Sarah Gordon's Underdog: The Other Other Brontë opens in Chorley:
Written by Sarah Gordon Directed by Amber Walsh Main Stage Chorley Theatre, Dole Lane, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 2RL. February 23rd-28th
Charlotte Brontë has a confession about how one sister became an idol, and the other became known as the third sister. You know the one. No, not that one. The other, other one… Anne. This is not a story about well-behaved women. This is a story about the power of words. It’s about sisters and sisterhood, love and jealousy, support and competition. Sarah Gordon’s play is an irreverent retelling of the life and legend of the Brontë sisters, and the story of the sibling power dynamics that shaped their uneven rise to fame.
Director Amber Walsh says “through sharp humour and a knowing look at how history picks its favourites, the play looks at sibling rivalry, creativity, and the erasure of women writers from history.” “This is not a story about well-behaved women, it’s about the power of words, love and jealousy” (Ian Robinson)
A new retelling of Wuthering Heights:
by Essie Fox Orenda Books ISBN: 9781917764421 February 2026
The greatest tragic love story ever told – but this time, Catherine tells it herself. In Catherine, Essie Fox breathes new life into Wuthering Heights, transforming a gothic masterpiece into a haunting confession of obsession, madness and love that even death cannot end. With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley, Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude. Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge. Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption. Essie Fox’s Catherine reimagines Wuthering Heights with beauty and intensity – a haunting, atmospheric retelling that brings new life to a timeless classic and lays bare the dark heart of an immortal love.
According to The Mirror, Whitby is "UK town where every day is like a scene from Wuthering Heights": A view of Whitby Abbey framed by a whalebone arch under a cloudy sky, showcasing historical architecture in North Yorkshire, England. Sometimes, when a storm hits the UK, rain batters the pavements and wind whips the trees, it's easy to feel swept up in the kind of awe-inspiring conditions that helped Emily Brontë to write her classic novel, Wuthering Heights. There is a little town in Yorkshire, 100miles from Cathy and Heathcliff's home, but steeped in as much Gothic drama, where every day feels like you've tumbled into such dark Victorian melodrama. (...) If you walk along the coast from the nearby villages of Saltmoore and Sandsend, the gothic ruins stay within your sightline. Lucky hikers will get to see the sea fog - which locals used to believe was the fiery breath of a dragon - come in to cover the abbey. You'll feel like you're trekking the same paths Heathcliff did as he searched for Catherine's ghost, not least because Emerald Fennell's new film was shot about two hours away, in the Yorkshire Dales. (...) The most remarkable sight comes when you walk back towards Whitby, as when the fog clears, the Abbey can be seen looming through a gap between the cliffs. It's terrifying and awe-inspiring all at once. I felt drawn towards the ruins, much as Cathy is drawn to Heathcliff or as an entranced Lucy is drawn to Dracula. How could anyone resist such a terrible sight? (Yasmin Vince)
Some American students visit Hampstead for the first time in Ham & High: I was advised to visit Hill Garden and I’m so glad I did. The sun shone down on the terrace, and it was a nice place to sit and gather my thoughts after having walked around for a couple of hours. I’ve been reading Wuthering Heights in preparation for the new movie that’s coming out in a few days, and I couldn’t help but feel like Hill Garden came straight out of a Brontë novel. (Helena Sauriat) Elmira Tanatarova in the Daily Mail rewrites the Brontë story in pure Daily-Mail-tabloid style. Are you prepared? Here it comes with some helpful comments from our own: The brutal Brontës! Wuthering Heights author Emily beat up her dog, toothless Charlotte spitefully held back Anne's career and all three died close to their 30th birthdays... not to mention their opium addict brother. NO TEETH, NO MANNERS, NO MERCY: THE BRONTË SISTERS' HORRIFYING SECRET FACES REVEALED! The famous family of writers endured everything from opium addiction to water contaminated by a cemetery, as well as a string of tragically early deaths that saw three out of four siblings - including their only brother, Branwell - deceased within a year of one another, all close to their 30th birthdays. And their precocious beginnings are almost as well documented as their 'spiteful' attitudes, with biographers remarking on the sisters' history with animal abuse, disdain of young children and 'anger management issues'. As revealed by literary critic Claire Harman in Charlotte Brontë: A Life, there was also the matter of the sisters' 'plain' and 'poorly' appearance. According to the writer, Emily had a large protruding tooth, while Charlotte had hardly any teeth at all. Undersized and undernourished, she was described by her fellow novelist, Elizabeth Gaskell, as having a forehead that was 'square, broad and rather overhanging'. Emily, for one, while posted at Law Hill School in Halifax, reportedly said she 'preferred the company of the house dog' over her pupils, as shared by author Juliet Barker.
