Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë’s passionate and violent gothic novel which details the lives of two lovers and the tragic repercussions of their obsession, has been explored anew in Emerald Fennell’s recent adaptation. Starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the novel’s tortured duo, Catherine and Heathcliff, Fennell’s interpretation of this story has received mixed reviews, with many critics entranced by the director’s moody and slightly surreal styling of the English moors, but other reviewers ultimately disappointed with the film’s major deviation from the source material.
The film has a striking color scheme, consisting of deep saturated reds and greens contrasting with a background palette of soft pastels and pure whites. This creates a unique look to the film that feels very modern. Robbie’s wardrobe is integral in creating the film’s color story. It is not always historically accurate, but the exaggerated corsets, jewelry and gowns serve to express Catherine’s state of mind throughout her disastrous circumstances. The set design of Fennell’s film is impressive and illustrative, with the Linton’s Thrushcross Grange estate depicted as if it were a dollhouse in which the restless Catherine is just a figurine.
The atmosphere of the movie references the story’s gothic origins, with heavy rainstorms and dense fog covering the surroundings throughout the film. Fennell also dedicates many minutes to the natural landscape, displaying green fields and jagged rocky crags set against gentle hills. The film’s soundtrack was created by singer Charli xcx, featuring bold pop songs to compliment the provocative story. The album includes hits such as “House” and “Chains of Love.” Reviewers agree that the movie’s color palette, inventive wardrobe, set design and energizing score all contribute to an almost unreal quality that greatly enhances the film.
However, regarding the plot of the film, critics have been frustrated with stark divergences from the original storyline. While previous film adaptations of Wuthering Heights have similarly focused on just the first half of the book (which is understandable given the scope of the novel), much of the themes surrounding the destructive nature of love and revenge are forfeited in favor of displaying Catherine and Heathcliff’s tragic romance. This treatment omits much of the original plotline, and inhibits the closure necessary to reveal the characters’ inevitable demise. For example, viewers never witness Heathcliff’s terrifying obsession with fulfilling his cycle of revenge upon the entire lineages of the Earnshaws and the Lintons. In the book, Heathcliff becomes irredeemably monstrous, driven by a lasting hatred towards the families he feels have wronged him. However, Heathcliff’s revenge in the movie feels much less destructive and horrific.
Granted, Fennell did consciously elect to let viewers know that her version of the story would not be completely authentic by purposefully putting the film’s title in quotes on the movie poster. Many critics appreciate this, but still feel that her interpretation misrepresents certain aspects of the original novel. Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights is a captivating watch, but it refuses to address many of the dark and decidedly unromantic aspects of the classic story which results in a slightly shallow and loose adaptation, rather than a film that can triumphantly relate the intricate masterpiece that is Brontë’s novel.