Wuthering Heights
Our Price: $24.45
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $16.46 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Janet McTeer, Juliette Binoche, Ralph Fiennes, Simon Shepherd, Sophie WardBrand: BINOCHE,JULIETTE
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-12-02
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Wuthering Heights
DVD Review: Overrated, but not necessarily "terrible"
Summary: 2 Stars
I love "Wuthering Heights" as a book and I enjoy comparing adaptations. What is it about this psychologically dark book written by a brilliant but ill-fated young mid-19th century parson's daughter that compels so many to read, watch and continually adapt it into films, or even write songs about it? Is it just the need to try to capture the essence of this fascinating yet somewhat repellent story about revenge, twisted love, greed and hatred? Or is a desire to top other productions, some kind of contest to come out the winner of the best interpretation of Emily Bronte's colossal (as described by her sister Charlotte) masterpiece? After coming across the 1992 Peter Kosminsky film these questions came to mind even more so than before. Promoted on the back of the DVD cover as the only theatrical movie version to cover the novel's entirety (if only skimming the surface, as completely would be impossible), for me this interpretation of the Bronte novel fell short in many areas and had a less than authentic feel. While the house representing the Heights is obviously fake and constructed specifically for the film, the locations, as appealing to the eyes as they were, did not seem to fit the description in the novel. Along with the usual grumbles (the actors being too old, the timeline for when situations occured in the book), Ralph Fiennes, while undeniably a formidable presence in film, was miscast as Heathcliff - singled out by some as being too "refined" for the role, he comes across as being brutal but lacking the rough and uncouthness of Bronte's anti-hero - especially in the early sequences. Juliette Binoche, as lovely and competant an actress as she is, was undone not only by her French accent, but the fact that she was saddled with playing two complex and difficult roles - that of the elder Catherine (Cathy) Earnshaw Linton, and her daughter, Catherine Linton Heathcliff Earnshaw - undermines the movie even more. Was it done for budget reasons? The blonde wig she wears as the daughter is an irritating distraction, not to mention that the younger Catherine is not supposed to resemble her mother.
Jonathan Firth as the sickly, annoying Linton Earnshaw is pretty much stuck with a thankless role as Heathcliff's effete son with the silly, and ultimately equally ill-fated Isabella (played by Sophie Ward). Edgar Linton (Simon Shepard) is even more weak and pitiable than in the book or any other film adaptation I've seen. But he still seems rather colorless (pardon the expression) and seems to be trying his mightiest to stay awake during the proceedings.
Jeremy Northam as Hindley isn't seen nearly enough (add me to those who feel he should have played Heathcliff instead). Northam, Janet McTeer (as faithful servant Ellen "Nelly" Dean) and to a lesser extent, Jason Riddington as Hareton were the saving grace of this film for me. I don't know if the rest of the cast tried too hard or if the director did (or perhaps a bit of both?), but for me their efforts, while admirable, can't elevate the project to what they were trying to achieve. It does seem that Fiennes himself has less than kind words for this production - an unpleasant experience, one that almost turned him off of working on films.
To look at, the movie is pleasant enough. There is a feeling of a tight budget regarding costuming, hair (wigs) and interiors, but the absence of staginess that often prevailed in many of the earlier BBC televison productions is a plus, as is the music score and the interesting casting of Sinead O'Connor as Emily Bronte herself, taking over as narrator which in the novel was put to Lockwood and Nelly.
I do feel that this interpretation of WH is overrated, and while it covers more of the book than the classic 1939 Olivier/Oberon picture and the 1970 Dalton/Calder-Marshall production, both of those earlier renditions (speaking for myself) were far more enjoyable and better paced. If you want to see a better depiction of WH (especially the second generation comprised of younger Catherine, Hareton and Linton), check out the 1998 and 2009 Masterpiece Theatre presentations. (I'd recommend the BBC 1978 miniseries if I had seen it but it's unavailability on region 1 DVD makes it difficult). While both of those made-for-TV projects take liberties, for me they captured the book better in many respects.
Description of Wuthering Heights
The classic and tragic love story of Cathy and Heathcliff.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 2-DEC-2003
Media Type: DVD
Peter Kosminsky's 1992 adaptation of Emily Brontė's Wuthering Heights goes to the extreme of casting Sinéad O'Connor in a brief bit as Brontė herself, but the film still doesn't approach the accomplishment of William Wyler's classic 1939 production (with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon) or subsequent versions by Luis Buńuel and Robert Fuest. That doesn't make it unwatchable, however: it still offers The English Patient costars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche as doomed lovers Heathcliff and Cathy. Binoche is a bit washed-out, but Fiennes makes a strong impression as the rejected laborer who makes his fortune and exacts a vengeance. Unlike Wyler's film, this one covers all the chapters of Brontė's book, but it is sodden with misery and lacks all grace. --Tom Keogh
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Swept From the SeaCOL; Release date: 1998-07-14; DVD
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
Masterpiece Theatre: Jane EyreWgbh Wholesale; Release date: 2007-02-20; DVD
Best price: $13.49
Price in other shops:
The DuchessParamount; Release date: 2008-12-27; Published: 2008-12-01; DVD
Best price: $2.88
Price in other shops:
Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 1999-08-24; DVD
Best price: $5.19
Price in other shops:
Jane EyreWarner Brothers; Release date: 2005-04-19; DVD
Best price: $6.82
Price in other shops:
Wuthering Heights (Masterpiece Theatre)Wgbh Wholesale; Release date: 2005-08-02; DVD
Best price: $9.03
Price in other shops:
Wuthering Heights (1970)Release date: 2001-12-26; DVD
Best price: $15.94
Jane EyreUNI; Release date: 2011-08-16; DVD
Best price: $7.24
Price in other shops:
Wuthering Heights (Import, All Regions)Published: 1939; DVD
Best price: $12.55
Wuthering HeightsWgbh Wholesale; Release date: 2009-03-17; DVD
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops: