Public DomainThe old saying goes about some couples, “found each other, saved
two more.” It could be the subtitle of the 2026 film Wuthering Heights,
very loosely based on Emily Bronte’s novel, really a poem in prose. While the
classic Merle Oberon/Laurence Olivier film remained closer to the book, albeit
with a sappy ending where Heathcliff’s and Cathy’s ghosts drift off into the
moors towards eternal bliss, the new film starring Margot Robbie (The Barbie Movie) creates new
characters while shedding many of the old.
The clueless narrator of the novel is gone. The scene where Cathy’s host attempts to
enter her old room and scares the narrator silly is gone. Cathy’s cupboard and her journal (Catherine
Earnshaw-her book) is gone. Barring the absence of the cupboard bed, Wuthering
Heights the house is portrayed exactly as portrayed in the novel.
Olivier and Oberon as Heathcliff and Cathy
Thrushcross Grange is magnificent, and even has it’s own
doll house version complete with dolls of Cathy and Isabella. Isabella Linton has a tiny house in her own
room. Marot Robbie had something to do with the production of the film, and she
played a doll. Dolls appear as props throughout, including Punch and Judy
Puppets, and wooden dolls. There is a
wax doll that makes an appearance, and rag dolls hanging from nooses. Some of the dolls are not of the time; the
novel takes place during the late 18th century, and the wax doll and
wooden dolls (Grodnertal types) appear to be of a later date. Some of the magnificent jewelry Caty wears
also seems to be later, as are the Christmas trees outside Thrush Grange. The anachronistic elements seem to work,
though, and give the setting of the film a surrealistic air. Please note that 18th century doll
houses were very popular for adults.
Joseph is no longer and old man who speaks in nearly incomprehensible
dialect. He is now a young pervert who
engages in S&M sex play with Zillah that incorporates a scold’s bridle. He
also slaughters animals and is a randy nuisance (in this humble author’s
opinion). According to my wonderful professor, Dr. Dorothy Parkander, Joseph’s
dialect in the novel was a flaw, but a necessary one, part of the novel’s
core.
Heathcliff is well, very well acted in the new film. Another mystery/flaw in the novel according
to Dr. Parkander is the hint in the novel that Heathcliff may be Mr. Earnshaw’s
son, albeit illegitimate. As such, his relationship
to Cathy is doomed as incestuous; she is his half sister in that scenario. Also, Heathcliff, though he wouldn’t’ have
been a first son, still may have had some birthright, which the oldest Earnshaw
boy stole from him when he brutalized Heathcliff and treated him like a servant
after his father died.
The opening scenes are brutal; there is brutality throughout
the film. Public hangings were a means of
entertainment; there is excitement later on Isabella’s part as she describes
the hanging of a woman. She’s never
heard of such a thing; but many women were hanged in England. There are descriptions of these hangings in Moll
Flanders, Frankenstein and Tess of the D’Urbervilles. In my own book, Capital Punishment in Popular
Culture, Toys, Games and Nursery Rhymes-Toying with Death, (Cambridge
Scholars Publishing), I include tables with names of women hanged in England.
The film’s landscaping is breathtaking. The cinematography is original. Martin Clues, a combination of Mr. Earnshaw
and the oldest son, does an amazing job.
His character is both loathsome and poignant.
This film is wroth seeing, and has some terrific acting, but
it is not the novel. Emily Bronte may
well have enjoyed it. But, for me, I have to say I still love the book. I’m privileged to own Anne Rice’s copy, and
am inspired whenever I read it. My views
of Heathcliff have changed; I felt sympathy for him, and blamed his actions on
the brutality he faced as a child. But,
my last reading, I decided he was a jack ass.
Cathy has never held my sympathy. Too many people suffered and died
because of her. They deserve each other
, and are narcissists.
The book is not a romance; it’s about property rights and
family placement. It’s a cautionary tale
of how misplaced love can ruin. Plus, there is an Ellen in it; Ellen is Nelly Dean's real name. Emily
Bronte apparently based her story on some newspaper clippings she found. She created a contrast in worlds, full of
unforgettable characters. The film, in its
own way, does the same.
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