Wuthering Heights (1939)

Sadly Over-hyped

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I've seen one other version of Emily Bronte's classic novel, the 1970 one, and I was so terribly bored by it, I completely forgot the story afterwards. Watching the 1939 version was like watching a brand new movie, and while I'd had a couple of plot points spoiled for me, I was quite riveted.For those of you who don't know the classic story, it's a period piece set in the 1800s, about a woman's love for two men and two lifestyles. One man is Heathcliff, a low-class boy she's grown up with. He's wild and free, and when she's with him, she feels the innocence and endless possibilities of childhood. The other man is Edgar, wealthy and belonging to a class she's always longed to be a part of. Choosing Heathcliff means a life of poverty, and choosing Edgar means exchanging fantasy for reality. Who will Kathy choose?While Wuthering Heights was honored by eight nominations during the 1940 Oscar ceremony, it had the misfortune to come out during the same year as Gone with the Wind, so it only walked away with one. While not compared to the great American epic, this is a very good and well crafted film. All the actors give their all and truly embody their characters, which is quite a feat since they've been seen in many, many other roles, so you could easily think, "Oh, that's Laurence Olivier!" or "Oh, that's the wife in 10 North Frederick!" Instead, they are Heathcliff, Isabella, Edgar, and Kathy. For Laurence Olivier fans, this is a must-see. Not only does he show off his fantastic, brooding acting chops, but he looks extremely handsome in this one, too! It's a very tough decision between him and David Niven-in a rare appearance without his mustache. The ladies particularly shine in this movie. Merle Oberon reminded me of Kate Winslet in her spot-on fickle portrayal of Kathy, and while she might seem irrationally cold at first, when she puts on the tears, you won't be able to contain your own. Geraldine Fitzgerald is fantastic and heartbreaking; after this film, I don't see how she was ever cast in a villainous role.If you've never seen a film version of Wuthering Heights, this is an excellent one to start with. And if you're not sure whether or not you'll like the story, here's a helpful hint. If you liked Pride and Prejudice but could stand with a little more gravitas to the story, you'll like Wuthering Heights.

Am I the only here who has watched Wuthering Heights numerous times, in the hope that I would finally see what the acclaim was about, just to see Oberon's awful performance which then brings Olivier's down, too, although this isn't one of my favorite Olivier roles either. Oberon's Cathy is spoiled and willfull, but so was Vivien Leigh's Scarlet in Gone with the Wind, yet Leigh is watchable, not a performance worthy of Best Actress, but watchable. Oberon didn't improve with age or experience as an actress, merely a celebrity in the annals of Hollywood. I don't think I'll try watching the movie again. Certainly not one of Hollywood's best of 1939!

Director: WILLIAM WYLER. Screenplay: Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, based on the 1847 novel by Emily Bronte. Photography: Gregg Toland. Film editor: Daniel Mandell. Art director: James Basevi. Set decorator: Julia Heron. Musical director: Alfred Newman. Costume designer: Omar Kiam. Uncredited additional dialogue: John Huston. Matte painter: W. Percy Day. Assistant director: Walter Mayo. Special character make- up: Blagoe Stephanoff. Technical adviser: Peter Shaw. Sound recording: Paul Neal. Western Electric Sound System. Producer: Samuel Goldwyn.Copyright 24 April 1939 by Samuel Goldwyn. Released through United Artists. New York opening at the Rivoli, 13 April 1939. U.S. release: 7 April 1939. U.K. release: May 1939. Australian release: 7 September 1939. 11 reels. 103 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Aristocratic country girl falls in love with her (adopted) brother.NOTES: Academy Award, Black-and-White cinematography (defeating Stagecoach). Also nominated for Best Picture (GWTW), Best Actor, Laurence Olivier (Donat as Mr Chips), Supporting Actress, Geraldine Fitzgerald (Hattie McDaniel in GWTW), Directing (Fleming for GWTW), Screenplay (GWTW), Art Direction (GWTW) Original Music Score (Wizard of Oz).4th in the Film Daily's annual poll of U.S. film critics. Best Motion Picture of 1939 — New York Film Critics.COMMENT: It's hard not to like Wuthering Heights. The idea of willingly submitting to a "great literary classic" is not an attractive one, but the story is so strong, the acting so involving, the atmosphere so fixating and production values so sweeping that Wuthering Heights is a pleasure. In fact, it's a feast of entertainment, a powerful drama that moves at a headlong pace and compels rapt attention from start to finish. Every player is perfectly cast, and Wyler has directed with masterly finesse. The sets and costumes are breathtaking (yet not garishly over-sumptuous), and Toland has lovingly photographed every dynamically pictorial frame. When re-issued worldwide in 1956, the film's powerful compositions were distorted by wide-screen projection. Fortunately, TV has treated the film more kindly. It is still constantly broadcast. In fact the film has proved more popular on television than on its original theatrical release. So enduring has been its popularity that American International Pictures (the king of the "exploitation" movies) attempted a re-make in 1970 with Robert Fuest directing Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall. Not surprisingly, this lost every cent of its investors' money. There's also a Luis Bunuel 1953 Mexican version, Abismos de Pasion with Jorge Mistral and Irasema Dilian, and a 1920 British silent with Milton Rosmer and Anne Trevor. TV itself has staged at least seven versions. Don't bother with any of them. The Wyler-Goldwyn 1939 movie is not only the best, it's unbeatable. Merle Oberon never gave a more captivating performance and while Olivier did occasionally equal the power of his present portrayal, he never bettered the intensity of Heathcliff.

I have never seen WHeights until last night as my wife is a mega Olivier fan and always loved the film. So we sat down for a total glorious piece of soap opera trash acting. Like all the Bronte tales (I think of Jane Eyre), the mood is dark and longing. The sets, here, were mostly good for the time but some process shots were so obvious as to be painful.Cathy and Heathcliff - how could he possibly LOVE a woman who changes her mind LIKE THAT on who she likes and wants to marry? I found zero sympathy for Merle Oberon in this role - she is a woman to stay far away from. (Hey, if the only place you can kiss a girlfriend is standing on one cliff, something is wrong). And every time old Olivier gets offended as a character, BAM off he goes on his horse.Everybody else is perfectly fine having little to do but stand and comment on this train wreck of a relationship. Niven, as fine as he is, is just THERE to be the nice chap who gets taken for a fool by Kathy who really loves Heathcliff when she is not saying nasty things about him and BAM off he goes again.If there are spoilers here, the book and film have been around for ages so who cares. It is also a plot one can see coming for miles.But it is glorious fun trash and the ACTING? OMG - Kathy's deathbed scene makes Love Story look like Hamlet. Wide eyes, smiles, pain, wide eyes, clawed hands, wide eye..... oh, painful. I could just see her coming down the stairs with Heathcliff at the bottom 'These are the stairs of the heights.....' like Max in SBoulevard. Olivier was almost as bad here.This is a wonderful piece of high trash, enjoy it, laugh a lot and remember that films often do not make much sense at all either in watching or by those who make them.In the end, Kathy should have told Heathcliff "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn".