Travesty or very good trash

More comments or reviews about Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights:

I have two theories: one, I think people have strong negative opinions about its director, whom they see as privileged and chronically off-key when it comes to stories that contend with class; and two, I think people firmly made up their minds about it before they saw it and I think this because everyone keeps accusing Fennell of turning this beloved piece of gothic lit a “horned-up bodice ripper” even though all the sex scenes are fully clothed.

Also, I am pretty sure the marketing of “Wuthering Heights” as “the greatest love story of all time” is tongue firmly in cheek. As in the book, the relationships are toxic and you’ll hate everyone in this movie.

I keep encountering (not incorrect) criticism that this rich text has been taken and dumbed down; there is a lot that has been left out, including the second half of the book, and that has left people wanting. I saw one critic call it anti-intellectual. (Jen Zoratti in Winnipeg Free Press)

Sin embargo, me pareció realmente frustrante que la película parezca detenerse justo antes del abismo. Coquetea con el melodrama criminal, incluso con el horror, pero finalmente regresa al terreno de la tragedia clásica. Después de alejarse tanto del espíritu de Brontë, me quedé con la sensación de que pudo haber ido todavía más lejos y convertirse en algo completamente nuevo, más retorcido y, quizá, más memorable. Pensaba que ya que se alejaba tanto del material original, merecería la pena, pero me ha dejado con ganas de más. (Belén Prieto in Espinof) (Translation)

Por supuesto que no todas las películas ni ninguna forma de arte está obligada a “decir algo”, bajar un mensaje, una idea o una filosofía. Su único objetivo puede ser entretener y contar una buena historia, del género que sea. Pero si ni siquiera se puede encontrar eso, es una decepción. 

Quizás por eso, el personaje de Nelly en esta versión de Cumbres borrascosas sea de los más fuertes. Cuando en un punto del relato el personaje quiere que todo lo que está sucediendo entre Heathcliff y Catherine termine de una buena vez y frustrada, hace todo lo que puede para cortar el vínculo, es difícil no sentirse identificado. (Nicolás Tabárez in El Observador) (Translation)

 Bad films are one thing, but to introduce an entire generation to Brontë’s brilliant novel with this nonsense is a travesty. The only redeeming feature in the whole sorry affair is the score by Charlie XCX. Mesmerising and discordant, it alone reflects the novel’s mood, with a darkness that should have been swirling across the moors into Cathy and Heathcliff’s blood. Unfortunately for the film-goer this mood remains confined to the music. Perhaps if Fennell had followed the example of Kate Bush and condensed her movie into a three-minute music video, she may have been more successful. (Lucy Nichols in Counterfire)

 In the film, though, Heathcliff is white. And worse, the two main impediments to the romance plot are people of color. Instead of a story about the brutalizing force of racism, Fennell gives us a story about how an effete Asian man (Edgar Linton, played by Shazad Latif) and a scheming Asian woman (Nelly Dean, played by Hong Chau) separate the destined white lovers. 

I doubt this is exactly what Fennell meant to say. But Heathcliff’s skin color is very apparent in the book and has certainly been much discussed in academic and pop culture criticism. A director smart enough to understand and respond to so many of the film’s themes could have, and should have, engaged with its racial aspects as well. The fact that she didn’t mars the film irreparably. (Noah Bertlatsky in Chicago Reader)

This book was quite literally shaved down to bits and pieces, appealing to the mass media. To do that, this movie becomes overtly sexual, simple in concept, and purely aesthetic. 

Don’t get me wrong, the soundtrack is good, and the cinematography is beautiful. But this isn’t ‘Wuthering Heights’. 

Every time this movie is called that, I feel Emily Brontë roll over in her grave. (Ronin Vasquez in HerCampus)

 However, I truly cannot shake the feeling that Fennell clung to Brontë's ‘Wuthering Heights’ as an excuse to use the beautiful backdrops of Yorkshire and the complex, twisted love story of Cathy and Heathcliff to create something nicely wrapped in time for Valentine's Day.

I think if it had been its own movie - inspired by but not dictated by - the title and story of Wuthering Heights, it could have been an excellent watch. It didn't need to be an adaptation of Brontë's book; therefore, it didn't need to split characters into civilised and uncivilised purely by accent. It didn't really need to be set in Yorkshire at all. (Lyra Auld in Yorkshire Live)

 Never before now have I felt so uncomfortable during the process of watching a movie, but I would be remiss not to mention the film’s limited redeeming qualities. The cinematography, much like Fennell’s other works, is impressive on occasion. The soundtrack of “Wuthering Heights,” produced by artist Charli xcx, is listenable in a vacuum, though its poor placement within the movie often acts to the scene’s tonal detriment.

