Hello all, time has come for me to post my review for the great Films of 1939 blogathon held by Page and Becky! My review is on William Wyler's production of Wuthering Heights.
Catharine and Hindley Earnshaw have lived in peace with their father at their home, Wuthering Heights, in the middle of the beautiful Yorkshire moors all their lives, until one day, when their father brings them back a surprise from London. He had found a homeless boy on the streets of London and had taken pity on him and brought him home. As soon as the boy arrives he and Cathy (as Catharine was nicknamed) gell well together and spend a great deal of their time playing King and Queen on the moors, pretending that their castle was a special tall rocky slope called Penistone Crag. But Hindley treats Heathcliff like a stable boy, being violent and horrible to him.
Years later, and even after their father's death, Hindley is still treating Heathcliff like filth, but Cathy and Heathcliff still have a very affectionate relationship. But when they are caught spying on a party at the wealthy Lintons' nearby house, The Grange, their friendship changes. Cathy is caught by a guard dog and bitten badly on the ankle. After staying for a while at The Grange to recover from her injuries, Cathy comes back to the Heights a much changed person. She also starts to treat Heathcliff badly until she realises that she does love him.
But that night she receives Edgar Linton, who she had come to know very well while she was staying at his family's house, and he asks her to marry him. Heathcliff is concerned about Cathy's feelings for him and overhears her talking to the housekeeper (and narrator of the story), Ellen, about her situation. When he hears her say that it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff he leaves on his horse not to return for years. What he didn't hear was that she said that she loves Heathcliff more than she loves anyone.
Some years later, after the wedding of Edgar and Cathy, Heathcliff returns a new man. Quite the gentleman, he starts to go after Edgar's sister Isabella, in order to try and make Cathy jealous...
One of the first things that I noticed about this film was the change from the book (that I read recently). Only half of the book is used at all! The film completely cuts off after *serious spoiler!* Cathy dies and tells nothing of the next generation of Lintons and Earnshaws which takes up about 14 of the 34 chapters in the book.
Watching this film again reminded me about how much I love the costume design. I was seriously coveting the beautiful outfit of flowing skirt, stripy shirt and scarf worn by Cathy before she becomes "Linton-ified". All of everyones outfits throughout the movie were beautiful, though the whole film is set when the novel was published, rather than the earlier period the book is actually set in.
All performances were great and Merle Oberon is good as Cathy. I always really enjoy Geraldine Fitzgerald's performance as Isabella Linton, and, surprisingly, I like David Niven! Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate his talent and all, but I find that he is a little dodgy or strange in many movies - though I really like his performances in both this and A Matter Of Life And Death (1946, Powell and Pressburger of The Red Shoes fame). Flora Robson and Donald Crisp are both very good too.
And now on to Lawrence Olivier who I feel deserves a paragraph of his own. I just love him as Heathcliff and sympathise so much more with him in the film than I do with Heathcliff in the book! I don't know if this is just because I seriously like him, but every time I see him in a book-movie production, I like his character so much better than I do in the book. Take "Rebecca".
The whole picture is directed excellently. My love for William Wyler movies knows no bounds. Just think about it. Mrs. Miniver, The Letter, Ben Hur, Jezebel, Roman Holiday, Funny Girl, is there anything this man can't do? The interesting way that he choses to close up on Heathcliff's hands and other features which are a main part of the description of him in the book is very effective. Producer of the film, Samuel Goldwyn was quoted as saying "I made Wuthering Heights, Wyler only directed it." THIS MAKES ME SOOOOO MAD!!!!!!! It is so obvious that William Wyler made the film what it is - and if there had been any other things added the film may have been quite different.
The script is also great - maintaining some of the lines from the book. Cathy's scene with Ellen when she tells her she loves Heathcliff is written very well... "Ellen, I am Heathcliff!" And the line that Cathy says to Ellen while preparing for Edgar Linton, "There's nothing to be gained by just looking pretty, like Isabella. Every beauty mark must conceal a thought, and every curl be full of humour," is also very cool.
I also just have to say, doesn't Merle Oberon look so much like Meryl Streep? I think so!
I would honestly recommend this film to anyone. If you have read the book and not seen this film (my parents don't think so highly of the newest ones...) do go and watch it now! One other thing that I have to say is that it isn't nearly as "gothic" as the book. The most gothic it gets is at the end (which Wyler hated and was a suggestion from Goldwyn) and at the begging where Heathcliff runs into the storm and is all crying: "CATHY!!! CATHY!!!"
I hope you enjoyed my review, and you can see the list of all participants here!
~Bette
Wuthering Heights
Directed By: William Wyler (based on Emily Bronte's famed classic)
Starring: Lawrence Olivier, Merle Oberon, David Niven, Donald Crisp, Flora Robson and Geraldine Fitzgerald.
Now, I'm sure that many of you are familiar with the plot of Wuthering Heights, but just in case you aren't, her is a summary that won't probably won't ruin too much of the story.
