Wednesday, April 29, 2009

And now for something completely different...

On Twitter this week, the subject of the Bronte sisters came up. I love Jane Eyre by Charlotte but was never a big fan of Wuthering Heights by Emily. I have a sort of fascination with the book. It is well-written and when you think the author, her age, etc., it is really fascinating. However, I don't think it translates well to film--not if you tell the whole story. I think I grew up with the Laurence Olivier version. After reading the book, I realized that movie left out A LOT of the story, i.e., the really disturbing parts.

Still, there is one version of Wuthering Heights that remains near and dear to my heart. A retelling that became a classic in its own right.



(The good bit starts about a minute in to the clip.)

Still, it isn't my favorite retelling of all time. No, that is Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas' epic version of Shakespeare's Hamlet:

5 comments:

Dianne said...

I never watched Monty Python till I met my husband but he got me hooked on it.

Anonymous said...

Wuthering Heights doesn't stand the test of time b/c so many later/lesser writers (ie Georgette Heyer) took elements of the plot and watered them down to the point where many plot turns are seen as trite. It's akin to watching "I Love Lucy" after watching "Three's Company."

YEAH! I win the low-brow analogy of the day award! Go me!

I can not say enough about the Moonlighting version of Taming of the Shrew. It was FANTASTIC!

evenshine said...

I agree, though the disturbing taken-out parts are what give it a haunting quality for me.

And Monty Python is still. So. Weird.

All Rileyed Up said...

I love Wuthering Heights, and I love that Laurence Olivier version for what it's worth. There was a made-for-TV version starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche that can be rented on Netflix which is a much more faithful adaptation (though still not great). But what I am most interested in watching (NOT) is MTV's Wuthering Heights--http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367245/
(honestly, I will eventually watch it just so I can have a good laugh...)

Beck said...

I love Wuterhing Heights! Luv. It is the most perverted book ever, really.
Hahahah. Strange brew. All of the guys at my high school went through a time of being obsessed with that movie.