Wuthering Heights

1939 NR 1h 44m DVD

Wuthering Heights

1939 NR 1h 44m DVD
  • Overview
  • Details
In director William Wyler's beautiful adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic story of passion, hatred and revenge, Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon star as Heathcliff and Cathy, whose tortured love affair ends when Cathy marries the wealthy Edgar.
Cast
Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Flora Robson, Donald Crisp, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Hugh Williams, Leo G. Carroll, Miles Mander, Cecil Kellaway, Cecil Humphreys, Sarita Wooton, Rex Downing, Douglas Scott
Director
William Wyler
Format
DVD
Screen
Widescreen 1.85:1
CC
No
Audio
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Rating
NR - Not rated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.
age 10+
Common Sense rating OK for kids 10+
age 10+

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that kids might try to watch this movie as an alternative to reading the novel for English class, but it only covers a portion of the overall story. And while it's framed as a ghost story, it's not really for young horror fans -- though the spooky angle might get some kids to sit down and watch a classic they wouldn't otherwise. Heathcliff has summed up a "romantic" hero for generations of schoolgirls, but he is rarely heroic in the traditional movie sense. Rather, he's vindictive and obsessed, and determined to make the woman he loves suffer because of his heartache. A lot of Heathcliff's negatives are attributed to his "gypsy" ancestry, a bit of racism and classed-based discrimination from the old days.

Sexual Content

Not applicable

Violence

Characters are attacked by mastiff hounds. Heathcliff (as a boy) gets hit with a rock. As an adult he slaps Cathy (surprisingly daintily), and later breaks a window with his hand.

Language

Not applicable

Social Behavior

Heathcliff and Cathy are two wildly flawed heroic lovers. He's rash, vindictive, and often cruel. Cathy, though seemingly a "nicer" character, is still distracted by luxury and status. Heathcliff is constantly reminded of his "gypsy" birth by a class-bound society.

Consumerism

Not applicable

Drugs / Tobacco / Alcohol

Wastrel brother Hindley drinks his way into chronic alcoholism, Heathcliff assisting. This is not glamorized, though, but clearly part of Heathcliff's revenge.

  • Age appropriate
  • Not an issue
  • Depends on your child and your family
  • Parents strongly cautioned
  • Not appropriate for kids of the age

This information for parents is provided by Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving kids' media lives.

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