Directed by:
Andrea ArnoldCinematography:
Robbie RyanCast:
James Howson, Kaya Scodelario, Nichola Burley, Oliver Milburn, Paul Hilton, Steve Evets, Solomon Glave, Shannon Beer, Lee Shaw, Amy Wren, James NorthcoteVOD (1)
Plots(1)
Andrea Arnold directs this gritty, pared-down version of Emily Brontë's classic Gothic novel. Heathcliff (Solomon Glave/James Howson), a runaway slave boy, is brought back to the Earnshaws' isolated, wind-blown moorland farm from the streets of Liverpool. Brought up together in this unforgiving landscape, Heathcliff and his adoptive sister, Cathy (Shannon Beer/Kaya Scodelario), become attached to one another on a primitive and instinctual level that transcends the bond of sibling or lover. When Cathy is reluctantly married off to insipid local landowner Edgar Linton (James Northcote), Heathcliff is cruelly abused and later thrown out by his brutish adoptive brother, Hindley (Lee Shaw). He eventually returns rich, embittered and still craving his beloved Cathy. (Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (1)
In many ways, this really worked for me: Arnold captured the perfectly romantic sensuality, spontaneity, the urge to destroy and obsession with harsh nature, while perfectly translating them into contemporary language with his unmistakable visual style (detail, frenetic camera, unique work with depth of field and raw mood swings). The first half is almost perfect - emotions flow from the speechless interplay of the main characters and the landscape. The second part is a little more laborious - that which used to be based on the shots themselves is suddenly laboriously grafted there (also through redundant retrospectives) and Arnold does not show much storytelling dexterity - the story falls apart and emotional eruptions are awkwardly screwed, manneristically staged... the precise rhythm of the "children's" part also falls apart. But it is definitely not possible to marginalize this film. Although it does not develop many hints and remains indebted to some attempts to update it, it is still a degree bolder and more stimulating than Fukunaga's Jane Eyre. I'm kind of romantically torn by it... which is okay for an adaptation of a romantic work, with a film by one of my favorite filmmakers for a change to be considered...
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