Two movies that William Wyler directed were Wuthering Heights and The Heiress. I believe that, the more practice one has, the better one usually gets. An example would be that The Heiress, filmed in 1949, is a much better adaptation and film than Wuthering Heights, filmed in 1939, was.
The Heiress, based on Henry James's 1880 Washington Square, is a story that is not as complex and as
confusing as Wuthering Heights, based on Emily Brontë's 1847 novel. While the characters of The Heiress have layers, these layers are not so numerous and complicated so as to prevent the actors from portraying the story well. However, in the more complicated Wuthering Heights, the
characters, such as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, have so many complex layers that it is hard for the film makers to captures the full story even with
Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier playing the respective parts.
I feel that William Wyler chose his films better with better characters that were better for film as he got older. With The Heiress, the script was more believable; the scenes were more effectively done; and the acting, with Olivia de Havilland as Catherine Sloper, Ralph Richardson as Dr. Sloper, and Montgomery Clift as Morris Townsend, was much better. The Heiress, of the two William Wyler films, is the better and should be awarded an Oscar because of his style improved over time. I also feel some stories should never be adapted for film. I believe Wuthering
Heights was one of them. Although I did not enjoy watching Wuthering Heights, the film I still believe his work with The Heiress, should
have and did win an Oscar.