Chat with usThe New “Wuthering Heights” Film Adaptation
(This is not your high school English required reading)
In 2024, it was announced that Emerald Fennell, director of award-winning films like Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, would direct a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
Almost immediately, the announcement sparked controversy. As more photos and sneak peeks surfaced of the film’s two lead actors, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, longtime fans of the novel began to question just how faithful this adaptation would be.
When a photo from the wedding scene leaked, featuring a modern dress, it became clear that this version of Wuthering Heights would be a significant departure from its source material.
We’re diving into the difference between the book, the new adaptation, and what we can learn from Wuthering Heights about unhealthy relationships, and toxic love.
The Classic Novel
Wuthering Heights, now considered a literary classic, was first published in 1847. It remains Emily Brontë’s first and only novel, known for its intense themes of love, obsession, revenge, and social class.
The story centers on Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff and is set against the bleak Yorkshire moors. Catherine deeply loves Heathcliff, a dark-skinned man whose outsider status plays a crucial role in the story. Ultimately, Catherine chooses social status over love and marries another man. Heartbroken and consumed by anger, Heathcliff leaves, only to return years later wealthy and determined to exact revenge on those who wronged him.
The novel is dark, emotional, and deeply psychological, far from a light romance.
Emerald Fennel’s Interpretation
The new film is titled “Wuthering Heights”, quotation marks included. Fennell has explained that this choice is intentional and meant to signal that the film is an interpretation rather than a direct adaptation of the novel.
In an interview with Fandango, Fennell said, “You can’t adapt a book as dense and complicated and difficult as this book. I can’t say I’m making Wuthering Heights. It’s not possible.”
In other words, this film is Wuthering Heights… and it isn’t.
From the 1939 film to BBC miniseries and modern television adaptations, Wuthering Heights has been reimagined many times, with each version choosing to emphasize different aspects of Brontë’s story.
Still, this latest interpretation has drawn criticism.
Fans Criticize New “Wuthering Heights” Film
Fans have complained that in the novel, Heathcliff’s ethnicity, being described as “dark-skinned”, plays a pivotal role, and casting a white actor like Elordi takes away from the original themes.
Others have complained about the eroticism of the movie. In the novel, there is no explicit sexual content or relations between the main characters. While there is certainly sexual tension and themes of romantic obsession, the movie veers off this in its onscreen depiction.
What Wuthering Heights Teaches Us About Unhealthy Love
Despite being adapted to a romance, Wuthering Heights is more as a cautionary tale than a love story. Heathcliff and Catherine’s connection is intense, but it is also marked by obsession, control, and emotional harm. Their story highlights how passion without emotional safety can quickly become destructive.
At For Every Woman, we believe it is important to talk honestly about relationships, especially the difference between intense romance and healthy, stable love. Stories like this can help women recognize unhealthy dynamics and encourage deeper reflection on emotional well-being, boundaries, and agency.
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Should You Read the Book or Watch the Movie?
If you are looking for a dramatic, visually striking, slightly scandalous romance to watch with your friends, the movie may be worth seeing. Just do not go in expecting a faithful adaptation of the novel.
If you are more interested in what Emily Brontë originally intended, reading the book is the better choice. That said, you can absolutely do both. Just know going in that the movie is not the book, and it is not trying to be.
Stories like Wuthering Heights can open important conversations about women’s emotional health, relationships, and autonomy. And those conversations matter. At For Every Woman, we believe women deserve stories, support, and information that empower them to understand boundaries, safety, and real love.
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