Wuthering Heights

A BEAUTIFUL adaptation of Bronte’s novel. Its atmosphere and the poetics of the black-and-white imagery have no equal today. Wuthering Heights is one of those cinematic classics that are a heart-warming celebration of moving pictures. (12/04/2002)

William Wyler aims to win the hearts of his audience. There is a mysterious introduction featuring a stranger who breaks through a snowstorm and seeks refuge at Wuthering Heights, where he then witnesses something paranormal and wants to hear the tragic love story which seems to cast a dark shadow. Unfortunately, after that the movie then turns into beautifully filmed load of sloppy kitsch, whose central couple (the beautiful Merle Oberon and the charismatic Laurence Olivier) does not really motivate the audience to be rooting for them, because they are both very unlikeable characters - the female protagonist behaves as if she suffers from bipolar affective disorder, and Olivier's vengeful ruffian gradually destroys any kind of sympathy from the audience. They both speak of their great love for each other, yet they constantly take courses of action which lead them to be apart, unable to really be together. The paradox may have been more apparent in Emily Brontë's masterpiece, which I have not yet read, whereas the movie portrays an affected doomed relationship (in other words, a typical trashy romance) that you could enjoy if you ignored of the plot and its characters and just enjoyed the well-produced technical side of the movie (real Oscar-winning camerawork). The overall impression I got, however, was that the movie was unconvincing. [LFŠ 2019] (17/08/2019)

Gorgeous adaptation of a beautiful story dominated by excellent performances in the leading role by Laurence Olivier, who already at a relatively young age proves himself as a mature actor perfectly equipped for these character roles. Seeing him on stage must have been captivating, but even in the film, it's fantastic. Thank goodness the films are preserved. (28/08/2014)