Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s short film by Luca Guadagnino advertising Chanel no. 5 perfume might’ve foreshadowed the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë a bit too well. Does the brief failed love story in the commercial hint at the perceived vapidness of the upcoming film?
If the trailer and marketing schemes are any indication, Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights may seemingly prioritize the beauty standards of the 21st century and eroticism over the novel’s underlying moral and social commentary.
Wuthering Heights follows the destructive relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, and the ruin that ensues. Brontë’s novel explores discussions of social class, hierarchy, race, and gender. The novel isn’t afraid delve into the messiness of how unchecked passion, lust, love, and vengeance destroy individuals and families.
Steering away from the traditional romantic novel, Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship is all-consuming in nature. However, Fennell’s adaptation has stripped the novel of its complexity and framed their story as a lustful affair.
While the film isn’t officially released until Feb. 13, fans alike are already in an uproar from the trailer alone. From what we’ve seen in the trailer, fans’ most immediate concerns stem from the casting of the characters. In the novel, Catherine is a child with wild and untamed brown hair, who at the end of the novel is 18 or 19 years old.
While undeniably talented and beautiful, Margot Robbie embodies a polished maturity that clashes with the childlike nature of Catherine. This casting choice alters what Catherine embodies from impulsivity to composed and romantic.
Raising more pressing issues is Fennell’s casting choice of Heathcliff, Jacob Elordi. Heathcliff is theorized as having dark skin and being an orphan of unknown origins. Heathcliff’s identity made him a target for relentless abuse, making him an outcast in society. His racial difference is a central part of the social injustice issues that Brontë was confronting.
Scholars and readers alike have interpreted Heathcliff’s background as possibly Native American, Spanish, or East Indian. By casting Elordi, the adaptation disregards the significant confrontation of racism at a time when it’s more important than ever to speak out about racial injustice.
While I do believe that it’s possible to change race in movie adaptations, Fennell’s choice to ignore the novel’s meaning undermines the story’s significance. Additionally, casting Elordi glorifies abusive relationships and creates a tone where obsession and love overlap. By choosing to ignore the age, race, and looks of the characters, Fennell changes the story.
While known for her physiologically thrilling films such as Saltburn, Fennell missed the mark in Wuthering Heights. In light of the current political injustices, Fennell had the opportunity to tell a disturbing tale of the generational impact of racism, classism, and toxic relationships and their impacts on individuals.
Choosing Robbie and Elordi as Catherine and Heathcliff is a targeted choice to reinforce beauty standards, ignoring racial injustices; a money grab.
As for young girls, the film reinforces tropes of emotionally abusive partners. The trailer seemingly glorifies the relationship Catherine and Heathcliff have with each other and ignores the toxicity of their obsession and lust. The casting of Elordi further impedes the true depth of their relationship purely through his status as one of the most attractive men in Hollywood.
The presentation of the trailer and Elordi himself seems to paint him as a misunderstood romantic. While I hope that he and Fennell will prove us wrong, I’m unsure of what to expect for the release of this film.
No matter the script or direction, I do believe we can expect Robbie and Elordi to give us beautiful performances. Elordi’s most recent performance in Frankenstein gives me high hopes that we may see Heathcliff’s manipulative persona.
However, if Fennell’s film fails to pull through, the Chanel No. 5 ad may not have been a clever parallel at all, but rather an unintentional warning.
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