What's Wrong With Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' Starring Margot Robbie & Jacob Elordi?
Few films have received as much attention in the last year as Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights – and for good reason.
A teaser was recently released for the upcoming film adaptation of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, created by Emerald Fennell, the director of Saltburn. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi play the main roles.
Despite its powerful cast and Oscar-winning director, the teaser received mixed reviews.
We explore what's right or wrong with the new Wuthering Heights and why Fennell's version sparked such heated debates among viewers.
What Is 'Wuthering Heights' About?
At the end of last year, it was announced that Emerald Fennell's next project would be a film adaptation of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights.
The story follows the great love between Catherine and Heathcliff, two former childhood friends who grew up together on the Yorkshire moors in the late 18th century. Heathcliff, a homeless orphan, faces cruel treatment from the owners of a wealthy estate who forbid him from marrying their daughter.
Over the years, he turns into a respected, wealthy gentleman obsessed with hatred for his former patrons and love for the deceased Catherine.
Adapting 'Wuthering Heights' Was a Risky Decision From the Beginning
For more than 150 years, Wuthering Heights was considered unfilmable. Robert Fuest, Peter Kosminsky, and Andrea Arnold all tried to transfer the story to the big screen.
However, none of the dozens of film adaptations could compare to the greatness of the original text, so Fennell's decision was risky from the very start.
Even riskier is the recent Wuthering Heights teaser set to a Charli XCX song that hardly evokes the mood of the original work. Reddit user NoodlesMom0722 wrote:
“That's going to be a no for me, dog. Aside from the fact I've never liked this story, the modern (terrible) music and the p*rno vibe of the trailer make me want to stay far, far away.”
Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' Is a Distillation of Her Style, Which We Saw in 'Saltburn' and 'Promising Young Woman'
The new Wuthering Heights is, first and foremost, an auteur film. In terms of style, it largely echoes the visual code of Saltburn. It's possible that the similarities between the two films won't end there.
Redditor Knitvest-enthusiast commented:
“So Gone with the Wind meets Saltburn but we're calling it Wuthering Heights.”
The scandalous thriller featured a large number of provocative scenes, such as copulating with a grave and a dance involving a naked Barry Keoghan.
For most fans of Wuthering Heights, this approach is akin to mocking the classic. While the public's strong reaction is understandable, Wuthering Heights has every right to an unconventional rethinking, given the abundance of classic interpretations.
Why Are the Costumes in 'Wuthering Heights' Not Period-Appropriate?
Another complaint arose when the first shots from filming the movie were released. In particular, Margot Robbie can be seen wearing a 1980s wedding dress, despite the fact that the novel's setting is the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Inconsistencies between the scenery and the chosen historical era are fairly common in auteur costume cinema. Such a technique can be seen in Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite.
If the anachronism matches the film's tone and blends in well with the scenery, it's hard to call it a mistake.
Thanks to Fennell's Provocative Style, 'Wuthering Heights' Is Already One of the Most Anticipated Films
Judging by the teaser's more than 10 million views, Emerald Fennell did what she does best and provoked a huge number of viewers with her new Wuthering Heights.
The provocative and sensual eroticism of the new Wuthering Heights is an effective marketing strategy to attract as many people as possible to the movie's release.
