[hardy-l] coffee condemnation for Alec

[Niemeyer, Paul J.]

Art, I don't suppose Professor Herold would allow you to forward his relevant comments to us?  I'd be interested to know why he feels that Alec in the BBC serial (note clarification) emerges as the offended party.
 
Back to your observation on the "horsepiss coffee" scene--Alec really does seem more of a jerk in the TV serial once he doffs his preacher weeds.  In the novel he simply returns to form, but in the adaptation he seems to become an even worse version of what he was before.  The sympathy with which the director treated him is gone--perhaps this is a kind of social devolution?
 
And here's a question for anyone who's seen the recent TV version.  When Alec makes his second appearance at Stoke Barehills, Tess sees him and exclaims, "Oh--"  Is this all she says, or did a more earthy word follow it?  The San Antonio PBS station I watch often displays enough prudery to make Hardy's editors envious--they blurred out the naked male butts in the recent ROOM WITH A VIEW adaptation--and so I wonder if I got the "unfiltered" presentation.
 
Best,
 
Paul Niemeyer

________________________________

From: Arthur Efron


A relevant addition here: since my last posting, I have heard from my
friend Professor John Herold in North Carolina. He is not on this
listserv. He had watched part of the film on PBS and was amazed to find
that for a while it seemed that Alec was being presented as the offended
party.
--Art Efron



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