Review by Jenny Priestley
Stars Solomon Glave, Shannon Beer, James Howson, Kaya Scodelario, Nichola Burley, Oliver Milburn, Amy Wren, James Northcote, Steve Evets, Paul Hilton, Simone Jackson
Written by Andrea Arnold
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 128 minutes
Directed by Andrea Arnold
For fans of Emily Bronte's novel this is probably not going to be your cup of (Yorkshire) tea. Andrea Arnold's adaptation of the classic novel is so far from the Gothic love story that it really only takes certain plot points from the novel as its basis. Plus, it only uses half the book.
This is the story of Heathcliff and Cathy Earnshaw. He is brought to Wuthering Heights by Cathy's father who finds him wandering the streets of Liverpool. Cathy accepts the new boy in her home but her brother Hindley does not. As the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff grows deeper and stronger, a wedge is suddenly driven between them. Years later, Heathcliff returns to the Heights to claim what he believes is rightfully his.
As I said, this is not a classic Bronte adaptation. At times it feels almost as if you're watching a film set in the early part of the 20th century rather than the original 1800s of the novel's publication. A lot of this is down to the costumes the young Heathcliff and Cathy wear, and a great deal of it is due to the dialogue, including the now infamous 'Fuck off, you cunts' from Heathcliff.
What I liked about it were the performances of the two young, and unknown, actors playing the leads. Shannon Beer stands out as the young Cathy and Solomon Glave gives her a run for her money as Heathcliff. The problem is when we move to the pair in their 20s, Scodelario has so little to do as Cathy that she becomes almost anonymous against Heathcliff's brooding.
Arnold shot the film mostly on location and at times it feels we're being buffeted by the Yorkshire winds as much as the leads. She also uses a lot of the flora and fauna to help illustrate her story, but after numerous shots of butterflies against windows I began to find it all a bit jarring. She also goes very dark in the final third - it's up to the audience to decide quite how far it goes, but again this feels rather jarring after all the shots of the windswept moors and scudding clouds.
I do have a problem with the use of only half of Bronte's novel, although I suppose if it had been any longer I'd still be watching it now. Maybe a few less butterfly shots? Overall, I think it's more a film for people who haven't read the novel than those that have. It is beautifully made and well acted (for the main), it certainly marches to the beat of its own drum (or should that be the howl of its own wind).