As an English Education Major, I have always been drawn to the writing style and the allure of the Bronte sisters. They have this gothic aesthetic that was not common for women to be writing at the time, with the exception of Mary Shelley, which makes the stories they’re telling more and more alluring. So, when I heard that Emerald Fennel, the director of Saltburn, was going to be directing a Wuthering Heights adaptation, I was ecstatic. That was, until I saw the cast.Â
Let’s start with breaking down the story of Wuthering Heights. In the simplest form, and usually what we see in the adaptations leading up to this point, is the beginning of the novel. It follows the story of Heathcliff, an orphan who is taken in by the Earnshaw family. Catherine, the daughter of the Earnshaw family, is raised beside Heathcliff, and through this begins to fall in love with him. This is a problem, because the Earnshaws are a wealthy family, and Heathcliff was taken in as an orphan by them, meaning he has no money to his name. On top of this, Heathcliff is a man of color, so he is treated terribly and looked down upon constantly throughout the story. With this, Catherine decides to marry a more “suitable” man which causes Heathcliff to begin his sort of revenge plot to take down the Earnshaw family.
Now, why does this matter in the casting of Wuthering Heights? Well, number one, Jacob Elordi is in fact not a man of color. Listen, I love Jacob Elordi just as much as the next girl, but this was really an inappropriate casting choice for the character of Heathcliff. It continues the narrative that these classic stories continuously need to be played by a primarily white cast. This erases the real history from the novel itself and changes the story itself. It makes his rise to wealth in the second half of the story much less impressive, and his work to win Catherine back is just something he is doing. Which in reality, he is pulling his way to the top, and having to fight tooth and nail for everything he has. By taking away this aspect of Heathcliff’s character, it makes the rest of his actions and the revenge plot that ensues seem a little bit more insane than they already were.Â
“But Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to his abode and style of living. He is a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners, a gentleman.”
Chapter 1, Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
While that is my main issue with the casting of Jacob Elordi in this movie, I’m also not necessarily ecstatic about the casting of Margot Robbie either. Catherine is supposed to be in her teens in the novel and dies in her teens as well. This, however, leads to the quotations in the title of the movie. “Wuthering Heights” is how it’s listed in the teaser trailer as well as the IMBD listing. Warner Bros. which is the company producing this movie, does not do this when releasing movies, which means that there is potentially a reason for it that we are not privy to yet. This past week, my friend informed me of a theory that it’s Margot Robbie’s character READING Wuthering Heights and imagining herself within the story, which I think is a really interesting idea.Â
With THAT being said, let’s move into Emerald Fennel! I am personally a girl who loves the movie Saltburn, which was directed by Emerald Fennel and released in 2023. I had the privilege of seeing it in theatres, which was an experience I don’t even know how to explain to anyone. I left the theatre and quite literally sat in my car for 20 minutes in silence. Silence. 2 years later, it is quite literally one of my favorite movies of all time. Saltburn, starring Jacob Elordi (hm. right?) and Barry Keoghan (yes, Sabrina Carpenter’s ex), following the story of Oliver’s rise in popularity and obsession with Felix. It starts off feeling like a movie about a homoerotic college friendship, and then begins to descend into madness. There are sensuous undertones and blatant scenes throughout the entire movie, making it uncomfortable in ways you didn’t even know were possible. “Wuthering Heights” seems to have a similar uncomfortably sensuous yet sinister vibe, making everyday things and actions feel erotic. For example, the scene of kneading bread in the first 20 seconds of the trailer.Â
So, where does this leave me with the Wuthering Heights adaptation? Honestly, at a point of crossroads. Is it going to be a faithful adaptation to the book? Absolutely not. Is it going to be a camp experience? Absolutely. When going into it, I would recommend having a clean slate and not thinking of it as a Wuthering Heights adaptation, but just as a camp period piece. Basically, going in with the idea of the story, but not playing “adaptation police”. We are really early into the press run for this movie, so there could be a lot more information to come out before it releases. With that being said, I know I’ll be seeing this in theatre and can’t wait to see the direction that it takes!