but more problems lie ahead. This film was nominated for Best Picture, Director, and Musical Score Oscars–and it won for Best Art Direction, Costume Design, and Cinematography.
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles 1998  TV, 210 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Ian Sharp
Cast: Justine Waddell, Jason Flemyng, Oliver Milburn, John McEnery, Lesley Dunlop, Rosalind Knight, Anthony O'Donnell, Christine Moore, Bryan Pringle, Debbie Chazen, Linda Armstrong, Hannah Waterman, Candida Rundle, Amanda Brewster, Charlotte Bellamy
Country girl Tess (Justine Waddell) is sent to the home of her aristocratic relatives, the D'Urbervilles, where her innocence is turned into bitterness after cousin Alec D'Urberville (Jason Flemyng) seduces her, and she becomes pregnant. She loses the baby, leaves the mansion, and finds work as a farmhand. She falls in love with Angel Clare (Oliver Milburn), and he returns her love. But, happiness is not fated to be in the future for Tess, and tragedy follows in this good made-for-TV retelling of the classic Thomas Hardy story.
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| 1. The Elephant Man (1980)
2. Tess (1979)
3. Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1998)
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