Customer Reviews

Wuthering Heights [VHS]

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Wuthering Heights is very nearly unfilmable - as three major film versions over the last 60 years have admirably proved. The 1939 version was a great film, but it wasn't Wuthering Heights. The 1970 version came closer to the spirit of Emily Bronte's novel and had a fine Heathcliff in Timothy Dalton, but was very much a child of its time and massacred by post-production cuts. The less said about the 1992 version, the better.

You could, therefore, be forgiven for approaching a made-for-television version with a cast of comparative "unknowns" with scepticism. You would, however, be wrong. This version of Wuthering Heights is stunningly good. More than that, Emily Bronte would have recognised it as the book she wrote.

No major characters are missing. No major events are missing. The book has been filmed faithfully, from beginning to end. The script is based closely on the novel and was plainly written by someone intimately acquainted with it. It keeps up the narrative pace throughout and even manages to incorporate the haunting links between past and future, future and past that the author intended, but no-one else has ever picked up on.

The performances are uniformly excellent. Robert Cavanah is breathtakingly good in that Everest of roles, Heathcliff. He scales the histrionic heights necessary to tackle the part without once toppling over the edge into melodrama - showing us the man's psychosis, and its origins, without ever quite letting go of his humanity. His Cathy, Orla Brady, matches him stride for stride - and it`s wonderful to see the "delirious" scene, where Cathy rips apart her pillow and starts sorting the feathers out, played in full and as written.

Edgar Linton is often seen as weak and insipid - which isn't how Emily Bronte wrote him at all - and Crispin Bonham Carter is superb in what is always seen as the "also-ran" role. His Edgar is a decent, humane and intelligent man, caught up in a situation he neither understands nor can control.

Praise, too, for Ian Shaw's Hindley. He brings a real edge of tragedy to the part, dragging our sympathy with him as he moves from tormentor to tormented.

The younger generation don't let the side down, either. Of particularly note is Matthew MacFadyen's engaging and coltish Hareton - inexplicably adoring of Heathcliff, and torn between his love for the man who destroyed his father and Catherine, the young woman he loves.

Last but very, very far from least - Polly Hemingway is flawless as Nelly Dean - in many ways the lynchpin of the whole story - there from beginning to end, holding the whole thing together. Her scenes with Heathcliff are memorable - with unforgettable touches such as the way she feeds him kitchen tidbits both as child and man.

Finally - a word of praise for Tom Georgeson, whose finely judged Joseph makes you wish we could see a little more of him. Joseph was an important minor character in the novel, and it's good to see him reinstated

The locations are superb - the Yorkshire Dales at their grim, wet, windswept best. The Heights is a real farm with real muck - not a Hollywood set-designer's naff idea of a gothic mansion. You can smell the manure and feel the rain.

Warren Bennett provided the hauntingly beautiful score - perfectly judged to match the prevailing mood of the film. The cinematography is non-flashy and sparing, the costumes right for the period and unobtrusive - the list is endless. There will probably never be a "perfect" version of Emily Bronte's masterpiece - but this one will do for me.

No movie should be allowed to escape the stigma of infidelity to her literary origin. What possessed the makers of the Olivier/Oberon "WH" to ravage and brutalize Bronte's masterpiece (chopping off the last 17 chapters, by God!)I'll never know...THANK GOD for filmmakers and screenwriters of integrity. They have brought us such worthy adaptations of classics as this Mobil Masterpiece Theatre WH. The following are my complaints, concerning the minor flaws of the film: 1. Nelly does not narrate the film, as she does for most of the novel. Bronte's skill in interweaving the different POVs of different narrators is one of the novel's signatures, and contributes greatly to our perspective of the stories' events. 2. Sadly, too short! I could sit through a 4-hour rendition if it were executed with the finesse this movie was. But here are some of the many strengths of this, the best screen adaptation of WH: 1. The screenwriters have not played God with the script. In modest deference to the genius of Bronte, the writers start with a bare-bones version of the ENTIRE story, with the complete, intact plot and subplots outlined, with all major incidents and dialogues included, and add just enough details to make us nod with recognition (e.g. Cathy sorting feathers on her bed). The scenes included in the script have been carefully and well chosen with the time constraints in mind. 2. The actors have all been well-cast, especially Heathcliff-dark and cruel and vulnerable at once-and Cathy,a refreshingly wild,strong,and intense portrayal, especially compared to Juliette Binoche's silly, simpering Cathy of 1992's big-screen WH. 3. The scenes are elegantly filmed on location in Yorkshire, inobtrusively providing the barren backdrop for the pseudo-Gothic story. 4. The young Heathcliff bears a striking resemblance to the adult one! 5. The acting is neither cheesy, cloying, nor over-the-top campy as it is in most dark gothic romances. There is real love present between Cathy and Heathcliff, and this betters our compassion for and understanding of Heathcliff's complex motivations and actions. 6. The score is perfect in every way: more poignant than passionate, quietly dignified and sweeping without being obvious. The theme is not played in every scene; it is used sparingly, and for this is all the more appreciated when it does grace a scene... <In conclusion, this WH tops the two only other good versions. It actually tells the whole story, unlike the 1939 version, and this Heathcliff-unlike the suave Olivier- fulfills Bronte's vision of a wild,rough,intense and complex gypsy. In contrast to "Emily Bronte's WH" (1992), this WH boasts an earnest, convincing Cathy, not one that drives viewers crazy with her insipid giggling and distorted Franco-English accent. And, also unlike 1992's WH, this is a movie that will be enjoyed by a general audience: a good movie in its own right. Fortunately, it is also good in relation to the novel. < Still- I can't help wishing for a 6-hour BBC miniseries to make Emily proud. It happened with Pride and Prejudice; why not with the other great classic of the 19th century?

