Wuthering Heights (2011)

Andrea Arnold : Wuthering Heights (GB 2011) with James Howson (Heathcliff) and Kaya Scodelario (Catherine).

Humiseva harju / Svindlande höjder.
    GB 2011 © 2010 Wuthering Heights / Channel 4 / BFI. P: Robert Bernstein, Kevin Loader, Douglas Rae.
    D: Andrea Arnold. SC: Andrea Arnold, Olivia Hetreed – based on the screen story by Olivia Hetreed – based on the novel (1847) by Emily Brontë. DP: Robbie Ryan – camera: Arriflex 35 IIC, Panavision Primo Lenses, Bell & Howell Eyemo, Canon Lenses, Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL, Panavision Primo Lenses – film negative format: 35 mm (Kodak Vision3 500T 5219, Fuji Eterna Vivid 160T 8543, Eterna 250D 8563) – cinematographic process: Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format), Spherical (source format) – printed film format: 35 mm, D-Cinema – aspect ratio: 1.33:1 – digital intermediate: Deluxe 142. PD: Helen Scott. AD: Christopher Wyatt. Set dec: Alice Norris. Cost: Steven Noble. Make-up and hair: Emma Scott. Prosthetic makeup: Kristyan Mallett. SFX: Scott McIntyre. VFX: Jonathan Privett. S: Nicolas Becker. ED: Nicolas Chaudeurge. Casting: Des Hamilton, Lucy Pardee, Gail Stevens. C (as edited in Wikipedia):
    Kaya Scodelario as Catherine Earnshaw
    James Howson as Heathcliff
    Oliver Milburn as Mr. Linton
    Nichola Burley as Isabella Linton
    Eve Coverley as Young Isabella Linton
    James Northcote as Edgar Linton
    Lee Shaw as Hindley Earnshaw
    Amy Wren as Frances Earnshaw
    Shannon Beer as Young Catherine Earnshaw
    Solomon Glave as Young Heathcliff
    Steve Evets as Joseph
    Paul Hilton as Mr. Earnshaw
    Simone Jackson as Nelly Dean
    Jonny Powell as Young Edgar Linton
    Michael Hughes as Hareton
Loc: Yorkshire Dales.
128 min.
Released by Atlantic Film Finland with Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Outi Kainulainen / Markus Karjalainen.
2K DCP viewed at Matin-Tupa, Ylistaro (Filmiä & Valoa), 18 Nov 2012.

A unique and original study of the beloved story. The viewpoint is highly subjective from the viewpoint of Heathcliff as an outsider, a stranger, a watcher. He is constantly seen looking from outside the house, outside the room, outside the door, peeking through a hole, overhearing things. In this story Heathcliff is a black boy rescued by the old Earnshaw. There is a lot of handheld camerawork in the movie, too.

The other special emphasis is the nature: faithful to the title of the story, nature has always been important, but neither William Wyler (shooting in California) nor Luis Buñuel (shooting in Mexico) could reach the truth of the actual wild natural surroundings like Andrea Arnold does here, shooting in North Yorkshire.

The general feeling of the nature and the hundreds of details about the birds, the plants, and the animals are essential. The total sense is of a force of nature that is driving things. 

Wuthering Heights is a romantic story much loved by the surrealists as a key work of mad love. This movie adaptation is a study of mad love and an account of passion, but not a mad, wild, passionate work in its own right. It is a very well made and a distinguished work, but an irresistible, inevitable, desperate feeling is not even attempted.

Shot on 35 mm Fuji film, the vibrant sense of nature has been conveyed in the digital intermediate by Deluxe 142 quite successfully. It can be made!