A new screen adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights came into theaters February 13th.
Raking in around $80 million globally it was the number 1 film of the weekend. With stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the leads playing Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, high expectations were set by watchers.
Background
Brontë’s novel was released in 1847. The original novel depicts the obsessed and revenge filled relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and her servant as well as life long friend Heathcliff. While these themes do appear, critics claim that the novel and Emerald Fennel’s film do not line up.
The Film
The film begins showing how Heathcliff ended up at the Wuthering Heights estate after Catherine’s father, Mr. Earnshaw- a cruel gambler- takes the orphan in. Soon after, Heathcliff and Catherine become best friends and spend every moment they can together.
Years later when people move in not to far from Wuthering Heights, Edgar Linton and his daughter Isabella, Catherine is deeply excited to try to marry Mr. Linton while Heathcliff opposes.
When Catherine finally does catch the attention of Edgar she feels it is not right because in her heart she loves Heathcliff but could never marry him. She explained all of this to her servant Nelly, who knew Heathcliff was listening. The next day Heathcliff is gone. Three years passed and Catherine ended up marrying Edgar.
When Heathcliff returns he is polished and rich, much different than the servant he left as. He did this in a kind of spite to Cathernine to show he could make something of himself and be “enough” for her. There is lots of tension between Catherine and Heathcliff which leads to an affair behind Edgar’s back. Leading them to fall back in love with each other, a love that could eventually destroy them both. This all comes to a dramatic conclusion unlike any other love story.
Controversy
While the film had a great weekend financially, there is some controversy surrounding the film. Many bug changes were noticed by readers. In the novel, Heathcliff was described as another race. Some believe he was black, others claim he was South Asian.
Either way, the casting of Jacob Elordi raised some questions. Other critics claim the film was too over-sexualized and left out important aspects of the characters.
Overall, the film’s cinematography and soundtrack really took it to the next level. While ratings vary, the film was undoubtedly popular.
