Emerald Fennell has sparked a whirlwind of discussion surrounding her latest cinematic venture, an adaptation of Emily Brontë’s renowned novel *Wuthering Heights*. Starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie, this new interpretation aims to resonate with modern audiences while navigating the complexities of its source material. In a recent interview, Fennell clarified the rationale behind her significant alterations to the narrative, primarily citing the constraints of time as a key factor.
A New Vision for a Classic Tale
Fennell’s cinematic retelling centres on the tumultuous relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine, whose passionate yet destructive bond spans generations. The film, like many adaptations before it, predominantly explores the initial half of Brontë’s poignant tale. “That’s really the moment that draws to an end in the book,” Fennell explained, highlighting her focus on their early years.
While the director expressed a desire to create a mini-series that could delve deeper into the story over a ten-hour arc, she acknowledged the necessity of making tough decisions when crafting a feature film. “If you’re making a movie, and you’ve got to be fairly tight, you’ve got to make those kinds of hard decisions,” she noted.
Key Characters Omitted
To maintain narrative clarity, Fennell made the difficult choice to omit several characters, including Mr. Lockwood, the inquisitive neighbour who learns about the couple’s fraught romance through the housekeeper. Additionally, Hindley, Catherine and Heathcliff’s volatile brother, is absent in traditional form. Yet, Fennell suggests that a version of Hindley persists in her adaptation, manifested through Earnshaw, played by Martin Clunes.
“I tried to, wherever I could, gather people together in the same way that we don’t have Lockwood, either,” she said, explaining the challenges presented by the novel’s intricate structure. “It would have been very, very difficult to turn that into a coherent movie because it would just be much more time,” she added.
A Complex Family Dynamic
In Fennell’s retelling, Earnshaw is portrayed not as a benevolent patriarch, but as an abusive alcoholic, adding layers to the family dynamics that shape Catherine and Heathcliff’s lives. “What is it about Hindley? What is it about his relationship with his sister and his half-brother, I suppose, in Heathcliff? And how does it shape their lives?” Fennell mused, probing the intricate connections between familial love and trauma.
This duality of character, embodying both charm and cruelty, is a reflection of the complexities inherent in relationships affected by addiction. “I think a lot of people who know alcoholics can relate to that — extremely loving and charismatic on one hand, and on the other hand, extremely abusive and cruel,” she elaborated.
Diverging Critical Reception
Since its release, *Wuthering Heights* has garnered a mixed response from critics. Some have praised it as “oozy and wild,” while others have fiercely critiqued it as a “pseudo-romantic” interpretation. Clarisse Loughrey from The Independent epitomised the latter view, calling it an “astonishingly bad adaptation” in her one-star review. She remarked that the performances by Robbie and Elordi teeter towards the brink of pantomime, while Fennell’s provocations seem to paint the impoverished as sexual deviants and the affluent as oblivious prudes.
Why it Matters
Fennell’s bold reimagining of *Wuthering Heights* reflects the ongoing dialogue within the film industry about the adaptation of classic literature for contemporary audiences. By altering character dynamics and narrative structures, she challenges viewers to re-examine the themes of love, trauma, and societal values that remain relevant today. This adaptation underscores the importance of artistic interpretation while reminding us that even beloved classics can evolve to better resonate with modern sensibilities.
