Review of Wuthering Heights (1992) by Steven H — 01 Aug 2013

Heathcliff (Fiennes): "I pray one prayer, I repeat it till my tongue stiffens. Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you, haunt me, then!... Be with me always, take any form, drive me mad, only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!... I cannot live without my life. I cannot live without my soul.".

God I love Ralph Fiennes but even he cannot quell my hatred of this story, I only watched this because of him and I must admit this version of the story made Heathcliff less vile and more sympathetic since it highlights the torture he had to endure during his childhood at the hands of his adopted brother, Hindley Earnshaw. Juliette Binoche also made Cathy less dumb and more child-like, so her choice to marry Linton seemed less selfish but more because she wants someone to be able to care of her, much like a orphan longing for a parent and she was too short-sighted to see that Heathcliff could possibly provide for her in the future especially when Edgar Linton was already so wealthy in the present. But as I've stated before, there is still a lot in this story that is just plain stupid: Isabella Linton running away with Heathcliff especially after he tells her he's a villain and not to be trusted; Cathy already married to Edgar flirts with Heathcliff but at the same time rejects him; Edgar Linton tolerating Heathcliff's attentions towards his then wife, Cathy. All very stupid people making extraordinarily stupid decisions. But this film has softened the story so much and romanticized Heathcliff and Cathy's relationship that it's difficult to get infuriated by the main character's lack of common sense and decorum.