Emily Brontë's classic Wuthering Heights has been adapted quite a few times over the years, but which adaptation did it better according to fans?
Like many classic novels, Wuthering Heights has been adapted many times over the years. As one of the most famous love stories of all time, the source material continues to draw storytellers in with the challenge of adapting a story that has yet to be done with acclaim.
Part of the challenge of bringing Brontë's story to screen is the sprawling nature of the novel, both in terms of space and time. The story follows two families over two generations, and the heroine dies halfway through, making for an unusual narrative. Despite being far from a feel-good story, people are still falling in love with it to this day.
The 2011 adaptation of Wuthering Heights forgoes any emphasis on the romantic in favor of a focus on the rougher elements of the story, from the setting to the characters. Things were considered too rough for some, who felt that the film might have benefited from paying closer attention to the more romantic, traditional elements of the novel.
But what this film does is amplify the darker tendencies of Emily Brontë's tale of love, obsession, and revenge, with a picture that's as unforgiving as the Byronic Heathcliff himself.
The 1950 version of Wuthering Heights, a made-for-TV movie, suffers from the low production values that one would expect from a project like this during this particular time period. Another expected element present here is the inclusion of Charlton Heston, the acclaimed dramatic actor who some may also recall brought Edward Rochester to life in the television film version of Jane Eyre, another popular romance novel by a Brontë (Charlotte, not Emily).
This project is a product of its time, with melodramatic performances and production values that almost feel as though you're watching a play on YouTube. However, the source material is relentlessly dramatic, so perhaps all the melodrama can be forgiven in this instance.
The 1998 adaptation gets points for accuracy, taking a little more time than it's predecessor so that story beats feel less rushed. However, Heathcliff is slightly miscast, as this version makes him visually hardly distinguishable from Linton, his romantic rival for Cathy's affections.
However, due to this version's devotion to accuracy, the most important, tragic plot points from the novel remain intact. Fans of period dramas may be excited to notice Matthew Macfayden as Hareton, Hindley's illiterate son who works for Heathcliff when Lockwood arrives.
What's unique about the 1992 adaptation is that it features an introduction and voiceover from Emily Brontë (played by Sinead O'Connor). In addition to this element, this adaptation is the only one to have the same actress play Cathy ad Catherine (Juliet Binoche).
Though fans of the novel will like that the entire story has been brought to life here, there's a sense of many plot points being rushed through or checked off. The hair styling is interesting, with both Catherine's looking like they should be in an 80's rock band.
The 1939 film adaptation is gorgeous to look at, with a gothic style that compliments the story and features performances from very talented leads. The script makes the choice to tell only the first half of the story, ending with Cathy's death and forgoing the entire latter half of the plot in which Heathcliff enacts his revenge.
It did end up winning an Oscar, despite complaints from those who felt that the story was too thin due to the choice to exclude the second half. As with many films from this time period, the story is cleaned up a bit, un-blurring the lines of morality that, for many, is the biggest draw of the story, to begin with.
This is a quite popular adaptation of Wuthering Heights, despite being potentially the least accurate and making the most changes. There are changes to the order in which the events of the story are told, as well as several minor additions that, depending on your view, add to the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff.
Other moments that are considered iconic from the book are left out, such as Cathy's ghost at the window and Heathcliff overhearing her speech to Nelly. However, the performances from the leads are good, with Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy displaying good chemistry that helps the audience to believe in their passionate relationship (although Hardy's wig is really something, and not in a good way).
