X
- 2012
- Not Rated
- Oscilloscope
- 2 h 9 m
- 2012
- Not Rated
- Oscilloscope
- 2 h 9 m
Summary An epic love story that spans childhood well into the young adult years, the film follows Heathcliff, a boy taken in by a benevolent Yorkshire farmer, Earnshaw. Living in Earnshaw's home, Heathcliff develops a passionate relationship with the farmer's teenage daughter, Catherine, inspiring the envy and mistrust of his son, Hindley. When ...
Directed By: Andrea Arnold
Written By: Olivia Hetreed, Emily Brontë, Andrea Arnold
- 2012
- Not Rated
- Oscilloscope
- 2 h 9 m
- 2012
- Not Rated
- Oscilloscope
- 2 h 9 m
Wuthering Heights
70
5.7
Summary An epic love story that spans childhood well into the young adult years, the film follows Heathcliff, a boy taken in by a benevolent Yorkshire farmer, Earnshaw. Living in Earnshaw's home, Heathcliff develops a passionate relationship with the farmer's teenage daughter, Catherine, inspiring the envy and mistrust of his son, Hindley. When ...
Directed By: Andrea Arnold
Written By: Olivia Hetreed, Emily Brontë, Andrea Arnold
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
70
79% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
17% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
70
79% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
17% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Wuthering Heights is a model of how to bring a classic novel kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century.
Willful, meandering, and intriguing, this Wuthering Heights is similarly headstrong.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 User Ratings
5.7
47% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
29% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
24% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 17 User Ratings
5.7
47% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
29% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
24% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
This was a very welcome alternative to the typically theatrical adaptations of Wuthering Heights. There was very little dialogue, and I suspect the film might not work so well for viewers who have not read the book. Yet this allowed the essence of the book to be captured with greater accuracy and depth than other adaptations have managed. The pace was unhurried, allowing space for emotions to be portrayed, developed and captured. Much of the film was shot on the moors with a handheld camera, the only soundtrack being the harsh westerly winds. It felt very raw. I still felt that the dark heart of the book was not fully exposed. There were glimpses of Healthcliff's violence, but the complexity and depth of his dark personality was not fully captured.
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First off, there's an awful lot of very shaky camerawork in this film, so if that annoys you then I'd recommend you stay clear of this film. Not just that but also a lot is filmed in darkness or otherwise low light - I imagine it was written that scenes occur in the dark and some may say that makes it atmospheric but it also adds to a sort of disorientating feel.
Its a sad story, of course and the film doesn't shy away from the harshness, so there is violence, scenes of torture (although I wouldn't say there's excessive graphic depictions, its mostly implied but all the same, it doesn't leave too much to the imagination) etc. Its a somewhat moody film, as it should be given the story I guess but suffice to say it didn't overly appeal to me. I felt a bit confused about some plot aspects. I know its more famous as a classic novel/classic literature and suffice to say I haven't read the novel but I didn't find myself entirely intrigued or moved by this film really. I did think it was perhaps surprising how much of a rebel the Heathcliff character was, given the time its set in but then maybe thats unfair of me to think that?. This isn't an especially bad film but you'd have to be in the right mood for it and even then, you may not fully grasp the intricacies of the plot, which would be a shame, so I don't entirely rate this. I'd only recommend this if your familiar with the full story and you feel particularly keen to watch it, then it may be worth seeing, otherwise not so much.
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Perhaps above everything else, Arnold returns us to the most potent fact about the Cathy and Heathcliff love affair: it is a love affair between equals, not between a woman with coquettish "erotic capital" and a man with property and status.
The grunts and howls seem every bit as mannered as the florid diction of Olivier and Oberon, perhaps even more so. Their artifice, like Brontë's own, was overt, whereas Ms. Arnold strives to disguise hers in the trappings of authenticity. And as a result, the impact - the grandeur, the art - of Wuthering Heights is diminished.
Arnold's interpretation is taciturn, often entirely without dialogue, though it becomes increasingly conventional in its scene structure as it goes and as the actors hand off the key roles. In reality it's a bit of a slog. ... The movie plays like an idea for a 'Wuthering Heights' adaptation.
It's just that there isn't enough story - the book shouldn't be required reading for the film to make sense.
The bottom line with Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights is that the writer-director has taken Emily Brontë's tale of undying passion and rendered it passionless.
It's certainly not a bad film, but boy oh boy, if you don't give it your full attention, its slow as hell pace will make it very difficult for you to want to re-engage with the plot. This film will ring true with Romance and Tragedy fans, but for everybody else, satisfactions will vary.
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Production Company
Film4,
UK Film Council,
Goldcrest Films International,
Screen Yorkshire,
HanWay Films,
Ecosse Films,
MEDIA Programme of the European Union,
National Lottery
Release Date Oct 5, 2012
Duration 2 h 9 m
Rating Not Rated
Awards
Valladolid International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Venice Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Camerimage
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
