My mother's fond memories of viewing this in the cinema as a teenager lead me to seek out this film on DVD. After seeing it, it's fair to say that the only way a person could enjoy this movie is if they are a dizzy, romantic thirteen year old who can look past the bad acting and weak production. Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall are Heathcliff and Cathy, and their casting is one of the film's main weak points. A young Dalton may look darkly handsome, but he's no match for Laurence Olivier (who director Robert Fuest clearly wants him to channel) in the 1939 William Wyler version, who simply IS Heathcliff. Merle Oberon gets routinely bagged for her work as Cathy in the same film yet next to Calder-Marshall's work she's excellent! As with the 1939 film, the entire second half of the novel is cut out, but that's the least of the film's problems. It just never manages to fire-there is no passion in this movie. The colour is washed out, the script fails in just about every scene and none of the cast are memorable. Case in point is Heathcliff's return to Wuthering Heights, a reborn gentleman after being abroad. Olivier's vengeful return is unforgettable, Dalton just walks through the door and the film continues lagging on.
Review of Wuthering Heights
