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Wuthering Heights

Play trailer Poster for Wuthering Heights Released Apr 13, 1939 1h 43m Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In this adaptation of the classic Emily Bronte novel set in 19th-century England, wealthy young Cathy Earnshaw (Merle Oberon) shares a loving bond with Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier), a poor childhood friend who now works in her stables. Unfortunately, things become complicated when the affluent Edgar Linton (David Niven) decides to pursue Cathy, and Heathcliff leaves out of resentment. Though Heathcliff returns with a self-made fortune, he realizes he may have lost Cathy in his absence.
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Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

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Critics Consensus

Sumptuous design and perfect casting makes Wuthering Heights an exemplar of old Hollywood studio filmmaking, even if to a fault.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: 4/5 Jun 19, 2003 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Emily Bronte's novel tells a haunting tale of love and tragedy. Samuel Goldwyn's film version retains all of the grim drama of the book. It's heavy fare throughout. Feb 13, 2001 Full Review Zita Short InSession Film Gregg Toland’s extraordinary black and white cinematography creates a haunting, poignant effect. Feb 1, 2023 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia As a period melodrama I find it quite moving because of the way Wyler makes notes on prejudice, social class and impossible love, with great performances and a very luminous visual style from Toland. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 7/10 Jun 9, 2021 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Destined for immediate success due to a stellar cast and a powerful story based on the lauded novel. Rated: 10/10 Aug 1, 2020 Full Review Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) This tells this story about as well as you can with great chemistry and beautiful music Feb 26, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Rare T Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier’s chemistry is so strong that not only do they meticulously convey the feeling of being in love, but they also make it feel as realistic as if it were in real life, even as if the audience was feeling it. Only Jean Arthur and Charles Boyer had come close to a chemistry like this in History Is Made at Night (1937). Once that feeling is established, that’s where the magic of the rest of the movie happens. So one has to feel it to understand the strength of the story, regardless of having had read the book or not. And it’s no surprise that above all, Wuthering Heights won an Academy Award for its cinematography. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/12/24 Full Review Leaburn O Never read the book but damned that’s actually a decent plot for a period piece and the film was excellent with a stellar cast all putting in good turns. Watched on Amazon Prime. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/08/24 Full Review Ebony C As a lover of the book this movie wasn't great. Entirely deleting 3 main characters, taking many liberties with the story and creating brand new plot devices instead of those from the books is maddening. Heathcliff slapping Cathy (oh my god) and Cathy not being elated at his return grieved me the most. Having said all of that, the film making was impeccable and the for the most part the casting was good. If you look at the movie to stand alone from the book then it worth the watch. Knowing the story as well as I do though, it is really quite distracting. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/18/23 Full Review MissMK - One of my all-time favorite movies since I was a little girl. My Grandmother was a big movie buff and introduced me to so many classics that are forever embedded into how I gauge and interpret films. It also made me want to act at a young age. Everyone's performance in this was so believable and full of every emotion needed to be perceived in each scene. The father's love but detachment, her brother's depression, her confusion and war of emotions within herself. Societal issues and more.... If you haven't watched this original yet, get to it. It's a story you will not forget. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/16/23 Full Review acsdoug D Bronte's story is not one of my favorites, but this is an excellent production, although because they cut out the second half of the book the ending feels rather rushed. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/03/23 Full Review IBA A My favourite Actor of all time. LAWERENCE OLIVIER 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Wuthering Heights

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this adaptation of the classic Emily Bronte novel set in 19th-century England, wealthy young Cathy Earnshaw (Merle Oberon) shares a loving bond with Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier), a poor childhood friend who now works in her stables. Unfortunately, things become complicated when the affluent Edgar Linton (David Niven) decides to pursue Cathy, and Heathcliff leaves out of resentment. Though Heathcliff returns with a self-made fortune, he realizes he may have lost Cathy in his absence.
Director
William Wyler
Producer
Samuel Goldwyn
Screenwriter
Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Samuel Goldwyn Production, United Artists
Genre
Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 13, 1939, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$593.9K
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Surround
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