Heathcliff, It’s Me: Adapting Wuthering Heights

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In the 170 years since its publication, Emily Brontë’s only novel, Wuthering Heights, has been one of the most frequently adapted works of literature, fascinating, inspiring, and provoking some of cinema’s greatest directors to try to render its dark, romantic, politically charged majesty. Its timeless story—the impossible love of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, and the far-reaching scars it leaves on their families—has been transposed to various historical periods and countries, has had the races and genders of its characters changed to striking effect, and has been incarnated through a diverse assortment of visual aesthetics and performance styles. Which is the definitive adaptation? Wyler’s classical Hollywood rendition? Buñuel’s surrealist reimagining? Rivette’s materialist ghost story? Yoshida’s stark expressionist take? Arnold’s kitchen-sink realist interpretation? Decide for yourself by joining the Film Society in revisiting five of the greatest attempts to put Wuthering Heights on the screen. - Film Society of Lincoln Center