SHE WOULD RATHER CUDDLE A DOG THAN TEACH YOUR CHILD — AND SHE WASN'T SORRY! And while not as combustible as her sister, Charlotte wasn't to be trifled with either. When she taught at a girls' school in Brussels, she gave any student who displeased her a tremendous tongue-lashing. 'If those girls knew how I loathed their company, they would not seek mine as much as they do,' she wrote in her journal. In fact, several of her pupils seemed to have loathed her as much as she loathed them - one even threw a stone at her.
SHE CALLED HER OWN SISTER'S MASTERPIECE "A MISTAKE" — CHARLOTTE BRONTË'S UNHINGED BETRAYAL EXPOSED! Charlotte's family, it seems, were not immune from her criticisms. In an introduction to her sister Anne's second novel, Charlotte shared that 'Wildfell Hall it hardly appears to me desirable to preserve'. 'The choice of subject in that work is a mistake – it was too little consonant with the character – tastes and ideas of the gentle, retiring, inexperienced writer,' she continued. Historians have dubbed the jabs an attempt to 'consign her sister’s novel to oblivion'. Emily's temperament was also well known and has been a topic of discussion for historians - despite claims that Charlotte had tried to 'clean up' her sister's image posthumously.
And so on....
But this is not the worst sensationalist headline we read today. The Daily Star is not only concerned about the hordes of tourists descending upon Haworth... Sex-mad doggers are romping in the countryside that inspired Wuthering Heights As new raunchy film version of Wuthering Heights has just hit cinemas randy revellers are getting frisky where the Brontë sisters penned their acclaimed books. And we can reveal that randy revellers are getting frisky where the Brontë sisters penned their acclaimed books. There’s plenty of bodice-ripping action as lust-crazed couples invade the moors around the picturesque parish of Haworth for bawdy al-fresco frolics. (John Ward)
The New York Post highlights that " Wuthering Heights’ lives up to the hype, takes No. 1 at box office for second Friday in a row". Free Ex columnist Louise Perry and senior newsletter editor Emma Camp chat about the film in this Wall Street Journal clip. The South China Morning Post introduces Charlotte Mellington, who plays young Cathy in the film. The Sun interviews Jacob Elordi on, you know, hot scenes and all that: And Jacob reveals there was sizzling chemistry between him and Margot, who plays love-struck Cathy, from the moment they met. He said: “It’s like, ‘Action’ and it’s like a horse at the race track — straight out of the gates.” But he insists that sex scenes are actually “no different to choreo- graphing a fight scene or a dance sequence”, explaining: “It’s super- technical, especially the scene where, it’s not a sex scene, but where I’m on top [of Margot] with my hands — that’s choreographed because, in that kind of light, you only have so much space to move. (Nadia Cohen)
A (Leeds) reader of The Sunday Times defends Jacob Elordi's Yorkshire accent in the film. Most film adaptations of Wuthering Heights leave half the story untold. And while Emerald Fennell’s steamy adaptation may have caused a surge in sales of Emily Brontë’s novel, it is very much a different creation. The Easy Classics version follows the original far more literally. Still, more reviews of the film: However, the true failing of “Wuthering Heights” lies in its unwillingness to offer anything genuinely new. We are, perhaps, well past the cultural moment where explicit sex alone can pass for provocation. The shock value has dulled, and what remains feels curiously dated. The omission of the novel’s second half, a section frequently sacrificed in screen adaptations of Wuthering Heights, further positions this film as just another iteration: more polished, glamorous and decidedly raunchier than its predecessors, yet reluctant to meaningfully reinterpret its source material. The whirlwind sexual crescendo ultimately achieves little. Cathy’s fate is preordained and her death carries no tragic inevitability when the emotional groundwork has been hollowed out. Gothic literature thrives on transgression and repression: on the past’s refusal to remain buried. Strip away those tensions, and what remains is superficial. Here, the Gothic is reduced to aesthetic texture: wind-swept moors, crimson palettes, feverish bodies, a dark synth-pop soundtrack. Its spirit—moral rot, psychological cruelty, generational obsession—is conspicuously, and regrettably, absent. In the end, while “Wuthering Heights” may dazzle the eye, it hollowly fails to evoke Brontë’s corrosive psychological and social commentary in favour of lavish spectacle, sexualised shock, and aestheticised cruelty. ( Hannah Tang in Strand Magazine)
