After reading Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s 1938 screenplay and enjoying it thoroughly, I had high expectations for the 1939 William Wyler film, Wuthering Heights, based on Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel.

         I thought the screenplay was exceptionally written, very crisp, and I found it captivating and was able to read it in one sitting. I thought the prologue and description of the setting were particularly well-written and paid great attention to detail. It painted a wonderful picture of the setting and made me anxious to watch the movie during the next class period.

         While I thought the movie was satisfactory and mildly entertaining, I was not equally impressed with it as I was the screenplay. Because I enjoyed the screenplay so much, I can only attribute this to less-than-intriguing acting and directing. I did not think Cathy and Heathcliff were portrayed well in the film and they did not have the personality and charisma I expected them to have. I was intrigued by Cathy in the screenplay, but she failed to captivate me in the movie. While I know she is a famous, well-loved actress, I did not believe Merle Oberon did a good job of portraying Cathy’s bold, playful spirit and personality that I interpreted her as having in the screenplay. It was almost as if the movie were darker and more ominous than I believed it should have been by reading the screenplay, particularly when it came to the character of Cathy.

         There was one thing I liked about the movie, which, interestingly enough, seemed to be the element that most people did not like. I thought the scene at the end, which shows the ghost-acted ghosts of Heathcliff and Cathy walking across the moors together was necessary and brought closure to the story. While it may been somewhat cheesy, I think it was important that the movie did not end with unanswered questions and turmoil.