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Tess IQ Score 154/200

Tess has an IQ Score of 154/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Stimulating tier.

dramaromancehistorical
154/ 200
Stimulating

Consistently challenges the viewer and rewards attention

Tess poster, IQ Score 154/200, Stimulating tier on TV Intelligentsia

Score Breakdown

Legacy score. Published under our earlier workflow, before the current standard took effect in August 2026. A founder reviewed and approved it against our methodology, under a process that does not meet the standard we hold now. What this means →

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Cognitive Stimulation/50
38
Educational Value/50
39
Craft & Quality/50
39
IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4)  · How we score →
What these dimensions mean
  • Cognitive Stimulation: observable narrative complexity, conceptual density, ambiguity, inference, and sustained intellectual demands in the work.
  • Educational Value: the density and integration of substantive academic, historical, scientific, cultural, ethical, or practical information in the work.
  • Craft & Quality: production excellence in service of the work, its direction, writing, performance, and aesthetic intent.

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Why you should trust this score

Scored under Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH
Physician and founding editor. Maintains the adult catalog against the published rubric and reviews the rubric application.
Formula
round((C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4)
Database scale
2,607 titles, version-controlled
TVI Canon

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The TVI Take

1980 Best Picture nominee. Roman Polanski's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

High cognitive demands from the moral complexity and Hardy's examination of fate, class, and gender. Educational value from the Victorian English social context and literary significance. Visually stunning with Nastassja Kinski in a career-defining role.

People & Production Roman Polanski · Renn Productions · United Kingdom 25 connections

Direction & creation

Producer

On screen & sound

Selected cast
Nastassja Kinski Peter Firth Leigh Lawson Carolyn Pickles David Markham Suzanna HamiltonSelected in source order; not represented as billing order.

Production & release

Production company
Country of origin
Original language

Related works

Credits and relationships: Wikidata, CC0. TVI preserves production, broadcasting, and distribution as separate roles.

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The Trailer

Official trailer, embedded from YouTube.

Where to Watch

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Where to go next

Cite this score

Tess scored 154/200 (Stimulating tier) on TV Intelligentsia's published methodology. Source: tvintelligentsia.com/titles/tess/

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