To keep literature relevant in the 21st century, today’s solution is to take a captivatingly good read and transform it into a big, money-making motion picture. Adaptations from page to screen make it more accessible than ever to experience a great story without having to ever open a page. Since novels are adapted to allure modern audiences, how far can creative liberty be pushed before diminishing the intent of the original text?
Successful film adaptations have the power to solidify popularity and fandoms. Whilst modern books adaptations such as The Hunger Games and Harry Potter easily engage audiences, classic novels are challenging to portray accurately and entice modern viewers. Take Jane Austen’s beloved ‘Pride and Prejudice’, which was successfully adapted into the 1995 series starring Colin Firth. This version is widely accepted as the most accurate adaptation, refusing to omit from the novel or its 19th century era. The 2005 film differs by embellishing modern aspects yet is popular for its cinematography. Netflix’s upcoming series aims for a faithful adaptation, recognising that successful films of well-known novels credit the original text.
Following the release of the “Wuthering Heights” trailer on the 3rd of September, die-hard Emily Brontë fans are outraged. Controversial director, Emerald Fennell, has adapted this canonised, gothic novel into a highly anticipated film, purposefully set to release in time for Valentine’s Day on the 13th of February, 2026. This hints at Fennell’s unique film style; erotic, raunchy and bound to leave you stunned in your seat.
Fennell’s divisive a-list cast unpopularly don’t resemble their characters’ descriptions. Margot Robbie is displaced in a flouncy, late 20th century wedding dress, with her blonde hair juxtaposing Catherine’s ‘dark beauty’. Jacob Elordi, a Fennell favourite who starred in her infamous Saltburn, controversially portrays Heathcliff as a white man, despite his character being implied as ‘dark-skinned’.
The accuracy of Brontë’s text has gone out the window, and the cherry on top is pop artist Charli XCX’s Everything is romantic accompanying the trailer. “Wuthering Heights” in quotation marks being the film title arises speculations whether it could be a dreamlike perspective of someone reading and imagining themself within Wuthering Heights. With every choice sparking debate and intrigue, has Fennell intentionally diminished the integrity of Wuthering Heights in the name of creative expression?
Maggie Boccella, critic and editor of The Collider took to X in September 2024 to express her thoughts on Fennell’s announced film venture. ‘It is *painfully* obvious that Fennell doesn’t actually care about [Wuthering Heights’] themes’, claiming she intentionally created a ‘tortured lovers drama with a name that’ll put butts in seats’. Erasing otherness to glamourise a tortured romance hasn’t put Fennell’s name in the good books of Brontë fans.
Wuthering Heights’ twisted tale confronts social issues and differences which Fennell’s oversexualisation overlooks, demeaning Brontë’s macabre masterpiece as an obsessive love story. This eroticised adaptation may taint Wuthering Heights for future generations, connecting a beloved gothic tale with Fennell’s scandalous film.Despite the outrage and disgust surrounding “Wuthering Heights”, Emerald Fennell has certainly made the tale her own. The horror sparked by the trailer will undoubtedly entice self-proclaimed critics to their local cinema to justify their beratement. Whether this adaptation is a huge success or a massive failure, “Wuthering Heights” holds the future legacy of Emily Brontë’s work.
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