Tuesday 3 September 2024

Wuthering Heights (1939 William Wyler)

Very little evidence of Wyler's famous long takes nor Gregg Toland's deep focus photography, though he did win the Cinematography Oscar (unlike the old old days, he only had one competitor, Bert Glennon for Stagecoach). GWTW swept the board that year. Toland's photography is professional but not especially notable, though I read he was using faster film stock to make the images dark but sharp. Wyler was up to his usual tricks, insisting on multiple takes of scenes, upsetting all the actors. Laurence Olivier came to the film with great arrogance but admitted working with Wyler had made him a better movie actor.

Olivier is surly and wild, Merle Oberon haughty (her best line on deathbed, "I dreamed you would come and sneer at me"). With David Niven (a bit too pasty), Flora Robson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Hugh Williams (feckless brother), Donald Crisp, Leo G Carroll, Miles Mander, Cecil Kellaway.

Emily Bronte's story, adapted here by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, is fairly tiresome, really.

An independent Sam Goldwyn production. Good music by Alfred Newman, editing by Daniel Mandell.


When she tells the story in flashback, Flora Robson's audio is so low it's frankly annoying. Whoever's bright idea that was should have been fired.

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