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To Old Heights
Feb. 14th, 2026 11:16 amWho wants to talk some more about Wuthering Heights? The new one, despite everyone complaining about it, is dominating the box office in the U.S. Probably because everyone's complaining about it. On the other hand, right wing YouTuber Snarky Jay took a break from constantly complaining about the live action remake of Snow White to offer gushing praise for the new movie. You know, I don't think Snarky Jay's very snarky. She's more like Angry Jay.
I don't know when, if ever, I will see see the film (it's not coming out 'til the 27th in Japan) but I did watch the 1939 version> last night. I'd seen it before, just over twenty years ago. Here's my very short blog entry marking the event including a broken link to my old Doll Merchant web comic which used to be hosted on davidbowie.com. I wish BowieNet were still around. Anyway, Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon are very sweet and the cinematography is lovely. Cathy and Heathcliff are so much more effusive than they are in the book and they reminded me quite a bit of 1920s romance movies. Kind of starchy, almost like animated marble. Of course, both performers are white, though I saw one modern review that referred to Oberon as "passing" for white because one of her parents was from India but, in fact, that parent was a Burgher, a group descended from Portuguese and Dutch settlers in India. It's by no means a bad movie but I definitely sympathise more with critics who lament the lack of an adaptation that accurately conveys the story of bitter, relentless revenge in the book.
It's funny Rotten Tomatoes calls it a "David Niven movie". Niven has a supporting role as Edgar Linton. Do they think Niven is better known now than Olivier? Interestingly enough, Merle Oberon originally got top billing.
I feel like I've seen at least part of the version with Ralph Fiennes. I have a vague memory of finding it so frustrating that I switched it off. I'm not sure if that actually happened or if I dreamed it.
This month, Criterion is hosting two adaptations, the 1939 one and the one from 2011, the only one that deigned to cast a person of colour as Heathcliff. I plan to watch that one soonishly. Did I just invent an adverb?
I don't know when, if ever, I will see see the film (it's not coming out 'til the 27th in Japan) but I did watch the 1939 version> last night. I'd seen it before, just over twenty years ago. Here's my very short blog entry marking the event including a broken link to my old Doll Merchant web comic which used to be hosted on davidbowie.com. I wish BowieNet were still around. Anyway, Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon are very sweet and the cinematography is lovely. Cathy and Heathcliff are so much more effusive than they are in the book and they reminded me quite a bit of 1920s romance movies. Kind of starchy, almost like animated marble. Of course, both performers are white, though I saw one modern review that referred to Oberon as "passing" for white because one of her parents was from India but, in fact, that parent was a Burgher, a group descended from Portuguese and Dutch settlers in India. It's by no means a bad movie but I definitely sympathise more with critics who lament the lack of an adaptation that accurately conveys the story of bitter, relentless revenge in the book.
It's funny Rotten Tomatoes calls it a "David Niven movie". Niven has a supporting role as Edgar Linton. Do they think Niven is better known now than Olivier? Interestingly enough, Merle Oberon originally got top billing.
I feel like I've seen at least part of the version with Ralph Fiennes. I have a vague memory of finding it so frustrating that I switched it off. I'm not sure if that actually happened or if I dreamed it.
This month, Criterion is hosting two adaptations, the 1939 one and the one from 2011, the only one that deigned to cast a person of colour as Heathcliff. I plan to watch that one soonishly. Did I just invent an adverb?
