Wuthering Heights *** (1970, Anna Calder-Marshall, Timothy Dalton, Harry Andrews, Pamela Brown, Hugh Griffith, Ian Ogilvy, Judy Cornwell) – Classic Movie Review 5,558

Timothy Dalton and Anne Calder-Marshall are well cast as the doomed lovers Heathcliff and Cathy in the harder, stronger, unromantic 1970 version of the 1847 Emily Brontë classic novel Wuthering Heights.

American horror company American International Pictures (AIP) gets in on the British heritage cinema cash cow and goes all posh with director Robert Fuest’s ‘modern’ 1970 version of the 1847 Emily Brontë classic novel Wuthering Heights that already has an entirely satisfactory vintage version in the 1939 movie Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon.

But Timothy Dalton and Anne Calder-Marshall are well cast, give very creditable performances and inhabit the souls of the doomed lovers Heathcliff and Cathy very acceptably. It is also graced with precious appearances from Harry Andrews, Pamela Brown, Hugh Griffith, Ian Ogilvy, and Judy Cornwell.

Battling bad weather, it is attractively filmed mostly on well chosen Yorkshire, England, locations instead of in the studio as in 1939, though there is also filming at Shepperton Studios. It has lovely colour cinematography by John Coquillon instead of the 1939 version’s black and white. And it seems to rattle along engrossingly, though at 105 minutes it is more or less the same length as before.

The literate, fast-moving screenplay is by Patrick Tilley, making a good job of the difficult task of compressing the novel. Like the 1939 version, it depicts only the first 16 chapters of the novel, the book’s first volume, and again differs from the book in several ways, possibly infuriating purists.

Fuest said: ‘We are making the same story as the 1939 film but our version will be harder, stronger, closer to the book. This is a totally unromantic story. It’s a classical story about generation gap and revolt. Attitudes that existed then, exist now.’

Producer Louis M Heyward said: ‘Heathcliff was a bastard and Cathy a real bitch and that’s how they’ll be in this film.’

Also in the true Brit cast are Harry Andrews as Mr Earnshaw, Pamela Brown as Mrs Linton, Judy Cornwell as Nellie Dean, James Cossins as Mr Linton, Rosalie Crutchley as Mrs Earnshaw, Hilary Heath [Hilary Dwyer], Julian Glover, Morag Hood, Ian Ogilvy as Edgar Linton, Hugh Griffith, Peter Sallis as Mr Shielders, Aubrey Woods, Wendy Alnutt, John Comer and Dudley Foster. This supporting cast are well worth anybody’s time.

It premiered in Los Angeles on 25 December 1970 and was then released by American International Pictures (AIP) in the US and later by Anglo-EMI Film Distributors on 10 June 1971 in the UK. Princess Alexandra attended the UK royal premiere on 9 June 1971. Princess Alexandra at the time of her birth on 25 December 1936 was sixth in the line of succession to the British throne but she has dropped to 58th.

It was shot starting 6 April 1970 on location in the Yorkshire, England, village of Blubberhouses; Weston Hall near Otley, West Yorkshire; and Brimham Rocks, North Yorkshire; as well as Shepperton Studios, Middlesex, England.

It was a hit, grossing $4.5 million against a lowish production budget of $800,000.

Michel Legrand’s score is an asset, earning him a Best Original Score nomination at the 28th Golden Globe Awards. Another asset is the opening title sequence designed by Maurice Binder.

The cast

The cast are Anna Calder-Marshall as Catherine Earnshaw Linton, Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff, Harry Andrews as Mr Earnshaw, Hugh Griffith as Dr Kenneth, Judy Cornwell as Nelly Dean, Ian Ogilvy as Edgar Linton, Pamela Brown as Mrs Linton, James Cossins as Mr Linton, Rosalie Crutchley as Mrs Earnshaw, Hilary Dwyer as Isabella Linton, Julian Glover as Hindley Earnshaw, Morag Hood as Frances Earnshaw, Peter Sallis as Mr Shielders, Aubrey Woods as Joseph, Dudley Foster as Mr Green, Keith Buckley as Hareton Earnshaw, Gillian Hayes as young Catherine Earnshaw.

This incredibly popular work was remade in 1978 (TV Mini-Series), 1985, 1992 (with Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes), 1998 (TV Movie), 2009 (TV Mini-Series), 2011, and 2026. It was also previously made in the 1939 movie Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon, in 1954 and 1967 (TV Series).

RIP Peter Sallis, who died on 2 June 2017, aged 96.

Timothy Dalton [Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett] (born 21 March 1946)

Ian Ogilvy (born 30 September 1943)

Julian Glover (born 27 March 1935)

Judy Cornwell (born 22 February 1940)

Wuthering Heights remakes

Wuthering Heights was remade in 1954, 1967 (TV Series), 1970, 1978 (TV Mini-Series), 1985, 1992, 1998 (TV Movie), 2009 (TV Mini-Series), 2011, and 2026.

The 1954 version of Wuthering Heights is a Mexican adaptation directed by Luis Buñuel. The film transposes the story from the Yorkshire moors to a 19th‑century Mexican hacienda setting. Jorge Mistral stars as the Heathcliff‑type character and Irasema Dilián plays the Catherine‑type character. The original Spanish title is Abismos de pasión (Abysses of Passion).

Robert Fuest’s 1970 Wuthering Heights stars Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff and Anna Calder‑Marshall as Cathy.

Peter Kosminsky’s 1992 feature‑film Wuthering Heights is a more faithful, gritty retelling starring Juliette Binoche (as Cathy) and Ralph Fiennes (as Heathcliff).

The 2011 Wuthering Heights stars James Howson (as Heathcliff) and Kaya Scodelario (as Cathy). It aired on ITV in the UK and later on PBS Masterpiece in the US.

Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights (2022) is a contemporary, atmospheric re‑imagining that returns to the novel’s bleak tone.

Director Emerald Fennell’s 2026 Wuthering Heights stars Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,558

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