Summary
- The best Wuthering Heights adaptation ultimately depends on viewer preference in style and plot points from Brontë's novel.
- Most adaptations skimp out on one of the two stories within the novel, impacting overall quality and storytelling choices.
- Despite varying in approach, these movies highlight Brontë's enduring cultural influence, evident in modern franchises such as Twilight's references to the classic tale.
The best Wuthering Heights movies include several adaptations over the years. As one of the most famous love stories of all time, the source material continues to draw storytellers in with the challenge of adapting the timeless story. Part of the challenge of bringing Brontë's story to the screen is the sprawling nature of the novel, both in terms of space and time. The story follows two families over two generations. However, the best Wuthering Heights movie adaptations usually skimp out on one of the stories.
When it comes to the best Wuthering Heights movie, it ultimately depends on viewer preference, as each adaptation differs in style and the plot points borrowed from the 1847 novel by Emily Brontë. Nonetheless, in terms of overall quality, there are ways to pinpoint which among these adaptations is the best Wuthering Heights movie or series. As different as they are, like all the Wuthering Heights references in Twilight reveal, these movies prove how deeply Brontë's work remains embedded in the cultural zeitgeist.
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11 Wuthering Heights (2003)
A Musical Version Of Wuthering Heights
The 2003 adaptation is generally considered to be the least appreciated of the Wuthering Heights movies. The basic premise is the same; a young woman named Cate accepts a marriage proposal from Edward, but remains in love with another man, Heath, after she's married. This movie introduces a musical aspect as the characters sing original songs throughout, but the effort ultimately wasn't successful.
Though it's far from being the best Wuthering Heights movie, the songs are great, which makes this MTV-produced adaptation unique. Most of the songs are performed by Erika Christensen (Julia from Parenthood), who plays Cate, and Mike Vogel (Barbie from Under the Dome), who plays Heath. The charm of the songs comes from the fact that executive producer Jim Steinman produced the album, and he credits the book, Wuthering Heights, for his power ballad, "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," which Celine Dion covered.
10 Wuthering High (2015)
A Made-For-TV Drama Adaptation
2015's Wuthering Heights Lifetime movie adaptation re-imagines the story of Cathy and Heathcliff in California between two high school students. A high school teen, Heath, is adopted by the wealthy and prominent Earnshaw family and begins a romantic relationship with his new step-sister. The basic premise is there, but this falls far from what viewers would expect from an adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
It never connected as an adaptation of the source material or as a movie standing on its own.
A more teen-based drama, the 2015 Wuthering Heights movie stars James Caan as the patriarch of the Earnshaw family, easily the most recognizable face in the entire film. This Wuthering Heights adaptation received no critical review average on Rotten Tomatoes, but the low 31% rating from the Audience Score shows that it never connected as an adaptation of the source material or as a movie standing on its own. It also doesn't help that, at only 88 minutes, the movie never had a chance to properly tell the full story anyway.