I am a deeply proud Northern lass, and not many media pieces ever acknowledge our little corner of the world. Emily Brontë and her sisters were deeply inspired by the Moors in which they resided. It influenced their writing and greatly impacted their local community for what is now well over the past 170 years. It saddens me that Emily’s deeply intelligent work is being passed off as what is essentially explicit fanfiction (seriously, what was up with kneading the bread?) If this piece wins any awards, I will be questioning Hollywood’s, obviously declining, sanity. (Lily Orton in HerCampus) Does all this contemporary hindsight into the fabric of Brontë’s epic novel make for a quintessential “Wuthering Heights?” Even allowing that such a thing were possible, probably not. While it presents a stylishly crafted and thrillingly cinematic take on this complex classic, richly enhanced by a superb and adventurous cast, it’s not likely to satisfy anyone looking for a faithful rendition, nor does it reveal a new angle from which the “romance” at its center looks anything other than toxic — indeed, it almost fetishizes the dysfunction. Even without the thorny debate around Heathcliff’s racial identity, there’s plenty here to prompt purists and revisionists alike to find fault with Fennell’s approach. Yet for those looking for a new window into to this perennial classic, and who are comfortable with the radical flourish for which Fennell is already known, it’s an engrossing and intellectually stimulating exploration of this iconic story in a way that exchanges comfortable familiarity for unpredictable chaos — and for cinema fans, that’s more than enough reason to give “Wuthering Heights” a chance. (John Paul King in Los Angeles Blade)
Robbie puts in the worst performance of her career by turning Catherine into a bratty, unbearable hypocrite; meanwhile, Elordi’s script must have only said, ”Stare maniacally”. The film also struggles with its presentation. So much of it feels like a scene from Alice in Wonderland, but without the charm. It’s drab and gross. Even the scenes in Edgar Linton’s mansion, which is supposed to be a grander-than-life setting, have an unsettling, unnatural sheen. It’s like the entire film was shot on a stage, but instead of sets, the film chooses to have a nasty greenscreen backdrop. Funnell committed a terrible practical joke by releasing this film on the weekend of Valentine’s Day. Every couple expecting an intimate, romantic depiction of a famous novel will instead be subjected to a cruel and unusual parody. The film is a miserable experience and is the first truly horrible movie of 2026. Wuthering Heights is showing in cinemas around the country. ( Jarryd Rowley in Region)
Then again, maybe Fennell is just having a laugh at our expense. If you want to watch a spiritually faithful adaptation of Wuthering Heights, complete with sexually charged graveyard visits, a decades-long real estate scheme, and uh, yearning in spades, Saltburn is already that movie. It’s hard not to suspect that Fennell, in her clever and cynical way, just wanted to see if she could get away with turning fantasy casting plucked from the recesses of Tumblr into a major motion picture. Because the only other explanation I can conjure for the gooey mess that is “Wuthering Heights” is that Fennell doesn’t realize her promising artistic vision has been cuckooed by something all too ordinary instead. (Nicole Penn in The Dispatch)
The film "Wuthering Heights" is an anti-love story that goes for visual feast and shock factor with the way the characters fulfilled their sexual fantasies rather than an exploration of a fierce love that defies class and convention. (Rachelle Siazon in Philippine Entertainment Portal) “Cumbres borrascosas”, el libro, el clásico, no se parece a nada porque lleva los vínculos al límite. Heathcliff no es un héroe trágico: es la violencia que una sociedad ejerce sobre él y la que él mismo reproduce, implacable. Catherine queda atrapada entre su deseo y la necesidad de encajar en un orden que la asfixia- Por eso el libro sigue ahí, embrujándonos a todos, y mucho más arriesgado que esta adaptación que le baja el voltaje y la convierte en una versión vistosa, hot y descremada. (Verónica Bonacchi in Diario Rio Negro) (Translation)
Brontë no buscaba la perfección romántica; creó un universo de pasión desmedida, de frustración y de tormento. Un amor áspero, inquietante, que deja el alma en desasosiego. La película, en cambio, parece desconfiar de la inteligencia del espectador, como si fuera necesario subrayarlo todo, explicarlo todo, hacerlo más evidente —incluso a través de escenas prescindibles— para garantizar su comprensión. El final, además, da la impresión de cerrar definitivamente la puerta a la continuación de la historia, como si la segunda generación nunca hubiera existido. En conclusión, si deseas disfrutar plenamente de la película, quizá sea mejor no haber leído la novela. Pero si lo que buscas es comprender la intensidad, la oscuridad y la complejidad del amor que imaginó Emily Brontë, entonces acude al libro… y no esperes demasiado de la película. (María Beatriz Muñoz Ruiz in Diario Sabemos) (Translation)