Catharine and Hindley Earnshaw have lived in peace with their father at their home, Wuthering Heights, in the middle of the beautiful Yorkshire moors all their lives, until one day, when their father brings them back a surprise from London. He had found a homeless boy on the streets of London and had taken pity on him and brought him home. As soon as the boy arrives he and Cathy (as Catharine was nicknamed) gell well together and spend a great deal of their time playing King and Queen on the moors, pretending that their castle was a special tall rocky slope called Penistone Crag. But Hindley treats Heathcliff like a stable boy, being violent and horrible to him.
Years later, and even after their father's death, Hindley is still treating Heathcliff like filth, but Cathy and Heathcliff still have a very affectionate relationship. But when they are caught spying on a party at the wealthy Lintons' nearby house, The Grange, their friendship changes. Cathy is caught by a guard dog and bitten badly on the ankle. After staying for a while at The Grange to recover from her injuries, Cathy comes back to the Heights a much changed person. She also starts to treat Heathcliff badly until she realises that she does love him.
But that night she receives Edgar Linton, who she had come to know very well while she was staying at his family's house, and he asks her to marry him. Heathcliff is concerned about Cathy's feelings for him and overhears her talking to the housekeeper (and narrator of the story), Ellen, about her situation. When he hears her say that it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff he leaves on his horse not to return for years. What he didn't hear was that she said that she loves Heathcliff more than she loves anyone.
Some years later, after the wedding of Edgar and Cathy, Heathcliff returns a new man. Quite the gentleman, he starts to go after Edgar's sister Isabella, in order to try and make Cathy jealous...
One of the first things that I noticed about this film was the change from the book (that I read recently). Only half of the book is used at all! The film completely cuts off after *serious spoiler!* Cathy dies and tells nothing of the next generation of Lintons and Earnshaws which takes up about 14 of the 34 chapters in the book.
Watching this film again reminded me about how much I love the costume design. I was seriously coveting the beautiful outfit of flowing skirt, stripy shirt and scarf worn by Cathy before she becomes "Linton-ified". All of everyones outfits throughout the movie were beautiful, though the whole film is set when the novel was published, rather than the earlier period the book is actually set in.
All performances were great and Merle Oberon is good as Cathy. I always really enjoy Geraldine Fitzgerald's performance as Isabella Linton, and, surprisingly, I like David Niven! Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate his talent and all, but I find that he is a little dodgy or strange in many movies - though I really like his performances in both this and A Matter Of Life And Death (1946, Powell and Pressburger of The Red Shoes fame). Flora Robson and Donald Crisp are both very good too.
And now on to Lawrence Olivier who I feel deserves a paragraph of his own. I just love him as Heathcliff and sympathise so much more with him in the film than I do with Heathcliff in the book! I don't know if this is just because I seriously like him, but every time I see him in a book-movie production, I like his character so much better than I do in the book. Take "Rebecca".
In the book: Maxim - Obviously a very romantic figure but sounds like a bit of a psycho murderer towards the end; The New Mrs De Winter - Poor girl who marries a murderer (even if this murderer is of Maxim amazingness, it's not that great a choice.) and is tormented by his deceased wife.
In the film: Maxim - *swoon* Handsome man who was treated seriously badly by his dead wife and is just looking for happiness; The New Mrs. De Winter - Annoying. Does love Maxim. More annoying. (nothing to do with Joan Fontaine's performance...)Yes. He is a great Heathcliff :-) He makes me so upset whenever Cathy rejects him!
The whole picture is directed excellently. My love for William Wyler movies knows no bounds. Just think about it. Mrs. Miniver, The Letter, Ben Hur, Jezebel, Roman Holiday, Funny Girl, is there anything this man can't do? The interesting way that he choses to close up on Heathcliff's hands and other features which are a main part of the description of him in the book is very effective. Producer of the film, Samuel Goldwyn was quoted as saying "I made Wuthering Heights, Wyler only directed it." THIS MAKES ME SOOOOO MAD!!!!!!! It is so obvious that William Wyler made the film what it is - and if there had been any other things added the film may have been quite different.
See. Geraldine Fitzgerald is also angry :-)
The script is also great - maintaining some of the lines from the book. Cathy's scene with Ellen when she tells her she loves Heathcliff is written very well... "Ellen, I am Heathcliff!" And the line that Cathy says to Ellen while preparing for Edgar Linton, "There's nothing to be gained by just looking pretty, like Isabella. Every beauty mark must conceal a thought, and every curl be full of humour," is also very cool.
I also just have to say, doesn't Merle Oberon look so much like Meryl Streep? I think so!
I would honestly recommend this film to anyone. If you have read the book and not seen this film (my parents don't think so highly of the newest ones...) do go and watch it now! One other thing that I have to say is that it isn't nearly as "gothic" as the book. The most gothic it gets is at the end (which Wyler hated and was a suggestion from Goldwyn) and at the begging where Heathcliff runs into the storm and is all crying: "CATHY!!! CATHY!!!"
I hope you enjoyed my review, and you can see the list of all participants here!
~Bette
