Two things surprised me about this movie:
#1: They talked funny
(Remember, I was 13. Shakespeare wasn't exactly my "thing," and I was surprised that they hadn't translated the movie into modern-day dialogue).
#2: The end
I didn't know the story, I just knew Romeo and Juliet had a majorly iconic romance. I had no idea that they died. It was the first time in my life I'd ever watched a movie without a happy ending.
I was stunned for several days. I remember sitting in my 7th grade science class the following day, unable to focus because I was still thinking about Romeo and Juliet. I gazed around at my peers wondering how many of them knew... were they as naive as I had been a mere 18 hours earlier?
(The next year we had to read the book in English, so any lingering ignorance was to be short-lived).
(Also, I feel like there's an unspoken rule that it's okay to blow the plot of Romeo and Juliet. There are some stories you're just supposed to know, so sorry if I just ruined your life).
Over Thanksgiving weekend I had a nasty stomach bug (exactly what everyone wants post-Thanskgiving). I took advantage of my sick day and decided to watch the BBC's miniseries, Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
I tried to read the book once, but I confess, I didn't make it very far. I'm not good at classic literature (Pride and Prejudice didn't go so well - I think I made it to page 76).
Anyway, prior to watching the miniseries, I was familiar with Tess of the d'Ubervilles in title only. I had no idea what the story was about.
You guys.
YOU GUYS.
It gave me the "Romeo and Juliet Effect." I cannot stop thinking about it. I threw every emotion I had at the TV across the three days it took me to watch the four-part series. I smiled, I cried, I yelled. I felt horrified, I swooned, I gasped. I raised my fist in anger at the injustices of this world, and I peeked through my fingers at Eddie Redmayne's very white behind.
Whew. It took a lot out of me. And when it was done, I couldn't sleep. It gave me quite the adrenaline rush. I decided that in three years, I'm going to try reading the book again. Why three years? I'd like to get some distance between the movie and the book so I forget just enough about one or the other to not spend the entire time comparing.
See you in winter 2022, Tess.*
Tomorrow I'll tell you about some other shows I've watched lately.
*I don't want to give away any of the plot for Tess (the unspoken rules of Romeo and Juliet are not the same for Tess), but I do want to inform you that it does deal with sexual assault - something you may want to know in choosing whether to watch it.
3 comments:
I read this as a sophomore and for the life of me can't remember a single thing about it... Now I must watch it because I already know I won't make it through reading it.
I've never heard of this show or the book but I really want to look into it now. I have a hard time with sad and heavy stuff though. Im more of a Hallmark gal.
Would it surprise you to learn that Tess is my favorite classic novel? But not just because it's dark and twisty and gloomy and sad and infuriating in all my favorite ways but also because I think Hardy is the most modern of the classics as far as reading style goes. I confess I haven't seen the BBC version. I confess I didn't even know there was a BBC version.
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