The Oscar for updating and altering the original film would have to go to Los Abismos de Pasion (1954), by director Luis Buñuel.
Surprisingly enough the film was a better film than its predecessor, Wuthering Heights (1939), by director William Wyler. Los Abismos de Pasion had an entertaining flare to it, whereas Wuthering Heights had one wondering when the end would come.
Everyone has to have an "attention-getter." I feel that everyone also enjoys the shocking scenes in films. A scene from Los Abismos de Pasion satisfied the shock factor in its audiences. This scene was the reincarnation of Catherine (Catalina), as played by Iraseme Dilian, and the demise of Heathcliff (Alejandro), as depicted by Jorge Mistral. The action and surprising occurrences in this scene are something many directors still use in films today. Who would ever think of a man hovering ever the corpse of his lady-love after she has been dead for several years? Not only does he look upon her, but he also kisses and touches her corpse. Nowhere in the 1847 novel Wuthering Height, by Emily Brontë, or the 1939 film did this scene occur. This scene was developed just for the Spanish version.
I know that the people I watched this film with were just as astonished to discover a Spanish film with subtitles could be better than an American classic directed by a much-celebrated director. My attention span did not falter while I was watching Los Abismos de Pasion. Even though this film is not in our native language, is shorter in length, and strays from the original version in a shocking way, it would definitely take home the Oscar.