Wuthering Heights (TV 2009)
Since Wuthering Heights is one of the most interesting novels of the Romantic Movement I've ever read, I'm obviously very curious when a new movie adaptation sees the light. So, I was all eyes and ears when the first episode of two was on Belgian TV last Saturday (or was it Friday?) Anyway, I watched it...
I was disappointed. The shots of the landscape were beautiful, certainly, the interiors were fine, the music too, as well as the cast (although...). No, it's the script! It sucks. I really don't mind it when script writers take liberties. That's normal and most of the time necessary, but in this case this powerful story about an extraordinary, intense and passionate, life transgressing love between two young persons - wild and untamed as the landscape in which the story takes place - becomes a sloppy hard to follow mess in which the story bounces back and forth all the time. Apart from that, important scenes from the book are simply left out, such as Cathy's death bed, and the visitor to whom Ellen tells the story. Such a shame. When I read it, I am that visitor, I want to be him and... shiver... :))
This poor script reminded me of Andrew Davies utterly absurd script (at least partly) for the 2007 adaptation of "A Room With a View". Unnecessary changes which do not improve the story in any way. As far as the cast is concerned, Tom Hardy as Heathcliff is too beautiful; his face, his mouth are too soft. He simply doesn't come across as the bitter revengeful cruel man he's supposed to be. And Cathy, played by the beautiful Charlotte Riley, is too sweet, too kind. She lacks this wildness and ruthlessness of the Cathy in the book.
Pity, the makers turned this little disturbing mystery of world literature into a rather cheap simple historical romance that's easy on the 21st century eye. But perhaps that's exactly what the viewer wants, who knows?
I'll probably won't skip the second episode, I'm curious enough, but I already long to re-watch the 1992 adaptation with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche and the fabulous 1998 one with Robert Cavanah and Orla Brady.
I was disappointed. The shots of the landscape were beautiful, certainly, the interiors were fine, the music too, as well as the cast (although...). No, it's the script! It sucks. I really don't mind it when script writers take liberties. That's normal and most of the time necessary, but in this case this powerful story about an extraordinary, intense and passionate, life transgressing love between two young persons - wild and untamed as the landscape in which the story takes place - becomes a sloppy hard to follow mess in which the story bounces back and forth all the time. Apart from that, important scenes from the book are simply left out, such as Cathy's death bed, and the visitor to whom Ellen tells the story. Such a shame. When I read it, I am that visitor, I want to be him and... shiver... :))
This poor script reminded me of Andrew Davies utterly absurd script (at least partly) for the 2007 adaptation of "A Room With a View". Unnecessary changes which do not improve the story in any way. As far as the cast is concerned, Tom Hardy as Heathcliff is too beautiful; his face, his mouth are too soft. He simply doesn't come across as the bitter revengeful cruel man he's supposed to be. And Cathy, played by the beautiful Charlotte Riley, is too sweet, too kind. She lacks this wildness and ruthlessness of the Cathy in the book.
Pity, the makers turned this little disturbing mystery of world literature into a rather cheap simple historical romance that's easy on the 21st century eye. But perhaps that's exactly what the viewer wants, who knows?
I'll probably won't skip the second episode, I'm curious enough, but I already long to re-watch the 1992 adaptation with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche and the fabulous 1998 one with Robert Cavanah and Orla Brady.