Wuthering Heights (1992)

Director:

Peter Kosminsky

Writers:

Emily Brontë (novel) and
Anne Devlin (writer)

Release Date:

16 October 1992 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A passion. An obsession. A love that destroyed everyone it touched.

Plot:

Heathcliff is Cathy Earnshaw's foster brother; more than that, he is her other half. When forces within and without tear them apart...

Plot Keywords:

England | Remake | Period Piece | Moors | British

Cast

Juliette Binoche	...	Cathy Linton / Catherine Earnshaw
Ralph Fiennes	...	Heathcliff
Janet McTeer	...	Ellen Dean
Sophie Ward	...	Isabella Linton
Simon Shepherd	...	Edgar Linton
Jeremy Northam	...	Hindley Earnshaw
Jason Riddington	...	Hareton Earnshaw
Simon Ward	...	Mr. Linton
Dick Sullivan	...	Parson
Robert Demeger	...	Joseph
Paul Geoffrey	...	Mr. Lockwood
John Woodvine	...	Mr. Earnshaw
Jennifer Daniel	...	Mrs. Linton
Janine Wood	...	Frances Earnshaw
Jonathan Firth	...	Linton Heathcliff

Also Known As:

Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Spain:13 | UK:U | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Aysgarth Falls, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Ralph Fiennes insisted on keeping a scene from the book in which Heathcliff bangs his head against a tree, pining for Cathy. He did it so sedulously, that he drew blood.

Quotes:

Cathy Linton: My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff is the eternal rock beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I AM Heathcliff!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Kamp Krusty (#4.1)" (1992)

The best adaptation of Wuthering Heights that I've seen.

Having been fascinated by the Brontes for several years and growing up in Yorkshire, I've longed to see a faithful adaptation of Wuthering Heights for a long time. Why it's taken me so long to see this version I don't know!

I just watched this film tonight and I'm left shattered by it. It is stunning. It's probably a sacrilege to some to say that I thought the 1939 version with Laurence Olivier was awful, but there it is. That was saccharine and gave no hint as to the darkness of the original novel. This version, however, recaptures all that darkness and torment and shatters your soul with it.

Ralph Fiennes is an astonishing Heathcliff. Capable of tenderness but torn apart by what he can't have all for himself. The chemistry between him and Juliette Binoche is electrifying - Heathcliff and Cathy were born to be together and to see them almost forced apart by each of them failing to be true to their heart well.. it breaks YOUR heart. The poetic dialogue with Heathcliff and Cathy on the moors and the movie score complements this perfectly.

Supporting roles are also solid especially the actress who played Ellen Dean and an interesting cameo by Sinead O Connor as Emily Bronte! The only complaint I could make about this film is that it's not long enough! Years seem to fly by far too quickly and we barely get an insight into why Cathy and Heathcliff's souls are intertwined. However, what we DO see is stunning.

For me - 10/10.