1/5 – If looking for a good romance, a good adaptation or a good film, look elsewhere.

I could not recommend this film under any circumstances. Especially if you happen to be a fan of Emily Brontë’s novel, stay away by all means. There are far better romances, and far better films in theaters currently. (Foster Mayhall in The Auburn Plainsman)

 If you hold any kind of literary purity, then “Wuthering Heights” is not for you. But we don’t need another stuffy adaptation of a 19th century gothic romance, and it’s much better and more accessible to have what Fennell gives: a modernized feminist remix of Brontë’s classic that incorporates modern sexual sensibility into the classic story.

Fennell, whose previous work includes Promising Young Woman (2020) and Saltburn (2023), seems to think that subtlety is for cowards, and while that approach would not work for a typical Wuthering Heights adaptation, it certainly works for this one. “Wuthering Heights” is so trashy it almost becomes goofy, but for the audience it’s aiming for and for its commitment to the tone it’s striking, it is very good trash. (Jim Hunter in Tristate Homepage)

 It's a "spectacle" of the highest order, but beneath the gorgeous gowns and the "bodice-ripping" sex scenes, some might find the heart of the story has been traded for pure, unadulterated "ragebait" provocation.

Is it a masterpiece? Probably not. Is it a "must-watch" cinematic event that will have everyone talking at the water cooler on Monday? Absolutely.

Fennell has crafted a "Wuthering Heights" for the Instagram generation: high on atmosphere, drenched in desire, and utterly unapologetic about its own excesses. (New Straits Times)

 There are a number of elements that make Bronte’s novel a commanding literary presence. It’s about personal trauma, spousal cheating, paternal abuse, jealousy, violence, anger, and outcasts from a society that believes in walls between the classes. In the case of the book, one of the walls is bleak and utterly racist. Did Fennell misinterpret the novel? I find that doubtful. The answer is that she is a fearless director who willingly marches to the beat of her own drum. Her talent is prodigious. Ultimately, Fennell’s missteps mean “Wuthering Heights” isn’t compelling enough to wholeheartedly recommend. (Michael Calleri in The Daily Star)

The film's hair and make-up designer Siân Miller, shares her approach to crafting Cathy's looks in Harper's Bazaar. Nine, Chilango recommend reading Jane Eyre if you loved Wuthering Heights. Infobae talks about when Wuthering Heights as published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell...well, the website says Ellis Bay. Fama (México) talks about three of the Mexican telenovelas that adapted (sort of) Wuthering Heights: Encadenados (1988, 180 episodes), Triunfo del Amor (2010, 176 episodes), Lo que la Vida me Robó (2013, 197 episodes. Purewow gives you 'Wuthering Heights'-Inspired Pieces to get Margot Robbie's look.

Andi Zeisler in Salon connects the Gen Z increasing love of yearning with Wuthering Heights:

Generationally, the Zs don’t seem to share much common ground with “Wuthering Heights” author Emily Brontë. But the 1847 novel, her only published work, could be considered the ur-text of yearning. So it makes sense that members of Gen Z are among those most amped for “Saltburn” writer-director Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” which opened just in time, the trailer makes sure to note, for Valentine’s Day. (...)

There might even be a case to be made that Emily Brontë herself found yearning preferable to a flesh-and-blood love; it’s definitely one reason why many Brontë fans were salty that 2022’s fictionalized biopic “Emily” retconned the origin story so that Brontë herself had an obsessive love affair. What if this iteration of “Wuthering Heights” exists precisely because it’s comforting to think the happiest ending is made possible by a nonexistent beginning? Would that really be so bad? I don’t think so, but it also doesn’t matter: In times this uncertain, yearning doesn’t have to signal the absence of something real.

