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Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights
Although the film isn't perfect- either as an adaptation or a film in its own right- it is one of the only adaptations that actually resembles the novel Emily Bronte wrote. The other one- unfortunately marred by dullness and an overenthusiasm for rainy weather- is the 2011 adaptation. All the other ones take the same approach, treating the source material as if it was a Charlotte Bronte novel. The tone of all three Bronte sisters (yep, don't forget Anne) is very different; Emily's style does not have the dainty decorum/beautiful gothic love story that other adaptions (most notably the 1939 adaptation with Laurence Olivier) insist on.
Many fans of the novel will protest that it's not a love story at all; rather a story of obsession and bitterness. Most films stop halfway through with the basic love story between rebellious Cathy (Juliette Binoche) and her adopted brother, the miserable Heathcliff (Ralph Fiennes), who leaves Wuthering Heights and then returns again, looking every inch the gentleman. Instead of marrying Heathcliff, Cathy made the mistake of marrying wussy Linton (Simon Sheperd).
However there is a second generation. I won't even bother trying to untangle the various relations of everyone- which is the whole point of the novel. It's a saga about one man's hate and bitterness, punishing the second generation when he can no longer punish his own. What may confuse people is that Juliette Binoche also plays Catherine, Cathy's daughter with Linton. Some people complained that it was just a matter of changing wigs and that in the book, Catherine doesn't particularly bear resemblance to her mother, but thematically it makes perfect sense that Heathcliff would see the mother in the daughter. There's a tension between Catherine and Heathcliff that is heightened by knowing that Catherine and Cathy are played by the same person.
As you can see, the image I've chosen is not of Heathcliff and Cathy but of Heathcliff and Isabella (Sophie Ward). Though this element of the story is dealt with too briefly- Isabella disappears off the face of the earth in the film!- it is exactly how it is in the book. Heathcliff destroys Isabella at the click of the finger and then chides her for being a slut, whilst Isabella rues her passion. It's not just because he doesn't love Isabella but loves Cathy; Heathcliff's transformation into a wealthy man makes him cruel.
Ironically, the presentation of the first generation is less successful as it trods old ground. Cathy and Heathcliff's passion for each other isn't raging enough, although they do portray the awkwardness of them being raised as brother and sister yet having romantic feelings for each other. Binoche's performance of Cathy involves random giggling whilst Fiennes as early Heathcliff lectures about nature and has a cringily awful accent. He encounters the same problem that Olivier did; neither are convincing as rough orphaned Heathcliff.
However Binoche is a lot better at the more demure victimised Catherine- though maybe that's just because there's never been as much focus on Catherine before. Fiennes is much more comfortable (and more seductive) as evil posh Heathcliff and does an excellent job at switching from frustrated lover to creepy master. When he talks about looking after all of his 'children', his voice drips with a sinister sarcasm. This was Fiennes' first film and all that evilness turned out to be good prep for Schindler's List.
Though the average viewer may be bamboozled, readers of the novel will no doubt be intrigued to watch an adaptation that reflects the novel's nature. The reason for the title was because MGM had bought the rights to use the title 'Wuthering Heights', yet watching the film, this adaptation's title is apt.
Although the film isn't perfect- either as an adaptation or a film in its own right- it is one of the only adaptations that actually resembles the novel Emily Bronte wrote. The other one- unfortunately marred by dullness and an overenthusiasm for rainy weather- is the 2011 adaptation. All the other ones take the same approach, treating the source material as if it was a Charlotte Bronte novel. The tone of all three Bronte sisters (yep, don't forget Anne) is very different; Emily's style does not have the dainty decorum/beautiful gothic love story that other adaptions (most notably the 1939 adaptation with Laurence Olivier) insist on.
Many fans of the novel will protest that it's not a love story at all; rather a story of obsession and bitterness. Most films stop halfway through with the basic love story between rebellious Cathy (Juliette Binoche) and her adopted brother, the miserable Heathcliff (Ralph Fiennes), who leaves Wuthering Heights and then returns again, looking every inch the gentleman. Instead of marrying Heathcliff, Cathy made the mistake of marrying wussy Linton (Simon Sheperd).
However there is a second generation. I won't even bother trying to untangle the various relations of everyone- which is the whole point of the novel. It's a saga about one man's hate and bitterness, punishing the second generation when he can no longer punish his own. What may confuse people is that Juliette Binoche also plays Catherine, Cathy's daughter with Linton. Some people complained that it was just a matter of changing wigs and that in the book, Catherine doesn't particularly bear resemblance to her mother, but thematically it makes perfect sense that Heathcliff would see the mother in the daughter. There's a tension between Catherine and Heathcliff that is heightened by knowing that Catherine and Cathy are played by the same person.
As you can see, the image I've chosen is not of Heathcliff and Cathy but of Heathcliff and Isabella (Sophie Ward). Though this element of the story is dealt with too briefly- Isabella disappears off the face of the earth in the film!- it is exactly how it is in the book. Heathcliff destroys Isabella at the click of the finger and then chides her for being a slut, whilst Isabella rues her passion. It's not just because he doesn't love Isabella but loves Cathy; Heathcliff's transformation into a wealthy man makes him cruel.
Ironically, the presentation of the first generation is less successful as it trods old ground. Cathy and Heathcliff's passion for each other isn't raging enough, although they do portray the awkwardness of them being raised as brother and sister yet having romantic feelings for each other. Binoche's performance of Cathy involves random giggling whilst Fiennes as early Heathcliff lectures about nature and has a cringily awful accent. He encounters the same problem that Olivier did; neither are convincing as rough orphaned Heathcliff.
However Binoche is a lot better at the more demure victimised Catherine- though maybe that's just because there's never been as much focus on Catherine before. Fiennes is much more comfortable (and more seductive) as evil posh Heathcliff and does an excellent job at switching from frustrated lover to creepy master. When he talks about looking after all of his 'children', his voice drips with a sinister sarcasm. This was Fiennes' first film and all that evilness turned out to be good prep for Schindler's List.
Though the average viewer may be bamboozled, readers of the novel will no doubt be intrigued to watch an adaptation that reflects the novel's nature. The reason for the title was because MGM had bought the rights to use the title 'Wuthering Heights', yet watching the film, this adaptation's title is apt.