My sister is reading "Wuthering Heights," my favorite book in the entire universe. I am most thrilled that Frasier is delving into this story and advocate that anyone with a love for melancholy stories and tragic love pick it up.
There have been many film adaptations. Some bad, some decent, and some awesome. My favorites are the Timothy Dalton version from the 1970's and the most recent with Tom Hardy. First, the former.
This version has its low points, as most adaptations do, but the good points outweigh the bad. For one, the scenery is beautiful, atmospheric, and spooky. The original score is gorgeous. The two leads, Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder Marshall, are excellent in their roles. The screenwriters did an admirable job incorporating key monologues and other quotes into the film. Heathcliff was brooding, dashing, and pitiable, as he should be. I loved Anna as Cathy. So many versions tone Cathy's character down and fail to depict her accurately. Cathy was wild, fierce (Tyra banks FIERCE!), and selfish. Anna brought passion and confliction to the role.
A major low point: the story was cut in half and the second generation was entirely ignored. It ended rather abruptly.
The version with Tom Hardy is my favorite. It's beautiful and includes the second generation, the children, and Tom Hardy is the best Heathcliff. He is simply amazing. Not one moment did I feel like he was "acting." Marvelous. In his moments with Cathy, he was dedicated and loving. We could see all his tenderness and passion for her. In his moments with his enemies, he was menacing and merciless. He showed Heathcliff's misery and desperation. That was a brilliant piece of casting! Catherine was not written truthfully, they toned down her impetuosity and wicked nature. How boring! The other actors are very good, with the exception of young Cathy, who is utterly boring and grating, and sometimes Hareton is unendearing. The screenwriters also added a bunch of dialogue to beef up the love story and some events that never happened in the book. But overall, it's an admirable movie and Tom Hardy was magnificent. He also possesses an interesting, varied sort of handsomeness. His face was always changing. From a wild youth in love to a shorn, commanding man intent on winning his love's affections, to an unkempt, nasty curmudgeon, he was always different.
