It's been years since I've read Wuthering Heights but my sweet husband, who knows how much I love period pieces, put Masterpiece Theater's 2009 adaptation on our Netflix queue. I confess that my main reason for getting excited to watch this movie is because of Twilight. Remember how Bella and Edward are always talking about Cathy and Heathcliff? I wanted to see what all that fuss was about.
All I remembered from reading the book back in high school was that the story is sad and set on the moors. Watching the movie brought it all back to me, though: just how sad the story is and what a love/hate relationship Cathy and Heathcliff truly have.
I think that Tom Hardy as Heathcliff did an excellent job. His mannerisms were perfect and gave him an air of manic desperation. He was longed to be with Cathy, but his own arrogance got in the way of happiness. Instead, he turned into a scorned, spiteful being whose only purpose was hate and bringing despair to those he felt wronged by.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie, although on the whole, the story is dark and haunting. It is definitely not a feel-good story---so, be prepared for that. It is definitely worth watching, though.
I have seen this so many times on Netflix, but for some reason I always shy away from watching it. Maybe I thought it wouldn't do the story justice or something. But maybe now I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteI loved this version too with Tom Hardy. I finally read it last year and got more why healthcliff did what he did :)
ReplyDeleteI think this is my favorite version. Tom Hardy nailed how I picture Heathcliff in my head. He's got multiple layers to his personality. Even though the adaptation doesn't follow the plot linearly, I thought they did a great job in the flow and pacing. Glad you enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteTwilight got me to read Wuthering Heights (for the first time) several years ago and I loooooved it. I think had I read it young, I would have hated it. But reading it older and understanding the complexity of emotions and how many hurt the ones they love most - I loved it. I can't wait for the upcoming adaption I've been hearing about. Great review.
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