I find that this 1998 Masterpiece theater TV version follows the novel of the same name pretty faithfully. One who has never read the novel may find the action moving too quickly, so that the flow of the movie may seem slightly abrupt or choppy. However, the movie is only 2 hours long, which is probably why they had to cut out parts of the book and take some liberties with ages and certain details. That does not detract too much from the enjoyment of this movie, which despite its choppiness, has excellent acting, beautiful cinematography (the landscapes are breathtaking), and a wonderfully wrought out, bitter plot which focuses on three generations of two families who are intimately interlocked with each other. Heathcliff definitely comes off as the cruel, embittered man he is in the book, and it's great to see a TV movie capture the personalities of all the characters so well. Highly recommended movie and I'm so glad it's finally out on DVD, though I find the quality is hardly digital quality. But DVD is still a more enduring format than VHS and will most likely last longer.

This film is by far the most beautiful portrayal of the novel. It had such power over me at first and still does every time I watch it. The music, lighting, and scenery is breathtaking and the character portrayal is full of real, gripping emotions. No other version has had the ability to make me feel the way this one does.

This is the best version of Wuthering Heights I have seen. The acting superb by Robert Cavanah and Matthew Mcfadyen was great to behold. The dark, all consuming love Heathcliff had for Cathy and the gentle, protecting love Hareton had for the daughter Catherine is such a contrast. It made the story more strong in the obsession of Cathy's and Heathcliff's dark romance standout. Watching this story unfold tore at your heartstrings in how they treated the people around them. They were so involved with each other, they just damaged and run over the people they were supposed to also love. Just did not have any room in their hearts for others I think. It almost wore me out I got so involved in the story. Get this version, you will not be sorry.

Wuthering Heights, a tale of forbidden love and revenge, has fascinated readers for generations. Heathcliff, a young vagabond, is charitably brought to the estate of Wuthering Heights to live by the kind Mr. Earnshaw. His son Hindley repudiates the boy, while daughter Cathy latches on to the young Heathcliff, and they soon become inseparable. The love story that follows transcends time, as Heathcliff will stop at nothing to be with the love of his life.

London Weekend Television has done a wonderful job in bringing Emily Bronte's famed classic novel to the screen. There have been many adaptations, but this is the first one that I know of that remains wholly faithful to the book.

Orla Brady gives a wonderful performance as the spirited Cathy, while Crispin Bonham Carter truly shines as Cathy's husband Edgar Linton. Robert Cavanah does the role of Heathcliff justice, but I believe he looked a bit old for the part; especially against the youthful looking Brady.

For anyone who wants a complete and faithful adaptation of Emily Bronte's wonderful story, look to this version of Wuthering Heights.

I am a fan of Emily Bronte. Her book, "Wuthering Heights", is probably the most misunderstood book of it's time. This made-for-TV version is a timeless classic in itself.

The only problem with it is that people try to humanize Heathcliff too much. His character was not as humane as people seem to think. The man was evil in its purest form, and Robert Cavanagh plays him to almost perfection. I'm sorry, I'm a huge fan of Fiennes as well and he was a horrible Heathcliff!

Orla Brady was the only actress that I think portrayed Cathy as she really was. Her ability to go from sunshine to madness in a single facial expression is stunning.

Yes, the movie was choppy. If you haven't read the book, you probably won't understand some of what's going on. You'll get the drift, though. Then again, if you haven't read the book first you're cheating yourself on the real experience. There are some things that irritated me; scenes were played out with an explanation that differed from the novel and didn't have to. And Nelly was too old in the beginning. But you won't find a closer version to the original work than this one.

It is by far the best Masterpiece Theatre movie of 1998.

This production of Wuthering Hieghts is by far the best historical-literature adaptation I have ever seen. This movie is true to the passion of Emily Bronte' s fabulous novel. The story focuses on Heathcliff's anger and insanity, and does not try to make him into a flatter, charming man. The most thrilling part for me however, is that they actually finish the book, and incorperate the saga of Young Catherine Linton,Hareton, and Linton Heathcliff. I recommend this movie whole-heartedly, it shows the thin line between love and hate with incredible acting.

This is the best version of one of my favorite novels. I wish it was available on DVD; why can't the studios start producing wonderful movies like these on DVD I don't understand. I will wait for it to be available on DVD, then I'm sure I won't be the only one interested in purchasing it.

I'm the biggest "Wuthering Heights" fan I know (ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you I borderline annoying with the subject). Having money left over from my birthday, I decided "Hey, why not buy yet another Wuthering Heights DVD?". I was a little skeptical about how it would be, seeing as all the adaptations I've seen thus far haven't really taken the whole story into account. Of course, to do so would be a hard task for a movie. The story is complex and not a very average-movie-goer sort of plot. I was disappointed in the 1992 version with Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes, although it's a good enough movie (as long as it didn't have Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights as the title...). Other versions were all right, and although the 1939 version didn't showcase the second generation of the story, I found it better than '92.

Needless to say, when I popped in the DVD, I was hooked by the first five minutes. Sure, the movie isn't EXACTLY like the story (I want you to show me a movie that is. And, as I said, this story is complex for the movies). Some of the things that are different/changed/added/etc., are the fact that, once again (as in many of the movie adaptations) Nelly is old from the start. Also, Heathcliff and Cathy are older than when most of the scenes in the story take place (such as when they visit the Lintons). Most "Wuthering Heights" fanatics know that Heathcliff and Cathy never consemate their relationship. However, there's many a kiss in the movie.

There are some other details of the movie that are different than the story, but I, a crazy "Wuthering Heights" and Bronte admirer, give this movie a bravo and would recommend to any other fan.