Breathtaking
I have just bought this on DVD (for the low, low price of £7) and watched it last night. I was simply swept away by the power and beauty of this film that is quite rightly stated as a 'faithful adaptation' of the novel. What Bronte was writing is clearly and brilliantly portrayed: the sheer darkness and passion and desperation, helped by stunning shots of the bleak Yorkshire moors and a haunting score.I couldn't write a review without a nod at Ralph Fiennes's absolutely mind blowing performance as Heathcliff. He IS Heathcliff: every word, expression and gesture is exactly as one would imagine from reading the original novel. Faithful to the book, he is dark, destructive, violent and hateful, yet haunted by pain and anguish. Particularly notable scenes of his include his reaction to Cathy's death, breaking in to see the body...among many many others, and so confirming my opinion that Fiennes is one of the finest actors around today.
Juliette Binoche as Catherine (the elder and younger) is somewhat harder to rate. I wasn't overly impressed with her during the first part of the film (all that damn giggling) but once she started to treat Heathcliff pretty nastily and from the 'I am Heathcliff' scene, any reservations immediately went out of the window. From that point on, she became the selfish, spiteful character that Bronte wrote. The only problem was that her accent did tend to drift into French a little too often. As the younger Cathy, she did a good job, though I still don't understand why they didn't just use another actress, because the viewer has to spend the first few scenes getting over the fact that it's Binoche in a blonde wig.
Other performances, (particularly the actress who played Nelly Dean) are all on top form, though I would have liked to have seen more of Edgar and Linton and Hindley. The second half of the film feels rather rushed and could have easily been extended as the running time really isn't all that long.
Otherwise, the film is virtually faultless. The thing I always liked the most about Wuthering Heights was the dialogue so I was surprised and delighted to find that the majority of it remains intact (most especially Heathcliff's 'How can I live without my life? How can I live without my soul?' speech). It's nice to see that Bronte's work is appreciated and the filmmakers saw no need to 'Hollywood-ise' the dialogue for the masses. It retains the beauty and spirit of the original.
This is an exceptionally powerful film that remains with you long after watching it (certain scenes will stay in your head for a long, long time after). It is everything it should have been and doesn't try to soften what is at times a very harsh and ruthless story. And you will be left reflecting on the nature of love after it's over (and a burning desire to visit Yorkshire).
score 9/10
Tararaboomdia0101 16 September 2006
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1476008/35077
Pages:
[1]