"Oh, for God's sake, don't keep staring like that!"

IridescentTranquility

Out of the three versions of Wuthering Heights I've seen (four if you include Cliff Richard's musical version) I think this has to be my favourite.

The fact that it was narrated by Emily Bronte gave it an interesting touch and a strange sort of ethereal quality, although there were times when the voice-over made the film a little bit confusing.

With Wuthering Heights one of the crucial things you have to get right is the fact that this is something of a tragedy - all is not going to be well - and the storm at the beginning gives a real sense of foreboding. At times the atmosphere becomes almost spooky and otherworldly. Added to that, I found Heathcliff scary right from his first scene. There is no doubt about it - this is the family from hell.

Ralph Fiennes is a very complex Heathcliff - tortured, evil, obsessive all at once - but his performance isn't quite perfect. When he is thrown out of the Grange he doesn't seem to show quite enough feeling on being parted from Cathy and his Heathcliff does have this notable trademark of standing in doorways looking brooding. Near the end Nelly Dean says to him "Oh, for God's sake don't keep staring like that!" - exactly what I was thinking. It's as though he's trying too hard to look deep and he seems to try to make every phrase over-dramatic. Towards the end when he is conspiring to own the Lintons' home, I found him totally repulsive. I don't think I've ever seen a Heathcliff so given to violence.

There seem to be a lot of omens in this film - the fact that Cathy admits to Nelly (who - incidentally - doesn't seem to age) that she is marrying Edgar for basically all the wrong reasons being one example. I liked Juliette Binoche as Cathy but - at the time when she is apparently insane - she seems very tranquil. Her madness is not instantly obvious but it does get clearer.

I liked the costumes - there was a nice touch with young Catherine visiting and then being held at Wuthering Heights as she arrives in the Empire line fashions of the early 1800s but is later wearing older clothes for housework etc. The only minor flaw was Edgar Linton's hair - considering he was supposed to be a gentleman I couldn't help but feel it should have been neater.

I definitely recommend it.

score 9/10

IridescentTranquility 18 February 2005

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1023270/