Wuthering Heights (1970)

Withering Heights
This DVD arrived in perfect condition. I have been looking for this movie for a long time, and was happy to find it on Amazon. Again, great service!!

Best of the three Hollywood versions
Of the three I think this one is closest to the "spirit" of the book, if not the plot. All three movies butcher the plot. The difference being that anyone watching this version who knows nothing of the book can leave satisfied. The film does make sense even if it's inaccurate.

My biggest gripe is Dalton being made up to look like Spock from Star Trek! I guess he's supposed to look "elvish" - doesn't work.I keep expecting him to say "Captain Cathrine. That is not logical." He also does some real hammy over acting in a few scenes.

Calder-Marshall does the best job as Cathrine, especially as a half-feral child. Of the three she's the only one I could picture ruuning around in a storm - enjoying it!

By far the best Hindley and Nelly. Both are allowed to be personalities instead of being living props to mouth dialogue.

The original Laurence Oliver version is another 1930's Hollywood Costume Drama. You can stick scenes from "Gone with the Wind" (a better movie) and they would fit. (Mayby someones done this on YouTube. Scarlet Cathy and Heathcliff Butler in Wuthering Wind.)

The Daniel Day-Lewis version is just plain bad. To much skipping around. Also they just look silly as adults playing as children. (The Coffin scene is good though!)

I don't think we will get a true adabtion of the novel untill its done as a mini-series.

This is the one to own
I first saw this movie back in the 70's and fell in love with the movie - way before I read the book. After reading the book, I realized they left so much out, so I've watched the other 3 movies I know of to see if they better matched the book (Olivier, Fiennes and that BBC Theatre version). After just an hour of the latter (it was poorly done and badly cast), I realized that there could be no better actor than Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff. Perfectly portrayed as the dark, tall, handsome gypsy - tower of physical strength - which is important in the story. He and Anna Calder as Catherine are excelent in this movie. Such passion and fire are evident and spill out of their souls in their acting - the movie may not follow the books' story to point, but it's the best one yet. I sobbed with such emotion in watching this movie... I felt every tormented word and malicious act portrayed by each character -- I definitely recommend it if you're a WH fan !