El resultado es una película que traiciona el espíritu del libro en nombre de una supuesta autenticidad. Porque el corazón de Cumbres borrascosas no es el sexo; es la imposibilidad. Es la herida abierta de un amor que no encuentra lugar en el mundo. Es el resentimiento que fermenta durante años. Es la crueldad que nace del abandono. La novela es violenta, pero su violencia es moral, psicológica, casi metafísica. Aquí, en cambio, la violencia se sexualiza. El dolor se erotiza. Y el espectador asiste a una saturación de escenas íntimas que no construyen personaje ni conflicto: solo ocupan tiempo. Y, sin embargo, la película ofrece una paradoja que la redime parcialmente. En su tramo final, cuando el frenesí carnal se agota y los cuerpos dejan de ocupar el centro del encuadre, algo cambia. De repente, el silencio vuelve a tener peso. Las palabras, esas grandes ausentes durante buena parte del metraje, recuperan su lugar. Los personajes hablan, se enfrentan, se reprochan, se reconocen. Y entonces, casi milagrosamente, la película encuentra la profundidad que había estado buscando a golpes de piel. Es en ese último acto -cuando el deseo ya no se expresa en sudor sino en diálogo- donde asoma la grandeza que el conjunto prometía. Las miradas pesan más que los cuerpos. Las frases hieren más que cualquier escena explícita. El dolor se verbaliza y, al hacerlo, adquiere una dimensión trágica que conecta, por fin, con el espíritu de la novela. Resulta irónico que la adaptación alcance su mejor momento precisamente cuando renuncia a su estrategia más insistente. (Amanda Ramos in El Plural) (Translation)
Mariana Enríquez also reviews the film for Página 12 (Argentina). And she goes straight to the major problems of the film: Una adaptación es una lectura, y las lecturas se definen no sólo por lo que se conserva del original, sino por lo que se elimina. Esa chica de 14 años, si le creemos a Fennell, quería más sexo, y por qué no. Cathy y Heathcliff se lo merecen. Pero hay muchas otras cosas que llevan al infierno en Cumbres Borrascosas, y acá es donde aparecen los lectores con el texto en la mano, porque esas otras cosas son esenciales y no están en la película, ni en texto ni en subtexto. Fennell decide que Heathcliff no sea un abusador, un golpeador y un hombre cruel. ¿Por qué? Heathcliff, de origen incierto, es una víctima de abusos, está tan dañado que se transformó en un monstruo vengativo y solo se hizo rico para destruir a quienes lo rechazaron, maltrataron, degradaron y aislaron. El Heathcliff de Fennell recibe una paliza, pide permiso hasta para besar y jamás resulta peligroso. ¿Por qué llamarlo Heathcliff, entonces? ¿Si no se suicida, es Ofelia la de Hamlet? Fennell también cambia a la esposa de Heathcliff, Isabella, que en la película tiene una relación sadomasoquista con él, más o menos consentida, y chistosa. Elegir como alivio cómico a una mujer en cuatro patas, atada a la chimenea de lo caliente que está con Jacob Elordi es una provocación, por supuesto. Pero resulta que en la novela, esa mujer, después de ser golpeada, y (seguro) violada y encerrada, logra escapar con siete meses de embarazo y tira su anillo a la chimenea de marras, y esto en 1847, cuando la esposa era propiedad del marido. Es muy radical. ¿Por qué convertirla en alguien de quien reírse? Los ejemplos pueden seguir, pero la decisión es clara: la tragedia está aplanada y sustituida por la historia de dos enamorados pasionales separados por las circunstancias y enloquecidos de deseo. En la novela, Heathcliff no vuelve en plan recuperar a su amada, regresa como una tormenta de odio que condensa y perpetúa toda la injusticia social que provocó su daño irreversible. No es cuestión de purismo.(...) A veces, ser ligero y provocador es un alivio, es frescura y fiesta, una forma de desafío al poder. Y otras veces, como en estas Cumbres borrascosas, esa ligereza resulta hueca y reaccionaria. ( Translation)
La visione di Fennell, innegabilmente personale, piena di gusto per l’iperbole e di forte intensità visiva, si scontra in definitiva con ciò che rende 'Cime tempestose' un classico: la sua capacità di trasformare dolore e desiderio in un’esperienza narrativa che non si esaurisce nello sguardo ma scava nelle viscere del lettore. Così alla fine, uscendo dalla sala, resta la sensazione di aver assistito a qualcosa di intenso ma incompleto. Come se il film avesse scelto di incarnare la tempesta, rinunciando deliberatamente a mostrarci le sue conseguenze. (Dario Vassallo in PrimoCanale) (Translation)
