Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights has weathered the critical storm of the 19th century and burrowed its way into the minds and hearts of readers since then. There are at least seven film adaptations that this writer knows of, from the beloved 1939 Laurence Olivier-Merle Oberon black and white classic to PBS’ modern Masterpiece Classic version. Now, there is one more to add to the roll. English director Andrea Arnold’s new take on Wuthering Heights is already playing in England and due for U.S. release in 2012. The film’s trailer looks promising: shot with a hand-held camera in natural light, with Heathcliff portrayed more accurately by a black actor, this version is already distinguishing itself from its period-drama predecessors (click on the video to the left of this article to watch the trailer).
So what is it about Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights that drives filmmakers to translate it to screen? The passionate emotions and violence described by Brontë are likely factors behind a director’s inspiration, yet readers who cherish Emily Brontë’s only novel are constantly disappointed or infuriated by its film adaptations. Actually, that’s probably true for most book-lovers. Why are readers’ expectations so high, and why are they almost always let down?
Film directors commonly focus on the love story between Cathy and Heathcliff in bringing the book to visual life. But this isn’t some sentimental 19th century romance novel. Wuthering Heights has much more at stake than unrequited love—Brontë’s story operates on emotional, moral, spiritual, psychological, social, and intellectual levels, and even those adjectives don’t completely encompass the themes of the book.
Maybe there is so much going on in Wuthering Heights that it is difficult to satisfy all the requirements of a judgmental bibliophile, so directors zero in on the most potent aspect of the story that can be told in as linear and time-constrained fashion as possible (not every movie-goer would pay up for a three hour-long version, though this writer would). And yes, films are a different artistic medium than novels; they are engaged using visual and auditory senses, whereas reading utilizes the written word and the inner eye. When a reader gets the chance to experience a favorite novel in visual form, there is a lot of excitement involved. The reader hopes that what they see on the screen mirrors what they’ve seen in their head as they read the novel. Given that unique biases, beliefs, and influences color each reader’s interpretation and vision of any book they read, how can a director expect to deliver an adaptation that satisfies everyone?
It’s a tall order for directors to fill, but why settle for just a romantic take on Brontë’s novel? Even PBS’ Masterpiece Classic version, which has a phenomenal reputation for producing quality and even edgy film adaptations of literary classics, pinned Wuthering Heights into the stormy romance category, taking poetic license and adding sex scenes and romantic dialogue that never came from Brontë’s pen. The filmmakers completely disregarded and toned down the religious commentary that is quite prominent throughout the novel, as well as the themes of extreme emotional expression and duality in the characters, especially Heathcliff and Cathy. Characters such as Joseph and Nelly are sidelined as minor supports for the doomed love agenda, when in the novel they are major presences. Joseph is scarce in the PBS film, and played as a quietly religious and lackluster servant when he is seen. In the novel, Joseph is a religious fanatic, constantly shoving his treasured scripture down the throats of the other characters and damning them all to hell whenever they make a move. Brontë, a minister’s daughter, sends a strong negative message about religious fervor by portraying Joseph this way. The character of Nelly is shown in a sympathizing, maternal, humble light on screen; the moral compass and source of guidance. Nelly’s narration of the novel positions her in a way that allows her to describe her thoughts on the story from a positively-biased angle, yet her true colors are shown through her interactions with the main characters. The reader’s impression of her becomes one of distrust, for though she relates events truthfully, her actions and words are judged by the reader and found to be lacking in her version of herself. While she does show aspects of maternal care and moral fortitude, her portrayal is also alternately judgmental, disparaging, selfish, and unsympathetic. Her character was set up by Brontë as the voice of social convention, the one who attempts to harness Cathy and Heathcliff into the structure of social rules, finding them wholly uncooperative and thus disagreeable, in her mind. But this literary version of her character and others is not translated to the screen.
Film versions of Wuthering Heights may be artistic or enjoyable on their own, but they pale in comparison to the novel. Rather than exploring themes outside of the realm of romance, film adaptations have mostly overlooked important influences in the novel that reflect Emily Brontë’s views on religious hypocrisy, maternal behavior, and social convention, among other things. There’s a reason that a book often seems to be better than its film adaptation—the director’s reading of a novel, which he/she converts to film, has an audience in mind. Just “capturing the spirit” or “essence” of a novel and characters isn’t enough, since the spirit of a novel like Wuthering Heights is multi-faceted, and its essence is labyrinthine. The prismatic nature of the novel should hardly be pared down to a mere romance—it does the story and the writer an injustice. Wuthering Heights has something to say, and sentimental paraphrasing and misquoting of the novel by directors is a slight to the creativity of their source material.
Now Andrea Arnold has added her interpretation to the mix. It has a gritty, raw visual quality, and is said to be much different than the adaptations before it. So here’s to an enjoyable movie-going experience and its literary origin—and never the twain shall meet.
Want to give Wuthering Heights a second look before the new movie comes out? Support your local independent bookstore and head to RiverRead Books on Court Street in Binghamton for a copy, or order it from them online.
“OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth!” ―Rudyard Kipling, Poems
Comments