Adaptations

The earliest known film adaptation of Wuthering Heights was filmed in England and directed by
A. V. Bramble. It is unknown if any prints still exist. The most famous was 1!"s Wuthering
Heights# starring $aurence %li&ier and 'erle %beron and directed by (illiam (yler. This
adaptation# like many others# eliminated the second generation"s story )young *athy# $inton and
+areton,. It won the 1! -ew .ork /ilm *ritics *ircle Award for Best /ilm and was nominated
for the 1! Academy Award for Best 0icture.
The 112 film with Timothy 3alton as +eathcliff is the first colour &ersion of the no&el# and
gained acceptance o&er the years though it was initially poorly recei&ed. The character of +indley
is portrayed much more sympathetically# and his story4arc is altered. It also subtly suggests that
+eathcliff may be *athy"s illegitimate half4brother.
The 15 film Emily Bront's Wuthering Heights starring 6alph /iennes and 7uliette Binoche is
notable for including the oft4omitted second generation story of the children of *athy# +indley
and +eathcliff.
6ecent film or TV adaptations include ITV"s 522 two part drama series starring Tom +ardy#
*harlotte 6iley# 8arah $ancashire# and Andrew $incoln. and the 5211 film starring 9aya
8codelario and 7ames +owson and directed by Andrea Arnold.
Adaptations which reset the story in a new setting include the 1:; adaptation retitled Abismos
de Pasion directed by 8panish filmmaker $uis Bu<uel set in *atholic 'exico# with +eathcliff
and *athy renamed Ale=andro and *atalina. In Bu<uel"s &ersion +eathcliff>Ale=andro claims to
ha&e become rich by making a deal with 8atan. The New York Times re&iewed a re4release of this
film as ?an almost magical example of how an artist of genius can take someone else"s classic
work and shape it to fit his own temperament without really &iolating it#? noting that the film was
thoroughly 8panish and *atholic in its tone while still highly faithful to Bront@.
A52B
.oshishige
.oshida"s 1CC adaptation also has a transposed setting# this time in medie&al 7apan. In .oshida"s
&ersion# the +eathcliff character# %nimaru# is raised in a nearby community of priests who
worship a local fire god. In 522!# 'TV produced a poorly re&iewed &ersion set in a modern
*alifornia high school.
The no&el has been popular in opera and theatre# including operas written by Bernard +errmann#
*arlisle /loyd# and /rDdDric *haslin )most co&er only the first half of the book, and a musical by
Bernard 7. Taylor. The libretto of +errmann"s opera )written by his wife, incorporates material
from poems by Emily Bront@# and his score has a few musical motifs that appeared in both prior
and subseEuent film scores by +errmann.
In autumn of 522C# 'ark 6yan launched a dramatic musical adaptation of the no&el# narrated by
6ay (instone. +e composed# sang# and produced the tracks with 6obb Vallier who had worked
on 8pamalot. +e also directed the &ideo for the song ?(omen? filmed especially for the website
and featuring 7ennifer 9orbee# 7essica 9eenan (ynn# and 9atie Boeck.
In 5211# a graphic no&el &ersion was published by *lassical *omics# and stays close to the
original no&el. It was adapted by 8cottish writer 8ean 'ichael (ilson and hand painted by comic
book &eteran artist 7ohn ' Burns. This &ersion recei&ed a nomination for the 8tan $ee Excelsior
Awards# &oted by pupils from 112 schools in the Fnited 9ingdom.