Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is strong and chilling, and it sweeps you into its downward spiral. As the opening installment of a new season of "Masterpiece: Classic" heavy on Dickens adaptations, Tess bodes well.

Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara

After a rocky beginning, Arterton is a marvelous Tess, which is good considering the film pretty much lives or dies with her performance. Despite the years that lie between her and Hardy, years that have both liberated and denigrated the sort of courageous victim Tess stood for, the young actress stands tall behind her flying hair and hurt-widened eyes and forces us to connect with the conviction behind Tess' submissiveness.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

What makes Tess Durbeyfield's life difficult, happily, makes the drama rich for "Masterpiece" fans.

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

This Tess is a star vehicle for the actress playing the title role, and Gemma Artertot is more than fine enough to carry trouble and travail that was a woman's lot in 19th-century England.

VarietyBrian Lowry

Wide-eyed and lovely, Arterton conveys the pitiful plight of her simple character trapped in an unforgiving society, though, stretched over two nights, the adaptation by a trio of Davids (director Blair, writer Nicholls, producer Snodin) becomes an arduous trek.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

The new Tess isn't the best, but thanks to Arterton, it will do as a reminder of Hardy's timeless appeal until something better comes along

The New York TimesMike Hale

There is at least one reason to watch: Gemma Arterton, the “Quantum of Solace” Bond girl, is a lovely and appealing Tess. In a different film, she might have been a complicated and tragic Tess as well.