From the mind that gave us the comedy thriller “Saltburn,” “Wuthering Heights” presents Academy Award-winner Emerald Fennell’s interpretation of the 1847 novel by Emily Brontë.
“Wuthering Heights” follows the tragic love story of Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) on the Yorkshire moors, the latest of many film adaptations of the literary classic.
From the beginning, “Wuthering Heights” illustrates a defining quality of Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship: their tetheredness. It opens with a stop-motion title sequence made from blond and brunette hair bound together, some of which was actually the lead actors’ own. We are then introduced to young Cathy (Charlotte Mellington) and Heathcliff (Owen Cooper) at a public execution that soon erupts into a bacchanal.
With a lingering focus on the scars raised on Heathcliff’s back—from Cathy’s abusive father, Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes)—the film transitions to Cathy and Heathcliff in adulthood, and, unfortunately, their chemistry gets lost along the way. Now, did Robbie and Elordi deliver a solid performance with what they were given? Yes. But were they both gravely miscast? Also yes. In Robbie’s case, the issue is that her character doesn’t live past 18 in the source material. And even though Cathy has aged up in the film, referred to as a spinster, she still carries the emotional maturity of a teenager, making Robbie’s portrayal rather unconvincing.
As for Elordi, his casting is essentially the reason the adaptation doesn’t work in the first place. In the novel, Heathcliff is described as “dark-skinned” and a “Lascar,” a term for South Asian sailors employed on British ships. These descriptions are, of course, lost on Elordi, as he is a white man. Fennell’s decision to forgo Heathcliff’s otherness as a person of color does a disservice to his characterization. Per Brontë’s original work, it is the abuse that Heathcliff endures because of his low social class, lack of education, and the color of his skin that leads to the obsessive vengeance he unleashes on others. It is here where the crux of the story truly lies, and without exploring the intersection of race and class, it simply doesn’t hold up. As a result, the brunt of the villainy and manipulation falls on Nelly Dean (Hong Chau), the Earnshaws’ and later Lintons’ housekeeper, who serves as the novel’s primary narrator.
Still, one cannot deny that the film is visually stunning. Fennell and her cinematographer, Linus Sandgren—known for his work on “La La Land” and “Saltburn”—capture subjects in all their vibrance and vividness, shooting on primarily 35mm VistaVision cameras. Most fervently, red is the film’s color of warmth, sexuality, and violence: present in the sky as Heathcliff rides off into the sunset on horseback and in the pool of blood that trails down a bed in the third act. It’s also the color that defines Cathy’s costuming, which coordinates with the set design. Such is most apparent in one scene where the red of Cathy’s ball gown silhouette matches the red flooring, just as her white bodice matches the white walls. Regarding Healthcliff’s styling, his gold tooth and hoop earring are worth an honorable mention.
The period drama isn’t necessarily laugh-out-loud funny—and rightfully so, given its content—yet Isabella Linton (Alison Oliver), the young ward of Cathy’s husband Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), manages to provide some comedic relief at the start of her not-so-subtle attraction to Heathcliff upon his arrival. There’s also the weather, which functions as an additional supporting character—from the wind gusts that animate Cathy’s wedding and funeral veils, to the fog that dissipates to reveal Heathcliff’s towering stature, to the torrential rain that makes Cathy’s and Heathcliff’s declaration of love for one another all the more dramatic.
To her credit, Fennell’s adaptation is ripe with motifs, symbolism, and parallel narratives. Hands, symbolizing desire at times and imprisonment at others, are everywhere. Real ones are holding in secret intimacy, and carved plaster ones are reaching out from a fireplace mantle. Food is suggestive in its manipulation and form, from the sensual kneading of dough to the runniness of an egg yolk. The film is at its finest when it’s a montage, including when it parallels the lives of Cathy and Heathcliff in childhood and in the present day. That is to say, alongside the gothic, alt-pop sounds of Charli XCX’s “House,” featuring John Cale, Fennell’s interpretation would’ve made for a brilliant music video adaptation.
While it touches on themes of love, obsession, and losing one’s innocence, and includes the classic “What letters?” trope, the film is ultimately two-dimensional. In the end, the real tragedy of Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is that it fails to engage with Brontë’s cautionary tale in all its complexity.
Featured Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures | (L-R) JACOB ELORDI as Heathcliff and Actor, Producer MARGOT ROBBIE as Catherine Earnshaw in “Wuthering Heights,” a Warner Bros. Pictures Release.
Taylor Graham is a student at Columbia University, majoring in Film and Media Studies with a minor in Political Science. She has reported for numerous publications, including the Valencia Voice, Glitter Magazine, and Heritage Radio Network, and is currently the 150th Arts and Culture Editor for the Columbia Daily Spectator, one of the oldest college newspapers in the nation. With a passion for storytelling in the digital age, Taylor covers all things entertainment, from film and television to media and pop culture, interviewing professional actors, musicians, and content creators alike. When she’s not writing her next film review or feature story on an emerging artist, Taylor can be found playing tennis, reading literary fiction, or thrift shopping in NYC.