Wuthering Heights

Director: William Wyler William Wyler

Overview

Growing up together in 19th-century Yorkshire, Heathcliff and Cathy form a deep bond. In young adulthood, Cathy wounds the penniless Heathcliff by marrying into wealth, and his obsession with revenge leads to tragedy. Laurence Olivier is brilliant as the brooding Heathcliff in this poetic adaptation of Emily Bronte's novel.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/10/2020
UPC:	0883929727384
Original Release:	1939
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:44:00
Sales rank:	16,177

Special Features

Interview with costar Geraldine Fitzgerald; Original theatrical trailer; English SDH subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Merle Oberon	Cathy Linton
Laurence Olivier	Heathcliff
David Niven	Edgar Linton
Geraldine Fitzgerald	Isabella Linton
Donald Crisp	Dr. Kenneth
Flora Robson	Ellen Dean
Hugh Williams	Hindley Earnshaw
Leo G. Carroll	Joseph
Cecil Humphreys	Judge Linton
Miles Mander	Lockwood
Sarita Wooten	Cathy as a Child
Rex Downing	Heathcliff as a Child,Giles
Douglas Scott	Hindley as a Child
Cecil Kellaway	Mr. Earnshaw
Romaine Callender	Robert
Helena Grant	Miss Hudkins
Susanne Leach	Guest
Tommy Martin	Little Boy
Schuyler Standish	Little Boy
William Stelling	Dancer
Harold Entwistle	Beadle
Mme. Alice Ahlers	Frau Johann
Frank Benson	Heathcliffe Servant
Eric Wilton	Linton Servant
Major Sam Harris	Wedding Guest
Alfred Newman	Composer
Michel Legrand	Composer

Technical Credits

Ben Hecht

Charles MacArthur

William Wyler	Director
Ben Hecht	Screenwriter
Charles MacArthur	Screenwriter
Samuel Goldwyn	Producer
Jewell Jordan Mason	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

Together with Gone With the Wind, Wuthering Heights represents the pinnacle of 1930s Hollywood romanticism. Laurence Olivier's contemptuous treatment of Merle Oberon in the film may have been partly heartfelt: He had wanted the great love of his life, Vivien Leigh, to play Cathy, but producer Samuel Goldwyn didn't see things that way, especially since Gone With the Wind had not yet established Leigh as a star of international magnitude. Though director William Wyler, cinematographer Gregg Toland, and art director James Basevi convincingly re-create the storm-tossed moors of Yorkshire, Wuthering Heights was filmed in California's Conejo Hills with extensive "exterior" work within studio walls. The last image, of Heathcliffe and Cathy joyously walking hand in hand into the hereafter, is a bit of audience-pleasing idiocy which Wyler was dead set against: Neither he nor stars Olivier and Oberon participated in this scene (the actors were replaced by their stand-ins). Despite this artistic gaffe, Wuthering Heights is a well-nigh perfect example of studio-system moviemaking. The 1970 remake, which in the fashion of its time alludes to an incestuous relationship between Heathcliff and Cathy, is pretty to look at, but nowhere near as satisfying as the original.