Filmink rescues a 1959 Australian TV adaptation of Wuthering Heights (likely lost):
The best -known adaptation (until this year) is probably the 1939 film with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon – although AIP tried their luck with Timothy Dalton in 1970, and Cliff Richard did a musical Heathcliff, and there was a very respected 1953 BBC television version starring Richard Todd from a script by Nigel (Quatermass Experiment) Kneale. In fact, that BBC version was so respected that in 1959 the ABC decided “wow let’s use 1700 pounds to shoot this script even though it would be cheaper just to import a kinescope of the BBC production and we could have spent the rest of the funds on shooting a something local.” Incidentally, the BBC filmed Kneale’s script again in 1962 with Claire Bloom and Australia’s own Keith Michell in the leads – so, even if Kneale wrote it very hastily, by his own admission, he did pretty well out of it. We’ll be upfront – we haven’t seen the 1959 ABC TV film of Wuthering Heights. It’s entirely possible that no copy survives – but we’ve read a lot about it and reproduce what knowledge we’ve ascertained below. (...) The driving force behind the production was director Alan Burke, who specifically asked to do it. Burke was a competent director and from all accounts a very nice man, but like many Australian directors of his time (and now) he really wanted to be directing foreign scripts rather than local ones. (...) Burke’s production of Wuthering Heights starred deejay Lew Luton as Heathcliff, Delia Williams as Cathy, Annette Andre as Isabella, and Richard Davies as Hindley. It was shot in Sydney and was mostly done live with some prerecorded segments. (Read more) (Stephen Vagg)
The Telegraph & Argus talks about the jet-setting trend (to travel to the real-world locations behind beloved films and television series), but it is basically an advert for the Wuthering Heights movie Airbnb at Holdsworth House. BuzzFeed lists film adaptations that "That Actually Slap Unlike That Trainwreck " Wuthering Heights" Movie We All Suffered Through": Jane Eyre 2011 If you’re looking to put more of the psychological in psychological romance, this movie should do it. It’s what Fennell’s movie should have had, with more book accuracy and a weird plot twist. (Hannah Trimble)
NewsNine also includes Jane Eyre among "books that capture stormy love as intense as Wuthering Heights". QueVer (Spain) recommends Wuthering Heights 2009 as one of the most faitthful to the novel. RAI PlaySound announces the contents of its programme Racconti d'autore (RAI Radio 1): Ragioni e sentimenti - radici dei classici e narrazione contemporanea - è il tema di “Incontri d’Autore”, la trasmissione coordinata da Francesca Cosentino, a cura della redazione Cultura e Spettacoli del Giornale Radio Rai, in onda domenica 22 febbraio su Rai Radio1 alle 00.40, per parlare di libri, di letteratura e di tutto quanto ci gira intorno. (...) Natalia Augias racconta della biografia di Charlotte Bronte scritta da Eleonor Houghton. Classici e cinema, le tante versioni di "Cime tempestose” - il servizio è di Baba Richerme. (Translation) The Brussels Brontë Blog posts a summary of a recent talk by Jones Hayden, who set out to prove that the Brontë sisters had a genuine sense of humour, drawing on comic moments, witty character names, and laugh-out-loud exchanges from across their novels. The luxury bath, body and lifestyle US brand Margot Elena has also a Wuthering Heights collection: - Never Leave Eau de Parfum – A TokyoMilk fine fragrance inspired by Wuthering Heights themes, designed as a moody, romantic perfume.
- Be With Me Always Eau de Parfum – Another TokyoMilk perfume, created to evoke enduring, passionate love and literary drama.
- Drive Me Mad Eau de Parfum – A TokyoMilk scent with a more intense, tempestuous character, echoing the novel’s darker emotions.
- Come Undone Eau de Parfum – A TokyoMilk fragrance meant to feel emotional and unraveled, matching the book’s tragic tone.
- Dead Sexy Eau de Parfum (“Wuthering Heights” edition) – A special TokyoMilk version of the existing Dead Sexy scent, elevated and priced as a more luxurious perfume.
- Kiss Me Again Bathing Salts & Bubble Bath Duo – Lollia set that pairs scented bath salts and bubble bath for a full, romantic soak ritual.
- Kiss Me Again Bubble Bath – Lollia bubble bath in decorative packaging, for a fragrant, bookish tub experience.
- Kiss Me Again Bathing Salts – Lollia bath salts to sprinkle in the bath, adding scent and a spa-like feel.
- Wish Eau de Parfum (“Wuthering Heights” edition) – Lollia perfume in the classic sweet “Wish” scent, reimagined in Wuthering Heights–themed packaging.
- Wish Bubbling Bath – Lollia bubbling bath with the same “Wish” fragrance, for a scented, foaming bath.
