Director Emerald Fennel’s adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” released in theaters on Friday, and while it’s not a one-to-one remake of the book on screen, it is still a pleasant adaptation that tells a romantic yet tragic story.
“Wuthering Heights” is about the deep and obsessive love between Heathcliff and Catherine. While the theme of the film at heart is a love story, it’s quite a tragic one, with their love and desire resulting in terrible consequences for not only Cathrine and Heathcliff but also for the other characters in the book.
The casting of the two hottest actors, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, as Catherine “Cathy” Earnshaw and Heathcliff, respectively, was an excellent decision, as their on-screen chemistry was brilliant.
Their performance brings intense tension into the audience, as they perfectly capture the bond between the characters. Even in the sadder or raunchier scenes, they kept the audience invested.
Fennell’s adaptation is more of a stylized interpretation of the novel rather than a direct adaptation of it. The costumes used in the film, along with the locations where it was filmed, helped make the world they were building feel more authentic, while the dramatic lighting and sweeping shots of the moors heightened the emotional intensity and kept the gothic atmosphere of the story.
The biggest difference with the film is that it didn’t include important characters from the book, such as Catherine’s brother, Hindley, who bullied Heathcliff. However, the lack of some characters and plot points allows the film to focus on the most important aspect of the film: the destructive pull between Catherine and Heathcliff.
Fennel’s choice to not show Catherine dying shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Cathy, and instead portray the cause of her death as sepsis due to a miscarriage — brought on by her emotional devastation after not being able to see Heathcliff — significantly alters the narrative. Additionally, the decision to not include Heathcliff’s son, Linton, sacrifices the extended two-generational drama of the book.
Similarly, in the novel, after Catherine’s death, her ghost haunts Heathcliff until his own death, showing how he descends into destruction through his obsession with Cathy, waiting for him after death. In the film, the audience receives only a hint of Cathy’s otherworldly presence.
Coming in, I was unsure about this film, but I left the theater pleasantly surprised. One might think that the film’s deviations from the source material would be detrimental, but Fennell’s decision to shift the focus of the film to just their romance works remarkably well.
Through and through, it’s a good adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” that is worth the time and would not have Emily Brontë rolling in her grave. Despite the differences from the book, at its core it is still a movie about the heated obsession of two lovers, and perhaps Brontë would appreciate the focus on emotional intensity over strict fidelity to the plot.
