Michael Winterbottom is known for challenging convention with his movies, and he also seem to have a bit of an obsession with Thomas Hardy (although goodness knows why, as he is the most redious of writers), having previously directed adaptations of Jude The Obscure (Jude) and The Mayor Of Casterbridge (The Claim). While Jude played it straight, The Claim transplanted the tale from 19th Century Wessex to the California Gold Rush, and now he’s taking Tess Of The d’Urbervilles to India with Trishna, starring Freida Pinto. Now the first trailer has arrived, which you can see below.
Hardy’s story is transplanted to the subcontinent to become about the romance between the son of a property developer and the daughter of an auto rickshaw owner. However the pair’s love is complicated between her rural roots and his more modern, urban life. In the book, much of the story is about Tess’ rape and the lengthy aftermath of that, but there’s little evidence that will form a large part of the film, although the trailer may just be making things seem more jolly than they are (and Winterbottom isn’t known for shrinking from the dark side of a story). No release date is yet set, but it premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9th.