In 7 words or less: 'Heath-cliff, it's me I'm Cathy' etc.
What's it all About? Heathcliff is fostered by a family on the remote Yorkshire moors. He develops a loving and obsessive relationship with Catherine but is abused by her elder brother.
Years later Heathcliff returns to the farm to find Catherine married and expecting a child.
Best bits? The sound hit me first, it's crystal clear and every detail is heard. It's visceral and puts you right in the scene. Creaking doors, wind, rain, animals, body movements and breathing are all captured with so much clarity. When Heathcliff and Cathy go up to the viewpoint where the wind is at its strongest, you are right there with them in the wildness and desolation.
Next up was the cinematography, it's presented in an 4:3 aspect ratio, handheld with super shallow depth of field. Looks a bit like it was shot on DSLR (it wasn't it was 35mm), glimpses and things half seen and heard give you Heathcliff's perspective. It's claustrophobic and intense, we never see anywhere but the immediate surroundings. The landscape is incredible, the changing seasons captured beautifully, the mists, mud, peaty bogs and craggy landscape are exactly how Brontë described, or at least how I imagined. I thought this was the perfect way to present her world.
Did it make you think thoughts? Yes, a lot of the time I was thinking how are they going to do the ghost bit, but I won't spoil the surprise.
Would you watch it again? Definitely, so much here to revisit.
Rating (out of 100%): 89% Certainly not a definitive version of the classic tale, but a brave and beautiful interpretation. There is a real understanding of the text and the attention to detail is impeccable.
