Nearly two centuries after the release of Emily BrontĂ«âs divisive classic Wuthering Heights, flocks of book lovers and moviegoers alike swarmed the theater this Valentineâs Day to watch the highly anticipated movie adaptation directed by Emerald Fennell. Starting in late 2023, rumors of the novel’s film adaptation began circulating online, and as a longtime fan of the novel, I’ve been following the buzz surrounding the movie ever since.
Like many, I went into the theater hoping for some kind of clarification on the countless inconsistencies that trailers and early reviews of the film had revealed. Unfortunately, I was only left with more questions, on top of my already unanswered ones.
When it comes to period pieces and adaptations of classic literature, I am by no means a purist who demands that every aspect of a film be period accurate or identical to the source material. I love Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice, but I also am a big fan of Baz Luhrmannâs Romeo + Juliet and even appreciate the 90s classic Clueless as one of the most fun and exciting takes on Jane Austenâs work.
During my watch of “Wuthering Heights”, I actually enjoyed some of the more criticized parts of the movie, such as the costuming and set design. I also found the cinematography and other visual aspects of the film to be so captivating that it was hard to look away. However, other than the characters’ names and a handful of key moments from the book, it was hard to decipher how exactly this story was supposed to be reflective of the beloved classic.
In 2024, upon hearing about the casting for the movieâMargot Robbie as Catherine “Cathy” Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as HeathcliffâI thought that maybe the two had been cast as side characters and were simply announced first due to their fame to pique audiences’ interest. Surely, Fennell wouldnât cast Heathcliff, who is described as having “dark skin, black hair, and black eyes,” as everybodyâs favorite White Boy of the Month.
This confusion was extended, considering Catherine, who in the book has dark eyes and hair, would be portrayed by the world-famous blonde and beloved Barbie actress, Margot Robbie. Controversy also arose amongst critics who felt Robbie was too old for the role. Cathy famously dies at 18 in the book, making her death that much more impactful and tragic, so why would Emerald Fennell cast a 35-year-old actress for the part?
I was hesitant to believe this was the set cast for the production, but as pictures leaked and more information about the project was released to the press, there was no denying that Robbie and Elordi would be playing Cathy and Heathcliff, despite the glaringly obvious book inaccuracies. I was begging for some sort of explanation as I watched the movie, wondering why Fennell would choose to erase such important parts of the book, and I was left wondering why she even bothered calling the movie âWuthering Heightsâ to begin with.
From the misrepresentation and mischaracterization of main characters like Heathcliff, Nelly, and Mr. Earnshaw, to the outright removal of integral characters like Lockwood and Hindley, it felt like Fennell never read the source material and only knew the most famous quotes from the book.
Wuthering Heights is a book about class, race, and cycles of abuse. While themes of romance and relational tension also appear throughout the novel, much of the story is focused more on the couple’s vengeful, destructive, and spiteful history as a means to express the resentful love they share for one another. Moreover, the deep passion and longing that is cemented between Catherine and Heathcliff in the book is supposed to be complex. Both characters are supposed to be cruel and abusive people who, even after everything theyâve been through, seem to share two halves of the same soul. Their connection is more aligned with a haunting than a true romance, which is beautifully shown in the book through the supernatural element of Catherine’s ghost, at times more of a main character than even Nelly, who narrates the story.
All the romance transpires between the two without their relationship ever being sexual. Everything romantic about their story is born from pure, unadulterated yearning. They never betray their marriages in the physical sense, but it could be argued that the entirety of their relationship is an emotional affair, whether they are being traitorous to their social standing, poor morals, or spouses. Because of this, I found the movie’s overtly sexual nature to be a lazy attempt to convey their connection. Catherine and Heathcliff spent years longing for one another and sharing every possible part of themselves, but never consummated their long-brewing desire for one another.
More than just the movie’s sexual nature, the writing and dialogue fell seriously flat compared to the beautiful prose of the novel, which describes this dynamic in such soul-shattering detail. I believe that if the writing and chemistry in the film were stronger, the raunchiness of the movie wouldn’t have needed to be so prominent. The over-exaggeration of Catherine and Heathcliffâs physical relationship felt like Fennellâs shortcut to the audience registering the intimacy between the characters, rather than using skillful writing and relying on the actors’ abilities to show that convoluted relationship.
Another part of the movie that confused me was the elimination of key themes and elements of the original story. The nonlinear storytelling through Nelly and Lockwood gives way to unreliable narration, leaving it up to the reader to interpret many of the events in the book. The first half of the story goes between Catherine’s and Heathcliffâs adolescence, early adulthood, and present life. The latter half of the story covers the life of Catherine and her husband’s daughter, Catherine Linton, and how she falls in love with a boy, Hareton, who has suffered at the hands of Heathcliff in a wretched cycle of abuse.
While it makes for a long book, and what Iâm sure would be an even longer movie, telling the story of Catherine and Hareton is an integral part of the book that emphasizes the cruelty of Catherine and Heathcliffâs relationship. In the film, the watering down of how heinous Cathy and Heathcliff could be, not only to each other but to those around them as well, diminished the overall feeling that the original novel conveyed. Every character in Wuthering Heights is vicious and crazed, and that is what makes it such an enticing read. With every chapter, the reader is left wondering how much further the characters are willing to go to get what they want, whether it be love, status, or simply being right.
One of the elements I was most saddened to see removed from this adaptation was the supernatural ghost story that unfolds as Catherine haunts the narrative and Heathcliff. The movie felt somewhat empty and unfinished without one of the novel’s most famous scenes, in which Heathcliff yells out to Cathyâs ghost, who has been haunting him for decades.
ââCome in! come in!â [Heathcliff] sobbed. âCathy, do come. Oh, doâonce more! Oh! My heartâs darling! hear me this time, Catherine, at last!ââ
BrontĂ«’s Wuthering Heights
While I had many critiques of the film, I did appreciate the performances from the cast and wonât downplay the incredible acting in the movie. Some of my favorite moments included Catherine’s confrontation with her father regarding her marriage and Heathcliff’s realization of Catherine’s death. I also enjoyed some of the personality sprinkled throughout the film, seen in Isabella’s comedically charming character. The actors did an incredible job with what they were given, but my main issues with the film lie in how Fennell portrayed the story of Wuthering Heights in the first place.
From what Iâve seen of Fennellâs work, she has a flair for the dramatic and seeks to keep the audience on their toes and entertained. The makeup, costuming, and set design of this movie were truly breathtaking, and I wonât deny the cinematic and aesthetic beauty of her work, especially in Wuthering Heights, but I think most of the projects she writes and directs herself lack emotional impact and nuance. If this movie left me with anything, it was the hope that a true lover of the book would write and direct a more accurate adaptation that fans of the gothic novel would love.