Wuthering Heights (2011)
Certified: 14
Duration: 129 minutes
Directed by: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Kaya Scodelario, James Howson, Oliver Milburn, Nichola Burley, Eve Coverley, James Northcote, Lee Shaw, Amy Wren, Solomon Glave
KRS release
Stripped down to its bare essence, Andrea Arnold has directed quite an artistic and impeccable adaptation of Emily Brönte’s novel.
She delivers a Wuthering Heights that is very different from any other version that has graced the screen so far… and there have been quite a few. This adaptation is shorn of all the frills and is fuelled by anger.
The film shows us how Mr Earnshaw (Paul Hilton) discovers a black boy (Solomon Glave) whom he takes back to Wuthering Heights.
Here the boy is called Heathcliff and he quickly bonds with Earnshaw’s daughter, Cathy (Shannon Beer).
Their growing connection arouses jealousy in Cathy’s brother, Hindley (Lee Shaw) and this leads him to vent and direct his anger at Heathcliff.
On the death of his father, Hindley takes his revenge by reducing Heathcliff to a servant.
Meanwhile, Cathy develops a friendship with Edgar Linton (Jonny Powell), the son of a neighbouring family. When Cathy decides to marry Edgar, Heathcliff decides to run away.
On his return Cathy is married and Hindley is in desperate need of money.
The film steers forward relentlessly to the unavoidable tragedies.
With camerawork firmly focused on Heathcliff’s character, Mr Arnold’s film digs deep into his character. Maximum use is made of the cast which mainly comprises first-time actors or newcomers to further amp the raw feel of the picture.
The director shows shades of influence from Terence Malick in the way the film connects the audience to nature. The Yorkshire setting acts as a protagonist with which the camera seems to be engaging in the form of a love/hate relationship.
The film gives us the chance to ponder on the themes of love and death.
Ms Arnold uses strong images that are more convincing than a thousand words. She delivers a whole compendium of such images that are bound to keep the audience hanging on the precipice.