Wuthering Heights (1970)

Haunting, passionate and unforgettable, this lovely, scenically rich (Newsweek) version ofEmily Brontë's timeless masterpiece stars Emmy winner Anna Calder-Marshall and Timothy Dalton (Licence to Kill) as Cathy and Heathcliff, two star-crossed lovers destined for doomed romance. 'realistic [and] with authentic locations and atmosphere (Leonard Maltin), Wuthering Heights is a riveting, heartbreaking and beautifully realized telling of a classic. Inside the dark and austere farmhouse of Wuthering Heights, the impetuous Cathy first meets Heathcliffan orphan her father rescued from the streets of London. As the two grow up, they spend endless days exploring the sprawling moors of Yorkshire, eventually discovering in each other a fiery, powerful love. But when Cathy is introduced to their wealthy neighborsand promised to marry their son, her social equala fury is ignited within Heathcliff that can only be extinguished by one thing'revenge!

A boring, poorly acted, blandly directed, totally lifeless film.

Most of the good reviews for this film are from fans of the book, who swallow their pride and FORGIVE quite a lot, simply for the privilege to see these characters come to life in film once again. The other good reviews seem to be from the Timothy Dalton fan club.

Anyone approaching this film without having read the book, will be bored out of their mind. This truly is an awful film. The direction is stale and the acting is over the top. The viewer will not feel invested in ANY of the characters. Total rubbish!

My advice? Read the book. And then DON'T make excuses for poorly made films.

JM September 19, 2008

great film

Brilliant performance by Timothy Dalton and good casting of all other major characters. Wonderful Yorkshire moors photography, and authentic dialog from the book. Does not treat the second half of the book, and ending is not correct, but was a good effort to capture the spirit and feel of the novel. June 27, 2008

Withering Heights

This DVD arrived in perfect condition. I have been looking for this movie for a long time, and was happy to find it on Amazon. Again, great service!! March 11, 2008

Best of the three Hollywood versions

Of the three I think this one is closest to the "spirit" of the book, if not the plot. All three movies butcher the plot. The difference being that anyone watching this version who knows nothing of the book can leave satisfied. The film does make sense even if it's inaccurate.

My biggest gripe is Dalton being made up to look like Spock from Star Trek! I guess he's supposed to look "elvish" - doesn't work.I keep expecting him to say "Captain Cathrine. That is not logical." He also does some real hammy over acting in a few scenes.

Calder-Marshall does the best job as Cathrine, especially as a half-feral child. Of the three she's the only one I could picture ruuning around in a storm - enjoying it!

By far the best Hindley and Nelly. Both are allowed to be personalities instead of being living props to mouth dialogue.

The original Laurence Oliver version is another 1930's Hollywood Costume Drama. You can stick scenes from "Gone with the Wind" (a better movie) and they would fit. (Mayby someones done this on YouTube. Scarlet Cathy and Heathcliff Butler in Wuthering Wind.)

The Daniel Day-Lewis version is just plain bad. To much skipping around. Also they just look silly as adults playing as children. (The Coffin scene is good though!)

I don't think we will get a true adabtion of the novel untill its done as a mini-series. July 7, 2007

This is the one to own

I first saw this movie back in the 70's and fell in love with the movie - way before I read the book. After reading the book, I realized they left so much out, so I've watched the other 3 movies I know of to see if they better matched the book (Olivier, Fiennes and that BBC Theatre version). After just an hour of the latter (it was poorly done and badly cast), I realized that there could be no better actor than Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff. Perfectly portrayed as the dark, tall, handsome gypsy - tower of physical strength - which is important in the story. He and Anna Calder as Catherine are excelent in this movie. Such passion and fire are evident and spill out of their souls in their acting - the movie may not follow the books' story to point, but it's the best one yet. I sobbed with such emotion in watching this movie... I felt every tormented word and malicious act portrayed by each character -- I definitely recommend it if you're a WH fan ! June 19, 2007

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