- Wish Luminary – A Lollia candle in the “Wish” scent, adding a warm, atmospheric glow while you read.
- Wish Handcreme & Key – A Lollia hand cream in the “Wish” fragrance with a decorative key charm, meant as a small daily luxury or gift.
- Petite Treat Handcreme Discovery Set – A Lollia mini hand cream set featuring several scents, including ones tied into the collection, so you can sample multiple fragrances.
And now, the podcast (and this one, listen to it at your own risk) After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal
Wuthering Heights, written by Emily Brontë in 1847, depicts a gothic world full of violence and passion, set against the wild Yorkshire Moors. So how did the daughter of a clergyman create such a story? How was it received at the time? And what darkness and intrigue happened in the Brontê's lives that could have influenced such stories? With a new Wuthering Heights film being released, Anthony and Maddy are exploring that world with you in today's episode. It’s one of relentless death and tragedy, wild creativity, and supernatural belief, all to the backdrop of an industrial Victorian England. If you're interested to find out more, you can watch the documentary Death at the Parsonage: The Brontês, on HistoryHit.com. This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.
More comments or reviews about Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights: I have two theories: one, I think people have strong negative opinions about its director, whom they see as privileged and chronically off-key when it comes to stories that contend with class; and two, I think people firmly made up their minds about it before they saw it and I think this because everyone keeps accusing Fennell of turning this beloved piece of gothic lit a “horned-up bodice ripper” even though all the sex scenes are fully clothed. Also, I am pretty sure the marketing of “Wuthering Heights” as “the greatest love story of all time” is tongue firmly in cheek. As in the book, the relationships are toxic and you’ll hate everyone in this movie. I keep encountering (not incorrect) criticism that this rich text has been taken and dumbed down; there is a lot that has been left out, including the second half of the book, and that has left people wanting. I saw one critic call it anti-intellectual. (Jen Zoratti in Winnipeg Free Press)
Sin embargo, me pareció realmente frustrante que la película parezca detenerse justo antes del abismo. Coquetea con el melodrama criminal, incluso con el horror, pero finalmente regresa al terreno de la tragedia clásica. Después de alejarse tanto del espíritu de Brontë, me quedé con la sensación de que pudo haber ido todavía más lejos y convertirse en algo completamente nuevo, más retorcido y, quizá, más memorable. Pensaba que ya que se alejaba tanto del material original, merecería la pena, pero me ha dejado con ganas de más. (Belén Prieto in Espinof) (Translation) Por supuesto que no todas las películas ni ninguna forma de arte está obligada a “decir algo”, bajar un mensaje, una idea o una filosofía. Su único objetivo puede ser entretener y contar una buena historia, del género que sea. Pero si ni siquiera se puede encontrar eso, es una decepción. Quizás por eso, el personaje de Nelly en esta versión de Cumbres borrascosas sea de los más fuertes. Cuando en un punto del relato el personaje quiere que todo lo que está sucediendo entre Heathcliff y Catherine termine de una buena vez y frustrada, hace todo lo que puede para cortar el vínculo, es difícil no sentirse identificado. (Nicolás Tabárez in El Observador) (Translation)
Bad films are one thing, but to introduce an entire generation to Brontë’s brilliant novel with this nonsense is a travesty. The only redeeming feature in the whole sorry affair is the score by Charlie XCX. Mesmerising and discordant, it alone reflects the novel’s mood, with a darkness that should have been swirling across the moors into Cathy and Heathcliff’s blood. Unfortunately for the film-goer this mood remains confined to the music. Perhaps if Fennell had followed the example of Kate Bush and condensed her movie into a three-minute music video, she may have been more successful. (Lucy Nichols in Counterfire) In the film, though, Heathcliff is white. And worse, the two main impediments to the romance plot are people of color. Instead of a story about the brutalizing force of racism, Fennell gives us a story about how an effete Asian man (Edgar Linton, played by Shazad Latif) and a scheming Asian woman (Nelly Dean, played by Hong Chau) separate the destined white lovers. I doubt this is exactly what Fennell meant to say. But Heathcliff’s skin color is very apparent in the book and has certainly been much discussed in academic and pop culture criticism. A director smart enough to understand and respond to so many of the film’s themes could have, and should have, engaged with its racial aspects as well. The fact that she didn’t mars the film irreparably. (Noah Bertlatsky in Chicago Reader)
This book was quite literally shaved down to bits and pieces, appealing to the mass media. To do that, this movie becomes overtly sexual, simple in concept, and purely aesthetic. Don’t get me wrong, the soundtrack is good, and the cinematography is beautiful. But this isn’t ‘Wuthering Heights’. Every time this movie is called that, I feel Emily Brontë roll over in her grave. (Ronin Vasquez in HerCampus)
