The movie was adapted by Gérard Brach, John Brownjohn and Roman Polanski from the novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. It was directed by Polanski.
It won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design. It was nominated for Best Director, Best Music, Original Score and Best Picture.
Although the film is set in England, it was filmed in France. This is because director Roman Polanski was wanted for statutory rape charges in the United States, and could have been extradited from England.