Rent Wuthering Heights (1939)
3.6 of 5 from 91 ratings
1h 40min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Lost in a blizzard on the rocky English moors, a stranger stumbles upon Wuthering Heights, the dark, gloomy estate of the mysterious Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier), a man so tortured by unrequited love he has lost the will to live. As the storm rages on, the weary wanderer is mesmerized by the sorrowful tale of Heathcliff, a former stable boy, shared an innocent love with Cathy (Merle Oberon), a wild spirit whose fiery passion for him could never be realised. For when Heathcliff goes to seek his fortune, he returns to find Cathy married into high society - a discovery that shatters his soul but cannot touch the burning desire that will rage in him forever.
- Actors:
- Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Flora Robson, Donald Crisp, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Hugh Williams, Leo G. Carroll, Miles Mander, Cecil Kellaway, Cecil Humphreys, Sarita Wooton, Rex Downing, Douglas Scott, Frank Benson, Romaine Callender, Richard Clucas, Vernon Downing, Alice Ehlers, Harold Entwistle
- Directors:
- William Wyler
- Producers:
- Samuel Goldwyn
- Writers:
- Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht, Emily Brontë, John Huston
- Others:
- Gregg Toland, Alfred Newman, James Basevi
- Studio:
- MGM
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
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- Awards:
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Reviews (1) of Wuthering Heights
Northern Gothic - Wuthering Heights review by Steve
Maybe Sam Goldwyn's version of Wuthering Heights now matters most for cinematographer Gregg Toland's new camera with the deep focus which was a screen revolution. There is lots of shadowy atmosphere but the usual virtues of a '30s studio production are not a perfect match for Emily Brontë's novel.
Mainly, the exteriors are photographed on a soundstage. Of course, this was standard, but Brontë's gothic romance is about the wild and windy moors almost as much as obsession, pride and revenge. And her classic text is adapted by MacArthur and Hecht who were better known for screwball comedy.
And yet... they retain a fair amount of the dialogue and have a decent go at reducing the sprawling narrative to feature length. There is a genuine frisson in the moments when the voice of the author filters through. Also, in omitting the second half of the novel, a mainstream audience gets what it pays for.
Which is Cathy and Heathcliff's spectral/stormy romance. Laurence Olivier's Yorkshire accent fluctuates and Merle Oberon doesn't even try but they have chemistry. Though she seems more petulant than wild. There's a decent British support cast and a great Hollywood director. Ultimately, Brontë's novel survives the Goldwyn production.
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