However, I truly cannot shake the feeling that Fennell clung to Brontë's ‘Wuthering Heights’ as an excuse to use the beautiful backdrops of Yorkshire and the complex, twisted love story of Cathy and Heathcliff to create something nicely wrapped in time for Valentine's Day. I think if it had been its own movie - inspired by but not dictated by - the title and story of Wuthering Heights, it could have been an excellent watch. It didn't need to be an adaptation of Brontë's book; therefore, it didn't need to split characters into civilised and uncivilised purely by accent. It didn't really need to be set in Yorkshire at all. ( Lyra Auld in Yorkshire Live)
Never before now have I felt so uncomfortable during the process of watching a movie, but I would be remiss not to mention the film’s limited redeeming qualities. The cinematography, much like Fennell’s other works, is impressive on occasion. The soundtrack of “Wuthering Heights,” produced by artist Charli xcx, is listenable in a vacuum, though its poor placement within the movie often acts to the scene’s tonal detriment. 1/5 – If looking for a good romance, a good adaptation or a good film, look elsewhere. I could not recommend this film under any circumstances. Especially if you happen to be a fan of Emily Brontë’s novel, stay away by all means. There are far better romances, and far better films in theaters currently. ( Foster Mayhall in The Auburn Plainsman)
If you hold any kind of literary purity, then “Wuthering Heights” is not for you. But we don’t need another stuffy adaptation of a 19th century gothic romance, and it’s much better and more accessible to have what Fennell gives: a modernized feminist remix of Brontë’s classic that incorporates modern sexual sensibility into the classic story. Fennell, whose previous work includes Promising Young Woman (2020) and Saltburn (2023), seems to think that subtlety is for cowards, and while that approach would not work for a typical Wuthering Heights adaptation, it certainly works for this one. “ Wuthering Heights” is so trashy it almost becomes goofy, but for the audience it’s aiming for and for its commitment to the tone it’s striking, it is very good trash. ( Jim Hunter in Tristate Homepage)
It's a "spectacle" of the highest order, but beneath the gorgeous gowns and the "bodice-ripping" sex scenes, some might find the heart of the story has been traded for pure, unadulterated "ragebait" provocation. Is it a masterpiece? Probably not. Is it a "must-watch" cinematic event that will have everyone talking at the water cooler on Monday? Absolutely. Fennell has crafted a " Wuthering Heights" for the Instagram generation: high on atmosphere, drenched in desire, and utterly unapologetic about its own excesses. ( New Straits Times)
There are a number of elements that make Bronte’s novel a commanding literary presence. It’s about personal trauma, spousal cheating, paternal abuse, jealousy, violence, anger, and outcasts from a society that believes in walls between the classes. In the case of the book, one of the walls is bleak and utterly racist. Did Fennell misinterpret the novel? I find that doubtful. The answer is that she is a fearless director who willingly marches to the beat of her own drum. Her talent is prodigious. Ultimately, Fennell’s missteps mean “Wuthering Heights” isn’t compelling enough to wholeheartedly recommend. (Michael Calleri in The Daily Star)
The film's hair and make-up designer Siân Miller, shares her approach to crafting Cathy's looks in Harper's Bazaar. Nine, Chilango recommend reading Jane Eyre if you loved Wuthering Heights. Infobae talks about when Wuthering Heights as published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell...well, the website says Ellis Bay. Fama (México) talks about three of the Mexican telenovelas that adapted (sort of) Wuthering Heights: Encadenados (1988, 180 episodes), Triunfo del Amor (2010, 176 episodes), Lo que la Vida me Robó (2013, 197 episodes. Purewow gives you 'Wuthering Heights'-Inspired Pieces to get Margot Robbie's look. Andi Zeisler in Salon connects the Gen Z increasing love of yearning with Wuthering Heights: Generationally, the Zs don’t seem to share much common ground with “Wuthering Heights” author Emily Brontë. But the 1847 novel, her only published work, could be considered the ur-text of yearning. So it makes sense that members of Gen Z are among those most amped for “Saltburn” writer-director Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” which opened just in time, the trailer makes sure to note, for Valentine’s Day. (...) There might even be a case to be made that Emily Brontë herself found yearning preferable to a flesh-and-blood love; it’s definitely one reason why many Brontë fans were salty that 2022’s fictionalized biopic “Emily” retconned the origin story so that Brontë herself had an obsessive love affair. What if this iteration of “Wuthering Heights” exists precisely because it’s comforting to think the happiest ending is made possible by a nonexistent beginning? Would that really be so bad? I don’t think so, but it also doesn’t matter: In times this uncertain, yearning doesn’t have to signal the absence of something real.
