Emerald Fennell’s daring adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel “Wuthering Heights,” now showing in theaters, has sparked significant discussion for its creative liberties, particularly regarding the ending. Those who have experienced the film are met with a culmination that diverges sharply from Brontë’s dense, nearly 400-page epic, which traces the tumultuous love story between Catherine and Heathcliff and the generational trauma that follows.
Fennell’s interpretation delivers an intriguing but incomplete portrayal, as it halts approximately midway through the original narrative, concluding with the heart-wrenching death of Catherine, portrayed by Margot Robbie. In contrast, Brontë’s novel includes crucial later developments, such as the birth of Catherine’s daughter, Cathy, and the complexities involving her relationships with Heathcliff’s son, Linton, and cousin, Hareton. Fennell acknowledges the challenges of adapting Brontë’s extensive work, stating that translating its intricacies into a two-hour film required her to make tough decisions, sacrificing numerous elements for the sake of storytelling continuity.
In her film, the narrative culminates with Catherine suffering from sepsis and having a miscarriage, a stark departure from the source material. Instead of giving birth to Cathy, Catherine’s final moments are spent in a tragic farewell with Heathcliff, who arrives too late to express his love, rendering the scene both visually and emotionally poignant as memories of their passionate romance unfold on screen.
Fennell reflects that while the movie encapsulates a powerful emotional connection between Catherine and Heathcliff, it leads to questions about the possibility of a sequel. Given this film’s significant alteration—specifically, the absence of Catherine’s child—Fennell has indicated that she views this film as a stand-alone project. She emphasizes a preference for depth over sequels, suggesting that her focus was firmly on the core relationship rather than extending the story into a continuation.
While other adaptations of “Wuthering Heights,” like the 1992 film featuring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, have attempted to cover the full scope of Brontë’s work, Fennell’s film joins the ranks of adaptations that primarily spotlight the initial tumult without venturing into subsequent generations, similar to the classic 1939 version with Laurence Olivier.
With its bold reinterpretation, Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” stands as a striking cinematic experience that distills the intense relationship at its heart while deliberately choosing to forgo the broader narrative arcs of Brontë’s original landscape. The approach may open a discussion about the complexity of adapting classic literature and the decisions filmmakers face in distilling extensive texts into concise narratives.