March 20 - Wuthering Heights(1998)

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene on March 20. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS 

Mr. Lockwood, new tenant at the grange comes to pay his respects to his very surley landlord, Heathcliffe. When he has to stay the night, Mr. Lockwood has a ghostly encounter. We then flashback to 30 years earlier. Mr. Earnshaw adopts the gypsy boy Heathcliffe. His son Hindley hates Heathcliffe, but eventually Heathcliffe and Cathy Earnshaw become close. When Mr. Earnshaw dies Hindley and his wife return to live at Wuthering Heights. He allows Heathcliffe to stay as a servant. One night when Cathy and Heathcliffe spy on the Lintons at Thrushcross Grange, Cathy is injured when the Lintons set the dogs on them. Cathy stays at the Grange while she recuperates.  When she returns home, Cathy has assumed a more genteel air. When the Lintons come to dine, Heathcliffe tries to improve his appearance, but after being taunted by both Hindley and Edgar Linton, there is a fight and he is beaten. Hindley’s wife has a son, but she dies and Hindley sinks into alcoholoic depression. Linton asks Cathy to marry him and she accepts, even though she loves Heathcliffe, but cannot marry him because of his low social status. She thinks she can use her new status to help Heathcliffe. He overhears this and runs away. Five years later Heathcliffe returns, having made his fortune. Cathy married Edgar Linton and they live at Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliffe soon courts Edgar’s sister Isabella as a means of getting revenge. The pair eventually elope. Cathy gives birth to a daughter, also named Cathy and dies. Isabella has a son Linton. Heathcliffe murders Hindley and takes charge of Hindley’s son, Hareton. On March 20, 1800 [1:18:42 to 1:19:27] it is Cathy’s sixteenth birthday. When Isabella dies, Edgar brings her son Linton to stay with him, but Heathclife takes the boy. When Cathy goes to visit Linton, Heathcliffe holds her capitive and forces her to marry Linton. Edgar Linton dies, followed shortly thereafter by Linton.  We have now returned to the time of Mr. Lockwood’s visit. Heathcliffe later dies, while Cathy and Hareton plan to get married as they became close, living together at Wuthering Heights after Linton’s death.

A good adaptation of one of the classics of English literature. Heathcliffe is a real … well really shouldn’t say. Beautiful innovative cinematography.

Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. New York: Harper Collins, 2011. This book at page 257 gives Cathy’s birthday as this date which is given as the date at 1:18:49.

Director:  David Skynner

Screenplay: Neil McKay

Release date : October 18, 1998

Run Time: 1 hour 52 minutes

Cast: Robert Cavanah (Heathcliff ), Peter Davison (Joseph Lockwood), Orla Brady (Cathy Earnshaw), Tom Georgeson (Joseph), Matthew Macfadyen (Hareton Earnshaw), Sarah Smart (Catherine Linton), Kadie Savage (young Cathy Earnshaw), Ken Kitson (Mr. Earnshaw), Flora Montgomery (Isabella Linton), Ian Shaw (Hindley Earnshaw), Crispin Bonham-Carter (Edgar Linton), David Maybrick (Gaddick). Catherine Chesire (Frances Earnshaw), Polly Hemingway (Nelly Dean)

Copyright Ivan Walters 2014.