U.S. DVD Release Needs To Be Improved

The U.S. DVD release of "Tess" has been available for some years now but the disc's transfer is less than stellar. There are several times during the run of the film were the imaging "bleeds" - the best way I can describe it: a kind of "ghosting" appears in faces, even clothing. It is very annoying and ruins one's appreciation of Geoffrey Unsworth's magnificent cinematography. This film is remarkable for many reasons. It is very faithful to Hardy's novel, has an epic sweep and meticulous production design. It deserved the 3 Oscars it won (Cinematography, Art/Set Decoration and Costume Design). It was a contender for the Best Picture Oscar but did not win ("Ordinary People" was the winner that year) but along with "Raging Bull", "Tess" is undeniably a classic film and as great as any the brilliant director Roman Polanski has made, although some critics beg to differ. Nastassia Kinski, beside being ravishingly beautiful, gave a great performance in the lead role. She should have been nominated for Best Actress. Hopefully a better transfer will arrive in the future. Aside from being a great film this is one of the most beautifully photographed movies ever made. It rivals "Days of Heaven" in photographic beauty.