If I were to teach a film and literature course, the film I would use as a positive example of altering the original story line would be Luis Buñuel's 1954 cinematic adaptation of Wuthering Heights, called Los Abismos de Pasión.
I have to admit that when I first watched this film, I hated it. I did not like the fact that the entire ending came out of nowhere. Heathcliff is never shot in Emily Brontë's 1847 novel. However, after I thought about it a while, I realized that, even though he was not shot in the novel, he really does get what he deserves. I cannot remember how many times I wished that someone would go ahead and kill Heathcliff while I read this book. In the Spanish version, Ricardo/Hindley (Luis Aceves Castañeda) actually does it!
From one angle, this can be seen as a triumph for Alejandro/Heathcliff (Jorge Mistral)--he can finally be with his great love, Catalina/Cathy (Iraseme Dilian). However, I prefer to think of his death as a triumph for everyone else who just wanted to lead a peaceful life. Heathcliff was a truly despicable man--I like the fact that Ricardo/Hindley's character did not just complain and talk about killing Alejandro/Heathcliff as
he does in the book. The villain got what he deserved, and it is about time.