The release of the long anticipated movie adaptation of Wuthering Heights has arrived, but many fans were concerned with aspects of the film, even before its release date.
Based on the 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights has become a beloved piece of literature known for its love story between Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie). However, many fans of Wuthering Heights are worried about the casting for both characters.
While those who aren’t familiar with the book may not feel this way, lovers of the original novel are pointing out major discrepancies between the book and the upcoming movie. Many believe that Robbie shouldn’t have been cast as Catherine because of her age, arguing that Catherine’s youth is essential to the plot.
The majority of the novel takes place when Catherine is a young teenager, between the ages of 15 and 18. Catherine then dies tragically at age 18, which drives Heathcliff to madness for the rest of his adult life, an essential plot point in the original story.
The tragedy of the novel relies on how young Catherine was when she died, which impacts Heathcliff as he continues to mourn her loss decades after the event. Since Robbie is 35 and not a brunette as Catherine is described, the decision to cast Robbie in the role is heavily debated.
Many also don’t agree with the decision to cast Elordi as Catherine’s love interest Heathcliff. In the original novel, Heathcliff is described as both “black haired” and “dark skinned.” This is not a description of Elordi, an Australian man of caucasian descent.
This is not accurate to the book, it doesn’t make sense within the plot, and it’s also white washing a beloved classic literature character from a time where it was extremely rare to have diversity within a story’s caste.
Hollywood is no stranger to whitewashing characters of color, as seen in both the 1992 and 1939 adaptations. However, I don’t think it’s acceptable in this current day and age to cast a white man as a character of color for a film adaptation. On top of this, it does not align with the story’s plot. Heathcliff’s appearance is largely what makes him stand out in society, resulting in Catherine’s decision to not marry him.
Defenders of the movie argue that the decision to cast Elordi was based on director Emerald Fennell’s less historically accurate and more creative take on the novel. Fennell’s creative style can be observed in various ways through the film, such as the more modern costuming and set, but I don’t see this as an adequate defense for why Elordi was casted.
While Fennell is taking many creative liberties with the film, which resembles the book much less than previous adaptations, I don’t see it as a valid excuse to cast Elordi for a part meant for a man of color.
Only time will tell how both the general public and lovers of the novel will perceive the movie. Although many have differing opinions on how the film should have been casted, the story remains a classic tale beloved by people around the world.