Sophie Gilbert in The Atlantic, on the other hand, thinks that the film is part of the current trend of infantilizing everything (everyone is 12, now): In some ways, that Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is this vacuous and one-dimensional feels like progress. Male directors get to make big, unserious epics all the time. (“How many times have you watched Top Gun: Maverick?” I asked my husband last night. “This month?” he replied.) Fennell, whose film made $83 million at the global box office during opening weekend, is at least proving, with sticky aplomb, how starved we as a culture are for romance. Margot Robbie, the movie’s co-star and one of its producers, has shrugged off mixed reviews; she told Vogue Australia, “I believe you should make movies for the people who are going to buy tickets to see the movies. It’s as simple as that. I love working with Emerald because she always prioritizes an emotional experience over a heady idea.” In other words, Wuthering Heights is simply giving the people what they want. And the people are 12. Collider goes to the box office results of the film: The movie's official Rotten Tomatoes score has been in free-fall. It debuted in the low-70s, but has now dropped into "rotten" territory for the first time in its run. Wuthering Heights is currently sitting at a 59% score, with a critics' consensus that reads, "Liberally adapting Emily Brontë's classic story with a heavy dose of carnality and chic stylization, Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights might not be the stuff of high literature, but it is a visually vibrant pleasure." (...) On the eve of entering its second weekend of release, Wuthering Heights passed the coveted $100 million mark at the worldwide box office. Most impressively, the domestic-to-overseas ratio is quite encouraging; the movie has grossed $45 million stateside and another $68 million from international markets for a cumulative worldwide haul of nearly $120 million. (Rohan Naahar)
Daily Mail continues to announce the tourism apocalypse descending over Haworth: Local traders told the Daily Mail how they are drawing up plans for an unprecedented influx of day-trippers and holidaymakers from around the world - which experts estimate will bring in well over one million visitors by the end of the summer. Not everyone seems happy. There are mutterings of 'overtourism' while the village's steep and narrow streets have long been plagued with parking chaos and traffic gridlock. One local historian has also highlighted how some bewildered visitors have shown up assuming the village - which is home to 6,259 residents - is 'not real' believing it to be 'some sort of Disneyland'. (Mark Branagan)
Now, reviews of Charli XCX's album: Charli’s 12-track album is haunting and spellbinding. It’s also full of different ways to die because your other half has either left you, might leave you, or has you so dick-drunk and trauma-bonded that you’re spiritually flatlining. I’m obsessed. On every track, I can feel myself transforming into a lovesick British woman on the verge of losing her sanity because she doesn’t have a job, responsibilities, or literally anything else to think about besides this guy. (Complimentary.) So let’s rank the very best ways to die at the hands of your tall, dark, handsome, and equally distressed lover, who ideally has an accent, just as Emily Brontë would have wanted. ( Lauren Tousignant in Jezebel)
Coming off the release of her global phenomenon album “Brat”, Charli XCX has returned with a new studio album titled “Wuthering Heights”, named after the Emily Brontë romance novel from 1847. This album also serves as the official soundtrack for the movie starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, which was released this past Friday, February 13th. For fans of Charli’s older music, this is absolutely a different style than her usual hyperpop, club, and dance music, yet it still feels very on-brand for her as an artist. Featuring a very harsh, classical string section in almost every song on the album, this was crafted with the movie's time period heavily in mind, while being sprinkled in with Charli’s usual auto-tune styled vocals, and some occasional echoey, atmospheric sounds. ( Nick Myers in Penn State Student Media)
The Torch thinks that Jane Eyre is a book that every college student should read: “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë contains the original 1847 “girl boss.” It is a foundational Gothic novel, but above all, it is a timeless example of a coming of age story. We follow Jane across 20 years of her life, from her time at an oppressive boarding school to ultimate self-discovery. She encounters several obstacles along the way, but consistently prioritizes her freedom. A romance is a major plotline in the novel, but it is always clear that it is primarily Jane’s story as an individual. “Jane Eyre” serves as an inspiring tale of perseverance and growth, encouraging women to choose themselves when necessary. She is a relatable heroine that modern readers will love and get to know deeply. (Alexandra Prettitore)
Mia and Sam are joined by Professor Corinne Fowler. Corinne is an Honorary Professor of Colonialism and Heritage at the University of Leicester and author of Our Island Stories: Country Walks Through Colonial Britain. We chat about the Museum's 2026 exhibition, The Colonial Brontës, which Corinne has co-curated; discussing how Empire influenced the Brontës' writing and the origins of Emily's character Heathcliff...
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