Wuthering Heights (1992)

A wild girl and a poor orphan find their lives intertwined by a fierce, destructive love that spans generations.

The story

Inspired by her visit to the ruins of a once-lavish manor home, Emily Brontë composes a story centered on the passionate love between the moor-loving, wild girl Catherine Earnshaw and the poor equally wild spirit her father takes in to be raised as her brother, Heathcliff. When her father dies, Catherine's biological brother, envious of how Heathcliff was favored over him, abuses Heathcliff relentlessly. Driven off, Heathcliff returns years later to find Catherine married to the wealthy Edgar Linton and her family living in near-poverty, and he uses his new fortune to insert himself back into their lives.

First release year

1992

Runtime (minutes)

106

Production countries

United Kingdom

Original languages

English

Directors

Peter Kosminsky

Writers

Anne Devlin · writer

Cast and characters

Juliette Binoche · Catherine Earnshaw; Ralph Fiennes · Heathcliff; Janet McTeer

Genres

romantic drama; historical; Gothic

Themes

passionate love; vengeance; jealousy; class contrast

Tone and mood

intense Romantic; dark sensuality; cruel

Premise and plot tags

revenge; period drama; Gothic

Source material / true-story basis

Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights

Reception

The film received mostly negative reviews from film critics, though it was noted for its fidelity to the dark sensuality of the source material.

Reported review scores

Rotten Tomatoes · score: 31% · review count: 13

Production trivia

Paramount Pictures was forced to use the author's name in the title because Samuel Goldwyn Studio owned the rights to the simple title.; The film stars Ralph Fiennes in his film debut.; The film includes the oft-omitted second generation story of the children of Cathy, Hindley and Heathcliff.

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

Your lists

Loading your lists…