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Synopsis
An elegant adaptation of Emily Bronte's unforgettable romance, filmed on the wild Yorkshire moors. Filled with passion, jealousy, hatred and revenge, this is the full story of the windswept lovers Heathcliffe and Kathy.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
I have read Wuthering Heights quite a few times now, and have seen 3 film versions: 1978 (this one), 1992 and 1998. Of these 3 this version is by far the most accurate to the book, often playing scenes line by line from the original. Such accuracy is often a book-fan's dream, and since I am a fan of the book, I expected that this production would be satisfying to watch. However it is sadly lacking in many parts. Some of these I can forgive, such as the bad special effects and often strange camera angles (scenes often play out using reflections of the actors, not the actors themselves). The sets and scenery look good and fit the book descriptions. Characters sometimes lose their Yorkshire accents, but that is common enough in many films.
Where the series is lacking is in the credibility of the acting. Many scenes, especially those with the child actors, suffer from really bad acting, and even the principals seem to simply perform their parts rather than become the characters. Ellen Dean was one of the only believable characters, though Joseph, Hindley, Edgar Linton and Hareton didn't do too badly either (though they made Joseph too nice). The leads playing Cathy (1) and Heathcliff were good in some scenes and downright terrible in others, so the passion or hatred they seemed to have at one point had completely fizzled out in the next and they were wooden again. Both were too old to play the 20 year olds they were at the beginning (though this is a common problem with adaptations of this book). The woman playing Cathy generally did a good job in other scenes, but Heathcliff failed to do so well, especially near the end. It was this poor acting that, sadly made the adaptation quite boring and stilted.
It is evident that this book struggles in being adapted to film. Both the other versions I have watched take slight liberties with the plot and are much more watchable and enjoyable for it, though this may be due to other features such as the acting and directing. I wonder how they would have done with their actors/ directors using this screenplay... One can only hope that eventually a version will be done that sticks this faithfully to the book and yet has a better team to pull it off and make it watchable.
Where the series is lacking is in the credibility of the acting. Many scenes, especially those with the child actors, suffer from really bad acting, and even the principals seem to simply perform their parts rather than become the characters. Ellen Dean was one of the only believable characters, though Joseph, Hindley, Edgar Linton and Hareton didn't do too badly either (though they made Joseph too nice). The leads playing Cathy (1) and Heathcliff were good in some scenes and downright terrible in others, so the passion or hatred they seemed to have at one point had completely fizzled out in the next and they were wooden again. Both were too old to play the 20 year olds they were at the beginning (though this is a common problem with adaptations of this book). The woman playing Cathy generally did a good job in other scenes, but Heathcliff failed to do so well, especially near the end. It was this poor acting that, sadly made the adaptation quite boring and stilted.
It is evident that this book struggles in being adapted to film. Both the other versions I have watched take slight liberties with the plot and are much more watchable and enjoyable for it, though this may be due to other features such as the acting and directing. I wonder how they would have done with their actors/ directors using this screenplay... One can only hope that eventually a version will be done that sticks this faithfully to the book and yet has a better team to pull it off and make it watchable.
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
I agree entirely with "Yorkshire Mans" review. He is right in saying that it is the only version that covers the whole story. I think the remainder of reviewers just seem to prefer the sanitised versions that we have been previously served up with, preferably with a full Kate Bush soundtrack dubbed on. Don't get me wrong, I love the old 1939 Lawrence Olivier version in the same way that I love the David Lean "Oliver Twist" made in the same year but I know what they are, a product of their time and I accept that.
I would say to the rest of the reviewers, try to remember Cathy and Heathcliffe were not star crossed lovers forever gazing into one anothers eyes. Cathy was a spoiled brat who's mum should have given her a good slap, on a regular basis and Heathcliffe was a nasty, grasping, scheming, thoroughly unpleasant person who, had Cathy not died, would surely have killed her to get his hands on the loot. Have a nice day. Graham.
I would say to the rest of the reviewers, try to remember Cathy and Heathcliffe were not star crossed lovers forever gazing into one anothers eyes. Cathy was a spoiled brat who's mum should have given her a good slap, on a regular basis and Heathcliffe was a nasty, grasping, scheming, thoroughly unpleasant person who, had Cathy not died, would surely have killed her to get his hands on the loot. Have a nice day. Graham.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
i found this adaptation quite difficult to rate as i'm torn between rewarding the script for its complete loyalty to the novel and decent length,the scenery (being filmed in the yorkshire moors),and some decent performances (as cited in the previous reviews) and slating the performances of richard kay as lockwood (absolutely awful but thankfully brief),ken hutchison as heathcliff (almost apologetic instead of devilish), and kay adshead as cathy (just bland),everybody else was ok!
if you're a lover of the novel,then you may find this enjoyable after the opening 15 minutes but not brilliant.
if you are viewing this purely from an entertainment point of view,then the 1998 itv version is far superior!
if you're a lover of the novel,then you may find this enjoyable after the opening 15 minutes but not brilliant.
if you are viewing this purely from an entertainment point of view,then the 1998 itv version is far superior!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wuthering Heights
I was so excited to receive Wuthering Heights, however living in the US my dvd player is programed for a different zone making the dvd useless!!!!!!! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Nora Hise
BBC 'Wuthering Heights' with Ken Hutchison
The DVD arrived promptly, no problems.
This must be the definitive production of 'Wuthering Heights': the background struck me as completely authentic, and it follows the plot... Read more
This must be the definitive production of 'Wuthering Heights': the background struck me as completely authentic, and it follows the plot... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Noname
Awful
I would not recommend this DVD, even if it is the truest to the book, the acting is nothing short of terrible, absolutely awful.
Published 17 months ago by Leap
Dreadful
This is possibly the worst adaptations I have ever seen. It is like an amateur school play, and is totally unworthy of BBC standards.
Published on 19 April 2008 by Mrs. P. K. Smith
Pretty Awful!
I read this book for the first time earlier this year and absolutely loved it. Sadly I cannot say the same for this screen adaptation. Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2007 by Jack Spratt
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