Wuthering Heights – 1939
Wuthering Heights didn’t surprise me, and I was honestly hoping for a surprise. Of course, it is based on the classic novel of the same name by Emily Bronte. It has been hailed as such a wonderful and dramatic romance story that it has stood the test of time as an enviable romance.
But I don’t understand why. I tend to take a bit of a logical view to life and emotions, but there wasn’t a single character in the story that had an ounce of common sense or emotional stability. They were each messed-up in their own way. I don’t know which was worse, the leading man or the leading lady.
However, that being said, I do understand why so many people love it. The plot follows the rocky romance between Heathcliff, a little over-acted by Lawrence Olivier, and Cathy, played by Merle Oberon. Their love is so intensely passionate that it is greater than life, greater than death, greater than everything in-between.
Some people consider such a mindless and overwhelming love to be the pinnacle of romance and the apex of desire. Who wouldn’t want to be loved with such passion? ME! That kind of love is dangerous and destructive. It is selfish and obsessive. Emotion is great and it feels wonderful when it is working in your favor. But when it is not tempered with logic and reason, it is wild and unpredictable.
Such is the case between our two lead characters. Heathcliff and Cathy are so in love with each other that they are blinded to how much they hurt the people around them and how much they hurt each other. But despite this, the two can’t stop what they feel. Cathy’s problem? “I love you! I hate you! I love you! I hate you! OK, I’m marrying someone I don’t really love.” Heathcliff’s? “I’m going to marry your sister-in-law just so I can be close to you.”
Oberon did a good enough job as an actress. She was beautiful and her long and dramatic death scene which showed off a bit of her talent as an actress. If I had any criticism, though, I would say that her performance as a wild and fiery woman was a little lack-luster. On the other hand, Olivier seemed like he was still acting on a stage and not in front of a camera. His display of emotions were too over-done and melodramatic. There was very little subtlety in his work.
More than them, I enjoyed watching three of the other actors who played supporting roles. David Niven has never disappointed me. He played Cathy’s love sick husband, Edgar Linton. Yes, that’s right. At one point she sends Heathcliff away and then blames him for leaving. As a form of rebellion or revenge, she marries Edgar. Niven played the part of the love-sick puppy with an ease and elegance that was charming.
Edgar’s sister, Isabella, was played by Geraldine Fitzgerald. Just like her brother, Isabella was just as love-sick for Heathcliff. But Fitzgerald had a bit more to do. We see her as an unhappy wife in Heathcliff’s home, knowing that he never loved her in return. When Cathy becomes sick, she hopes that the other woman dies so that Heathcliff might begin to love her.
And finally, I am happy to mention Flora Robson who played the part of Ellen, the housekeeper of Wuthering Heights. Robson’s character seemed to be the only one who used her head and her heart in equal measure. Though Robson did a very good job, I so would have loved to see Edna May Oliver in the role.
In my research, I found that this film, directed by William Wyler, only used 16 chapters of Bronte’s 34 chapter novel and a few points differed between the two. First, Cathy and Edgar’s daughter was removed from the film, as was Heathcliff and Isabella’s son. Second, in the novel, Isabella eventually leaves Heathcliff to be forever haunted by Cathy’s ghost. Also, some motivations were changed which made more sense in their original states. In light of those changes, Bronte’s story is easier to swallow.
I suppose the film was made well enough and had some very inspired cinematography, but I just don’t agree with some of the changes Wyler made. I believe that had he remained truer to the source material, the film would have been more successful for me.