ramblings on wuthering heights (2026)
so i just watched wuthering heights yesterday and, as a book fan, i have MANY thoughts. strap in for this one, it'll be long (but maybe not in like isabella... that would be weird.) spoilers ahead!
The most obvious: where tf was Hindley? i am so confused by the decision to exclude Hindley and Mrs. Earnshaw since it displayed a relationship i feel we don't see in a lot of media anymore: abusive siblings. the choice to continue with the tired "daddy issues" trope when it wasn't even a part of Heathcliff's initial trauma mystifies me. i truly did feel the loss of Hindley, since he was such an important character at the beginning of the novel and his treatment of Heathcliff juxtaposed with Catherine's was so interesting.
On the topic of excluded characters: young Cathy and Linton! i am disappointed but truly not surprised... everyone always seems so hung up on Catherine and Heathcliff, but i feel that the Cathy/Linton generation is actually so much more interesting since it really displays the aftermath of the terrible decisions both Heathcliff and Catherine make. really, Catherine's death is only the beginning. i would have LOVED to see Cathy and Linton on the moors in a similar setting to Catherine and Heathcliff at the beginning, and especially would have loved to see the scene where Heathcliff forces Cathy to marry Linton!
Race. this topic has been discussed tirelessly, but i still wanted to put in my two cents. it makes so much sense why they would cut Hindley and Mrs. Earnshaw when you notice that Heathcliff, who is supposed to be a person of color, is casted as white. while Jacob Elordi has the capability to play Heathcliff, should he? i understand that my critique of this movie basically makes it nonexistent in a perfect world, but i really feel like taking out the race aspect of Heathcliff's story ruins the entire point of the story. his trauma from racism is one of THE largest factors in his actions later on in the novel, and excluding that from this movie misses the point entirely.
The sexual shit. for the most part, WHAT WAS THAT! i am in no way opposed to more racy media, like you do you, but for wuthering heights? too sacrilegious, even for me. i think that for the most part it was completely misplaced, and it's evident Emerald Fennell wanted to play out her weird fantasy through the medium of wuthering heights. just write fanfiction like the rest of us! i didn't really see the point of introducing Catherine to bdsm, through Jacob? i feel that that's the most random and insanely erotica-inspired scene ever. so completely misplaced, and almost every scene i was thinking of how terribly adapted this movie was (and having seen Frankenstein (2025), i didn't think it could get any worse!). but, i interestingly enjoyed
Isabella's interpretation in the movie. what's so weird is that Isabella's portrayal is only marginally better than Catherine's, but i enjoyed it so much more. it felt camp, but in a way that worked with the movie (not cringey like Catherine's adaptation was). when Isabella runs off with Heathcliff, and basically becomes his pet, i found that the portrayal actually made sense with how Heathcliff cruelly treated Isabella in the novel. it was definitely inaccurate, but funny and i enjoyed it.
Race 2.0. why would you cast racially blind for Edgar Linton and Nelly, but purposefully cast a white man for Heathcliff? i am incredulous. it's almost like Fennel wanted to placate her audience like: "here, you can have SOME people of color, but not for my most perfect main love interest Heathcliff". this is especially egregious when you realize Edgar and Isabella Linton are supposed to juxtapose Heathcliff and Catherine so wholly as more 'pure' and 'proper' people. both their race and just simply their appearance play into this. both Edgar and Isabella are more well-educated, but they're also beautifully blonde and white. Catherine instead has brown hair and is more rural, and Heathcliff is, of course, not white. changing up the character's appearance once again misses the point. these characters' appearance and race is so integral to their character motivations that it makes no sense, in my opinion, to change anything. if anything, Edgar and Isabella's appearance in the movie lends themselves more to Heathcliff and Catherine, respectively.
Last but NOT least, costuming. we all knew i would put my thoughts into this one. i'm not going to go over every costume, but just know i despised almost all of them. first off, i definitely think the costumes with young Catherine and Heathcliff were so much better, though not super historically accurate. Jacqueline Durran is known for having beautiful costuming, but not necessarily accurate ones. still, i think her work in this could have been similar to Pride and Prejudice (2005) in that it could have been inaccurate while still encapsulating the vibe of the film. but, that didn't happen. instead in the latter 2/3 of the movie, we got monstrosity after monstrosity. much of the film looked like it wanted to cosplay medieval/renaissance styles, with Catherine's red stays being ladder laced (a medieval practice) instead of spiral laced. this story takes place in the 18th century in the rural moors of northern England. the costumes when at Thrushcross Grange aren't any better. i would argue they weren't aiming for historical accuracy, but my gripe still applies because so much of the costuming was in complete contrast with the look of the scenery and the movie itself, that i was taken completely out of it. Isabella's outfits felt weirdly Victorian, and Catherine's eventually morph into that weird 1840s-esque vibe, save for the terrible fabric and ill-fitting top. the costuming isn't cohesive and makes no sense. and do NOT get me started on the bloodied stays. i understand the point is that Catherine is distraught over marrying Edgar Linton, but the costuming is terrible and distressing. when will we put corsets on bare skin in the past? like wear a chemise damn it! and not just this-- why would she wear stays at the beginning but switch to a corset? corsets didn't even exist during which Wuthering Heights actually takes place, and were just coming into fashion in the 1840s, when the novel was published. the vain attempt to infuse 18th century and early Victorian styles with modern fabrics and vibes did not work, and not because it was inaccurate, but because they did not take into account the actual look of the film itself. and don't get me started on the ugly red latex skirt.
where was Jacob's accent?
wtf was the skin room... i am uncomfortable
most of the symbolism was so shoe-horned in and heavy handed
Mr. Earnshaw being a drunk gambler makes no sense!
honestly loved Nelly's portrayal in this... really exposes her role in the story since she wasn't exactly the narrator
Margot Robbie was definitely too old for the role as a 16-year-old
i hate the plastic Barbie dress
honestly Catherine's death was so cool but i hated the omission of the younger generation-- why didn't they keep Linton and Cathy!!
overall, Wuthering Heights (2026) ruined my life. please read the book instead. i definitely missed some stuff, since i didn't really take notes during the movie or anything, so please comment or use my ask box to further discuss this with me!
2087
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