Sophie Gilbert in The Atlantic, on the other hand, thinks that the film is part of the current trend of infantilizing everything (everyone is 12, now):

In some ways, that Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is this vacuous and one-dimensional feels like progress. Male directors get to make big, unserious epics all the time. (“How many times have you watched Top Gun: Maverick?” I asked my husband last night. “This month?” he replied.) Fennell, whose film made $83 million at the global box office during opening weekend, is at least proving, with sticky aplomb, how starved we as a culture are for romance. Margot Robbie, the movie’s co-star and one of its producers, has shrugged off mixed reviews; she told Vogue Australia, “I believe you should make movies for the people who are going to buy tickets to see the movies. It’s as simple as that. I love working with Emerald because she always prioritizes an emotional experience over a heady idea.” In other words, Wuthering Heights is simply giving the people what they want. And the people are 12.

Collider goes to the box office results of the film:

The movie's official Rotten Tomatoes score has been in free-fall. It debuted in the low-70s, but has now dropped into "rotten" territory for the first time in its run. Wuthering Heights is currently sitting at a 59% score, with a critics' consensus that reads, "Liberally adapting Emily Brontë's classic story with a heavy dose of carnality and chic stylization, Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights might not be the stuff of high literature, but it is a visually vibrant pleasure." (...)

On the eve of entering its second weekend of release, Wuthering Heights passed the coveted $100 million mark at the worldwide box office. Most impressively, the domestic-to-overseas ratio is quite encouraging; the movie has grossed $45 million stateside and another $68 million from international markets for a cumulative worldwide haul of nearly $120 million. (Rohan Naahar)

Daily Mail continues to announce the tourism apocalypse descending over Haworth:

Local traders told the Daily Mail how they are drawing up plans for an unprecedented influx of day-trippers and holidaymakers from around the world - which experts estimate will bring in well over one million visitors by the end of the summer.

Not everyone seems happy. There are mutterings of 'overtourism' while the village's steep and narrow streets have long been plagued with parking chaos and traffic gridlock.

One local historian has also highlighted how some bewildered visitors have shown up assuming the village - which is home to 6,259 residents - is 'not real' believing it to be 'some sort of Disneyland'. (Mark Branagan)

Now, reviews of Charli XCX's album:

 Charli’s 12-track album is haunting and spellbinding. It’s also full of different ways to die because your other half has either left you, might leave you, or has you so dick-drunk and trauma-bonded that you’re spiritually flatlining. I’m obsessed. 

On every track, I can feel myself transforming into a lovesick British woman on the verge of losing her sanity because she doesn’t have a job, responsibilities, or literally anything else to think about besides this guy. (Complimentary.) So let’s rank the very best ways to die at the hands of your tall, dark, handsome, and equally distressed lover, who ideally has an accent, just as Emily Brontë would have wanted. (Lauren Tousignant in Jezebel)

 Coming off the release of her global phenomenon album “Brat”, Charli XCX has returned with a new studio album titled “Wuthering Heights”, named after the Emily Brontë romance novel from 1847. This album also serves as the official soundtrack for the movie starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, which was released this past Friday, February 13th.

For fans of Charli’s older music, this is absolutely a different style than her usual hyperpop, club, and dance music, yet it still feels very on-brand for her as an artist.

Featuring a very harsh, classical string section in almost every song on the album, this was crafted with the movie's time period heavily in mind, while being sprinkled in with Charli’s usual auto-tune styled vocals, and some occasional echoey, atmospheric sounds. (Nick Myers in Penn State Student Media)

The Torch thinks that Jane Eyre is a book that every college student should read:

“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë contains the original 1847 “girl boss.” It is a foundational Gothic novel, but above all, it is a timeless example of a coming of age story. 

We follow Jane across 20 years of her life, from her time at an oppressive boarding school to ultimate self-discovery. She encounters several obstacles along the way, but consistently prioritizes her freedom. A romance is a major plotline in the novel, but it is always clear that it is primarily Jane’s story as an individual. 

“Jane Eyre” serves as an inspiring tale of perseverance and growth, encouraging women to choose themselves when necessary. She is a relatable heroine that modern readers will love and get to know deeply. (Alexandra Prettitore)

The Brontë Sisters UK publishes a video arguing how Wuthering Heights's perception changes as you get older and re-read it. On the Behind the Glass podcast 

Mia and Sam are joined by Professor Corinne Fowler. Corinne is an Honorary Professor of Colonialism and Heritage at the University of Leicester and author of Our Island Stories: Country Walks Through Colonial Britain.

We chat about the Museum's 2026 exhibition, The Colonial Brontës, which Corinne has co-curated; discussing how Empire influenced the Brontës' writing and the origins of Emily's character Heathcliff...