Thursday, August 19, 2010

Wuthering Heights (1939)

Wuthering Heights is the love story of Cathy and Heathcliff who meet as young children and  as they grow up fall in love, but due to circumstance are not meant to be.  Cathy, who has grown materialistic over the years marries Edgar Linton who can provide her everything she may desire.  I always was so pissed at this because Edgar who is unconditionally devoted to her when she was such a self-centered witch.  Anyway, upon this union Heathcliff leaves for America to make something of himself and returns a wealthy man but still little can change in the lovers circumstances.

This 1939 film was amazingly directed by William Wyler. I thought Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon were very good as the doomed lovers Cathy and Heathcliff.  Although both seemed a little too nice for the part, not as self-absorbed as I had wished.  Through out the film I kept thinking how perfect Orson Welles  would have been in the role of Heathcliff since he tends to have a very aloof nature.  (sorry Laurence)  Lastly, as just a little trivia, Olivier originally wanted his wife Vivien Leigh to play the role of Cathy  but butted heads with the director having Merle Oberon playing the lead instead, with Leigh going off to do a little picture called Gone with the Wind.

3 comments:

  1. It's funny you wrote a post about this movie (this is one of my mom's favorite book). Last week I saw the 1992 version with Juliette Binoche, Ralph Fiennes, and Jeremy Northam. It was the first time I'd seen this movie. I was expecting a bit more given the cast. After watching the movie, I'd better read the book. Perhaps I'll get a better feeling for it. ;)
    Cheers!
    Claudia
    www.claudiadelbalso.blogspot.com

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  2. Oh, Ralph Fiennes, I love him so will have to check that one out. I think it would be difficult to cast Cathy and Heathcliff in any movie. They are so cold hearted it might be difficult to capture on screen. That was really my only complaint about this version-- Laurence and Merle just weren't nasty enough.

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  3. For you read both - Wuthering Heights and Rebecca (which I did to..) - which male character do you like better? Heathcliff or Maxim de Winter?

    I know this is a funny question, but I think because both characters were performed by Laurence Olivier I could pretend that there is a connection. ;") I just want to ask someone, who read both books, too.

    P.S. Thank you for following my blog! I am very honoured!

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