This Lunar New Year holiday truly offers plenty of films to choose from
Following The Man Who Lives with the King, which has already surpassed three million viewers and is on its way to four,
today I watched Wuthering Heights,
the latest adaptation of the classic novel by Emily Brontë
<Title>
From the novel onward, this story has been known in Korean as “Wuthering Heights.”
The original title of both the book and the film is Wuthering Heights
The setting is late 18th-century Yorkshire, England
“Wuthering” is a regional dialect term meaning stormy or windswept
while “Heights” refers to an elevated place or a house on high ground
Taken literally, the title suggests something like “the house on the storm-beaten hill”
It is also the name of the Earnshaw family’s estate, home to characters like Catherine and Heathcliff
The title not only reflects the characteristics of the Yorkshire landscape,
but also feels perfectly suited to the harsh, isolated, and often violent atmosphere depicted in the story
<Visual Style & Mise-en-Scène>
This film is a perfect match for anyone who appreciates period pieces and striking mise-en-scène
The atmosphere of late 18th-century England and its vast, windswept moors
The rough, isolated Earnshaw estate, Wuthering Heights,
contrasted with the refined and composed world of Thrushcross Grange, the Linton family home
Spaces that match each of their respective characteristics
Lavish costumes, intricate accessories, and carefully chosen props
Remarkable contrasts shaped through the control of light,
and beautiful color and framing
It’s a truly, truly beautiful film, rich with visuals and overflowing with elegance
I was especially struck by the scene where Cathy leaves for her wedding,
and the final moment when Heathcliff walks to the room to see her
Among all the gorgeous frames in the film,
those were the most breathtaking and the ones that stayed with me
<Adaptation>
I watched the film without having read the original novel
While browsing through audience reactions,
I noticed that opinions on the adaptation were the most sharply divided
Looking into it a bit further, the original story spans two generations and follows a rather intricate narrative
The film, however, reshapes several elements and places its primary focus on Catherine and Heathcliff
At the same time, the portrayal and nuances of these two central characters differ quite noticeably from the source material
One particularly significant omission is Catherine’s ghostly presence, which plays an important role in the novel but is absent here due to the film’s narrative choices
When adapting a literary work, filmmakers can take very different approaches
Some remain almost entirely faithful to the original, while others reinterpret or modify parts of it
For this version of Wuthering Heights, director Emerald Fennell has mentioned that one of her key intentions
was to translate the intensely personal and private feelings she experienced when first reading the novel at fourteen onto the screen
<Review>
While the film undeniably stands out for its lavish mise-en-scène, rich colors, and beautiful direction,
I personally found it somewhat disappointing
The biggest reason was my difficulty with emotional connection and immersion
The themes themselves — fatal love, destructive passion, the tension between reality and desire, even questions about the purpose of life —
were certainly compelling
I could understand, and at times even sympathize with, the kind of love Cathy and Heathcliff speak of
Yet I struggled to relate to the way that love manifested — often resembling obsession, compulsion, and emotional fixation
Because of that, I found it hard to fully invest in the characters or lose myself in the story
Watching the film also led me to reflect on a few things
Whether one truly possesses the ability to choose their own fate, as Heathcliff attempts to do
Whether, like Isabella, we sometimes make decisions by focusing on a single appealing aspect while ignoring everything else
Or whether, like Cathy, we can become trapped by past choices, unable to let them go
Interestingly, compared to The Man Who Lives with the King, which felt emotionally familiar and accessible to me,
Wuthering Heights gave almost the opposite impression
It felt less like watching a conventional romance
and more like visually reading a tragic, windswept love story set in late 18th-century Yorkshire
If you’re someone who enjoys being captivated by stunning visuals and atmosphere,
this interpretation of Wuthering Heights is well worth experiencing_!
