'Wuthering Heights' – Emerald Fennell's steamy teen fantasy

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star in the latest "Wuthering Heights" adaptation. Filmmaker Fennell drew on her teen memories of the book to create her colourful tale of passion set in the stormy Yorkshire hills. London (dpa) – British filmmaker Emerald Fennell made waves in 2021 with her feature film debut “Promising Young Woman” that won an Oscar for the screenplay. Two years later, she is widely recognised as one of the most provocative voices in contemporary cinema, after her satirical, atmospheric thriller “Saltburn.” She has now given us one of Britain's great literary classics, Emily Brontë's “Wuthering Heights.” Published in 1847, the novel has been adapted for film countless times. Fennell knows them all, she told dpa, having loved the novel since she was a teenager. That early passion provides the foundations for her film. Literary classics as emotional experience Fennell aimed to "create a world that felt like a teenage girl's first acquaintance with a great work of art and a kind of visceral experience,” she says. She hadn't read the book in years. Before re-reading it and thinking about how she could adapt the material, she first tried to recall her experiences on that first reading. “Before I really started to think about adapting it properly, I wrote down all of the things that I remembered. Having not read the book, maybe at that point for a few years, I wrote down everything I remembered before I reread the book,” she says. It turned out that much of what she remembered "was actually wish fulfilment or you know or reading between the lines, or a misunderstanding, or missing another part. It was then the decision of what to keep, which of those fantasy parts that I added in my imagination to keep.” So Fennell's film makes no claim to be faithful to the original. “I just kept going back to the first thing that made me feel that way, and that was this book. I wanted to see if I could make an adaptation of something that was more of an emotional adaptation, a response to it rather than a literal one,” she says. And yet many of the dialogues are true to the original. "But I knew that I wanted to keep as much of Brontë's original dialogue in there because it's the best. Even if you change a word, it has an effect." Robbie and Elordi as ill-fated pair Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier, Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes, and Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy have all played the ill-fated couple Cathy and Heathcliff. In Fennell's film, we have two Australian stars in the roles, Margot Robbie ("Barbie") and Jacob Elordi ("Saltburn"). “I think it's one of the greatest love stories of all time, and of course, that's subjective. For me, I think it's one of the greatest love stories of all time," says Robbie. "I love this story. I love the book, and there is something enduring about it. It was written almost 200 years ago, and it's been adapted many, many times, and I think it will continue to be adapted. There is something very enduring about this story," she told dpa. Like most adaptations, Fennell's version focuses on the first half of the novel, which mainly focuses on the unhappy love story between Catherine and Heathcliff, which begins in childhood. Secret romance, toxic relationship The story tells of Catherine Earnshaw's widowed father who takes in an unnamed and hitherto mute street boy at the Wuthering Heights estate. His daughter immediately takes a liking to the boy, whom she wants to keep as a playmate – or, as she says, “as a pet.” Cathy gives him the name Heathcliff and teaches him to speak. They become close friends. Years later, friendship blossoms into desire. When Cathy confides in the housekeeper Nelly (Hong Chau), Heathcliff hears her and listens. He hears Catherine say that she considers marriage impossible because of his status, but not that she loves him. Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights overnight. Catherine marries the wealthy Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif). She moves in with him and his sister Isabella (Alison Oliver). When Heathcliff returns years later as a wealthy man and the new owner of Wuthering Heights, their desire is rekindled. But there is no future for Cathy and Heathcliff together, as their secret romance becomes an increasingly toxic relationship that affects everyone around them. Magnificent images, stirring music, plenty of sex “After 'Saltburn' particularly, I wanted to make something that had an emotional connection and a physical connection,” says Fennell. “I just kept going back to the first thing that made me feel that way, and that was this book." The visually spectacular film ravishes viewers with magnificent images thanks to cinematographer Linus Sandgren ("La La Land," "No Time to Die"). The bold, bright colours of the costumes and studio sets are a dramatic contrast with the storm-ridden gloom of the West Yorkshire landscapes. The film is also powerfully sexually charged. Fennell gives us scenes of Catherine masturbating, sex involving horse reins, sweaty bodies and all forms of sensuality. Plus, we see plenty of racy symbolism, with images of bursting eggs, fingers dipped in runny yolk and a slightly slimy snail. Charli XCX provides the soundtrack. “She's a genius, a poet,” Fennell raves. Her soundtrack is a rousing, Oscar-worthy mix of catchy pop melodies and dramatic strings, with 13 cello players credited at the end. At times, “Wuthering Heights” feels like a stylish music video. The second half of the 135-minute film is a bit slow in some places. But the images are beautiful and the cast is first-rate, even the minor roles are good. Elordi is particularly convincing as the love-struck, ruthless Heathcliff. Purists may well turn their noses up but this will thrill Fennell fans. Either way, Fennell's “Wuthering Heights” is an intense cinematic experience that delights all the senses. The following information is not intended for publication dpa pde jce xxde arw

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