Emily BrontĂ« produced one of the most famous and highly influential works of Gothic literature in her only published novel, Wuthering Heights. In it, we follow the tragic story of an eccentric cast of characters, mainly focusing on the tumultuous relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. While romance is a central theme, she also tackles darker subject matter with a special focus on racism, classism, obsession, and abuse. As of recent, the novel has been set for a film adaptation, both written and directed by Emerald Fennel. The release of a trailer for the film has sparked backlash from fans of the novel (me included) and has left some questioning Fennel’s direction.
Among the many concerns is pushback on the decision to cast Jacob Elordi in the role of Heathcliff and Margot Robby in the role of Catherine. The issue with this casting is that it erases both the age and the race of the main characters. Most of the novel takes place when both characters are in their late teens because Wuthering Heights is a tragic story about two young, obsessive people. Contrary to what Euphoria would like you to believe, Jacob Elordi cannot play a teenager, and neither can Margot Robbie. Which is completely okay because they should not have to! They are two full-grown adults and are not meant to look like teenagers; this also means that they should not be playing these roles.Â
The problem of casting is further compounded by the changing of Heathcliff’s race. In the novel, Heathcliff is explicitly described as a person of color. While his race is not explicitly stated, it is important that he is not white. Heathcliff is abused, prevented from marrying Catherine, and forced to live through immense struggle for his entire life because he is not white and lives in a racist society. Jacob Elordi is a white Australian man, and, while he is a talented actor, that does not erase the fact that this casting choice whitewashes the character of Heathcliff and alters the story, rewriting a central theme of the text. The commentary BrontĂ« makes on racism is completely lost, and Heathcliff becomes an entirely different person.Â
If the erasure of the social commentary is an issue, then the tonal shift of the film demonstrates another glaring problem. While romance is an important part of the novel, it is in no way the central focus. Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship was not written as erotic, nor was it meant to be aspirational. Rather than the gritty Gothic story, the adaptation appears more like an erotic romance masquerading under the name Wuthering Heights. This book is about passion, obsession, anger, and abuse. Why must that be traded in for erotica? And why can’t both aspects of the story exist at once?
Emerald Fennel, the film’s director, is most well known for her 2023 film Saltburn, which wasn’t afraid to show its fair share of graphic scenes. Fennel is also well known for her beautiful visuals and cinematography, which are most definitely present in this new film. The trailer visually looks beautiful, but what people find an issue with is the actual content. Some have dubbed what we’ve seen thus far of the film as the “saltburnification” of Wuthering Heights, as visually and tonally they are very similar to one another.Â
While the new trailer has caused me to worry, I am also well aware that we haven’t yet seen the film and don’t yet have the full picture. There are theories as to why the adaptation seems to stray so far from the source material. Among the most popular is that the film follows the story of a reader (Robbie’s character) in as she reads and inserts herself in it, meaning the film isn’t a pure adaptation of the original novel. While I don’t know if I believe this theory, I do understand how it may be compelling. However, for me at least, it is not an explanation as to why the erasure of important factors like Heathcliff’s race for example, are necessary.Â