This article contains spoilers about the movie “Wuthering Heights,” so if you have yet to see it, please be cautious that this post will reveal the plot and ending of the film.
“Wuthering Heights” is a novel by Emily BrontĂ«, a nineteenth-century writer. It follows the story of Cathy and Heathcliff, two individuals separated by class and distinction who fall in love with each other.
On Valentine’s Day, Emerald Fennell released her film titled “Wuthering Heights.” She adapted the novel into a film, casting Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the two main protagonists. Known for her two acclaimed films, “Saltburn” and “Promising Young Woman,” Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” quickly became highly anticipated by audiences around the globe.
She advertised the film as a steamy movie, making the dynamic between Robbie and Elordi seem intensely romantic. However, before the film was even released, many fans made comments about the casting.
In the novel, Cathy and Heathcliff are supposed to be around similar ages. Heathcliff is also supposed to be a person of color, intensifying their forbidden love, as it takes place in the nineteenth century. Cathy’s father took Heathcliff in, allowing him to stay in return for his work around their property.
Cathy is actually the one to give him the name of Heathcliff, and they grow up alongside one another. When they become adults, they receive new neighbors, the Lintons. Edgar Linton is a wealthy, eligible bachelor. Cathy inevitably decides to take a trip to their house to scope the new neighbors out, but she gets hurt and has to recover at the house.
When she returns to Wuthering Heights, she is changed, and consequently, Edgar has fallen in love with her. In the novel, Edgar is everything that Heathcliff is not when he meets Cathy.Â
Edgar is a wealthy, white man. He has a large home, a lot of influence and provides Cathy with all of her wants and needs. This is also an area for a lot of backlash with the film. Rather than casting accurately to the book, Fennell cast Shazad Latif, who is a person of color.
Without much thought, she inadvertently changes the dynamic of the film from one about love defying race and status, to one that follows the idea of loving someone for status and race.Â
Although Cathy and Heathcliff fell in love before he became a wealthy man, it is still odd that they switched the race of Heathcliff and Edgar. Even if this was not an intentional decision made by Fennell, it is an oversight on her part of the powerful meaning that BrontĂ« wanted to include in her novel.Â
Whether Fennell intentionally decided to change the plot of the film, it could still be argued that her overlooks on changing the plot ended up undermining the concept that Emily BrontĂ« made at just 27 years old.Â
Fennell took the idea of “Wuthering Heights” and made it her own. While this is not necessarily a negative thing, it is a bold move to make such dramatic changes to a classic novel and turn it into a film.Â
If you decide to watch the film and have not read the novel, I recommend keeping these things in mind, as they do affect the plot. This is also not an article telling you that you aren’t allowed to like or appreciate the film, as it is well-made cinematically. However, it is encouraging you to be open-minded, as it is not entirely accurate.
I hope you enjoyed this inspection and found new insights to think about before you watch this film, or if you have already seen it, you can think about any new discoveries.