Such a frustrating disappointment

Excellent but underrated film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

3/2/18. There are at least 8 renditions of "Wuthering Heights" on film, including one that is coming out this year. The National Film Registry picked this one for its archives. Can't say that this was the best rendition (as I have not seen all the others), but it's the oldest and probably the original one with which all others have been compared to. And, if the history of cinematic remakes is any indication of the lack of improvement over time, then this your best bet for enjoying this classic on film. You really get the chance to see Olivier at his most handsome as the tormented Heathcliff who is madly in love with the fickle Cathy who cannot bring herself to truly love Healthcliff because of his lowly station in life. If done right, tragic love on film will stay with you for a long time.

I've seen one other version of Emily Bronte's classic novel, the 1970 one, and I was so terribly bored by it, I completely forgot the story afterwards. Watching the 1939 version was like watching a brand new movie, and while I'd had a couple of plot points spoiled for me, I was quite riveted.For those of you who don't know the classic story, it's a period piece set in the 1800s, about a woman's love for two men and two lifestyles. One man is Heathcliff, a low-class boy she's grown up with. He's wild and free, and when she's with him, she feels the innocence and endless possibilities of childhood. The other man is Edgar, wealthy and belonging to a class she's always longed to be a part of. Choosing Heathcliff means a life of poverty, and choosing Edgar means exchanging fantasy for reality. Who will Kathy choose?While Wuthering Heights was honored by eight nominations during the 1940 Oscar ceremony, it had the misfortune to come out during the same year as Gone with the Wind, so it only walked away with one. While not compared to the great American epic, this is a very good and well crafted film. All the actors give their all and truly embody their characters, which is quite a feat since they've been seen in many, many other roles, so you could easily think, "Oh, that's Laurence Olivier!" or "Oh, that's the wife in 10 North Frederick!" Instead, they are Heathcliff, Isabella, Edgar, and Kathy. For Laurence Olivier fans, this is a must-see. Not only does he show off his fantastic, brooding acting chops, but he looks extremely handsome in this one, too! It's a very tough decision between him and David Niven-in a rare appearance without his mustache. The ladies particularly shine in this movie. Merle Oberon reminded me of Kate Winslet in her spot-on fickle portrayal of Kathy, and while she might seem irrationally cold at first, when she puts on the tears, you won't be able to contain your own. Geraldine Fitzgerald is fantastic and heartbreaking; after this film, I don't see how she was ever cast in a villainous role.If you've never seen a film version of Wuthering Heights, this is an excellent one to start with. And if you're not sure whether or not you'll like the story, here's a helpful hint. If you liked Pride and Prejudice but could stand with a little more gravitas to the story, you'll like Wuthering Heights.

I have never seen WHeights until last night as my wife is a mega Olivier fan and always loved the film. So we sat down for a total glorious piece of soap opera trash acting. Like all the Bronte tales (I think of Jane Eyre), the mood is dark and longing. The sets, here, were mostly good for the time but some process shots were so obvious as to be painful.Cathy and Heathcliff - how could he possibly LOVE a woman who changes her mind LIKE THAT on who she likes and wants to marry? I found zero sympathy for Merle Oberon in this role - she is a woman to stay far away from. (Hey, if the only place you can kiss a girlfriend is standing on one cliff, something is wrong). And every time old Olivier gets offended as a character, BAM off he goes on his horse.Everybody else is perfectly fine having little to do but stand and comment on this train wreck of a relationship. Niven, as fine as he is, is just THERE to be the nice chap who gets taken for a fool by Kathy who really loves Heathcliff when she is not saying nasty things about him and BAM off he goes again.If there are spoilers here, the book and film have been around for ages so who cares. It is also a plot one can see coming for miles.But it is glorious fun trash and the ACTING? OMG - Kathy's deathbed scene makes Love Story look like Hamlet. Wide eyes, smiles, pain, wide eyes, clawed hands, wide eye..... oh, painful. I could just see her coming down the stairs with Heathcliff at the bottom 'These are the stairs of the heights.....' like Max in SBoulevard. Olivier was almost as bad here.This is a wonderful piece of high trash, enjoy it, laugh a lot and remember that films often do not make much sense at all either in watching or by those who make them.In the end, Kathy should have told Heathcliff "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn".

This was Laurence Olivier's introduction to an American cinema audience. An actor who has arrived from the English stage with a big reputation. I can only imagine the shock and awe the audience felt when they saw his Heatcliff. Its akin to what modern cinema audience in the 1970s felt when they first saw Robert De Niro or Al Pacino at full throttle. Olivier is wild fury, he brings his character alive and a style of acting that to many would had been alien outside of gangster films of the 1930s.This version of Wuthering Heights only adapts the first half of the book. I think this is the right decision. We can concentrate on the young gypsy boy always treated as an outcast who meets his soul mate in Cathy (Merle Oberon) which blossoms in the wild Yorkshire Moors but they are doomed never to be together.Oberon and Olivier drive this film with a wild, dark, even a supernatural fashion. The cinematography is splendid and so are some of the side characters and the great David Niven is put in the shade in this movie.There have been countless adaptations of the novel but this is a must see.