A general overview of the story of Wuthering Heights (1847) establishes it as a dramatic love story. A young boy named Heathcliff and a young girl named Catherine become friends at a young age and become very close. The things that make this story interesting though are all the conflicts that are thrown into the mix. Had Emily Brontë not added in these inner struggles to the characters, and all the injustices done to the characters, and all the feelings of vengeance into these characters, the story of Wuthering Heights would have been boring. To me, it is these struggles that make the story interesting, not the love story itself. I was actually surprised that I got into this story with it seeming like a love story at first.
We learn about Heathcliff’s upbringing as an orphan. The main conflict out of this situation arising as Earshaw’s real son, Hindley, and Heathcliff develop a hatred for each other that lasts through the whole story. Heathcliff also develops a hatred for the neighboring Edgar Linton as a result of his marriage to Catherine. The lengths Heathcliff will go which include sabotaging the lives of even the children born from these relationships are startling. One feels Heathcliff has been wronged in life. This happens as a result of being turned into a slave when Hindley inherits the estate after Earnshaw dies and of course having the love of his life right next door and not being able to express it.
William Wyler’s 1939 movie left out some parts of the novel but depicted the main parts of the story very well I thought. I think being able to see the great Laurence Olivier actually act what was in the novel gives the audience a real sense of what Heathcliff is feeling. The setting matched that of the novel very well. The moors were a very important part of the original story, and this setting added to the darker tone of the movie as well.
Luis Buñuel directed the 1954 Mexican version of Wuthering Heights, entitled Los Abismos de Passion. I thought this version was just O.K. The acting was over dramatized, and for this reason the film seemed cheaply put on, and that just takes away from the face value. It may be good to get a different perspective on the film though.
Overall I was surprised that I actually kind of liked this movie. It was not necessarily my type of story, but the conflicts made it slightly entertaining. They also made for good topics of discussion, and that is something that has probably helped this film endure through the years.