“Whatever our souls are made out of, his and mine are the same.”
This famous quote from Emily Brönte’s novel, “Wuthering Heights,” has become synonymous with passionate romance and Gothic literature, even for those who haven’t read the work.
However, it wasn’t just that one line, but the whole novel that made an impact on decades of cinema since 1939, when the first Wuthering Heights adaptation was released.
Brontë (1818–1848) was an English novelist and poet, best known for her intense and solitary life in the Yorkshire moors and her masterpiece, “Wuthering Heights“. Raised in a creative, isolated clergy house, she developed a deep love for nature and a colorful imagination. These themes of loneliness, passion and a vivid view of the world have been what filmmakers sought to achieve through their interpretations for decades.
Emerald Fennel’s interpretation, which was recently released in theaters on Feb. 13, was immediately met with varied opinions.
For viewers who prefer to watch for sheer entertainment, the movie is visually striking, explicitly sexual and destructively passionate. According to Jacqueline Durran, the costume designer for the film (known for her work on Little Women, Barbie and Pride & Prejudice), the costumes included inspiration from the Elizabethan, Georgian and Victorian eras, along with paintings and historical dress, even drawing from contemporary fashion and representations of period costume in 20th-century films.
The film’s soundtrack by Charlie XCX also combined these contemporary and historical elements to bring music that resonated with everyone, both lovers of the classics and those hoping for some modernity in a period drama. The electrified yet soulful melodies combined the passion of the film’s romance with the loneliness and desperation present in the cold moor setting, helping viewers see the film as a redefined take on a classic rather than a visual copy of Brönte’s novel.
However, many viewers who came to theaters expecting an aesthetically pleasing yet faithful-to-book film were left disappointed with the casting, which most considered inaccurate.
The film’s casting director, Kharmel Cochrane, defended Fennel’s choices, saying that there is “no need to be accurate” since the source material is “just a book.” However, for someone who’s been “obsessed” with the novel since age 14, Fennel had no issue radically changing some key elements of the story’s characters. In the novel, the lead male Heathcliff is described with ambiguous, non-white features, often referred to as “dark-skinned gipsy,” or a “lascar” (South Asian sailor), prompting general interpretation of him as a person of color. The film, however, cast Hollywood heartthrob Jacob Elordi—seen in Euphoria, Priscilla, Saltburn and the Kissing Booth trilogy—a white Australian actor.
This choice was, understandably, divisive. Some were excited to see a familiar (and attractive) face, while others felt outraged at what they considered an unnecessary change to the character. After all, Heathcliff’s exclusion from society, his “otherness” stems from his lower-class background, a lack of family and most of all, his skin color. This isolation from the rest of the characters impacts his entire character arc from childhood until his death, ruining his relationships and overall well-being. Though Brönte never definitively stated that Heathcliff was excluded for being a person of color, it can be implied simply by the novel being set in 18th century Northern England.
The second lead’s casting of Margot Robbie has also been the subject of critique. In this newest adaptation, Robbie plays the headstrong and beautiful Catherine Earnshaw, a lifelong resident of the moors. Most of the public criticism stems from her age difference with the character she plays—Robbie being 35 years old and Earnshaw only 19—as well as her modern-looking face.
With these two well-known faces gracing the covers of seemingly every other popular film like Barbie and Frankenstein, it may feel like an aggressive marketing tactic to attract contemporary viewers who otherwise wouldn’t be interested in a period drama.
Taking into account these clashing elements and reviews, the film has shown itself to be complex, visually extravagant and emotionally charged, but often lacking in character depth and Brontë’s overall message regarding class, identity and the destructive nature of obsessive love.
