Wuthering Heights

Based off of Emily Bronté’s only novel, the film adaptation of Wuthering Heights in 1939 tells the unfortunate tale of two lovers, Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier) and Cathy (Merle Oberon).

The film begins dramatically, as a man caught in a storm stops at the mansion, Wuthering Heights, for shelter.  After a less than friendly greeting and shown to a room, he sees a woman outside.  He is told he just saw the ghost of Cathy, and Ellen (Flora Robson) an old servant recounts the tale.

Heathcliff was a poor boy, found on the streets and sent to become a servant at Wuthering Heights.  Cathy was a young lady of the house.  Their class differences that keep their love divided, mostly because Cathy has grown to an idea that she is supposed to marry a high class gentleman who can provide more than enough.  This only hurts Heathcliff, who genuinely loves Cathy.  For years she keeps Heathcliff at a distance, and seems to systematically toy with him, only to accept a proposal from Edgar (David Niven).  This sends Heathcliff out into a storm, to America.

Years pass, and it all seems well, even happy for Cathy.  Then Heathcliff returns, and with him all their old passions and resentments.  He buys Wuthering Heights, once a servant in the home, now its master and marries Isabella (Geraldine Fitzgerald), Cathy’s sister in law.  With Heathcliff and Cathy so close again, and yet so far away, strain and resentments of what they missed out on with each other rise until the very tragic breaking point, as one of them slowly dies.

If you are a starry eyed romantic, grab plenty of tissues.  This is a story of tragic love, where the downward spiral is the main event and the last half hour of the film will have you bawling.  However, if you are the cynical sort (like me) you may roll your eyes at all the shoulda-coulda-woulda that this great love story seems based upon.  The film portrays the love between Heathcliff and Cathy as a great potential, withered by petty ideals and snuffed out with tragedy to put it all into a sobering perspective.

That being said, I did enjoy the film.  The Oscar winning cinematography is splendid, smart and full of powerful moments.  Heathcliff punching through the glass is a heart wrenching moment, full of visual power.  William Wyler certainly deserved his nomination for best director, this being his second of eleven.  I personally did not care for Oberon’s performance, but that is probably because I despised her character.  However, Olivier and Fitzgerald’s Oscar nominated performances are spellbinding and had me hooked.

“You must destroy us both with that weakness you call virtue.”

The Private Life of Henry VIII

When I pick up a film from the early thirties with a long ridged title like The Private Life of Henry VIII, I have my doubts.  Honestly, I expected some dry, very historical account of Henry’s life with a stuffy British narration.  I could not have been more wrong.

The first clue to how this film will play out is in the opening text explaining that Henry’s first wife is of “no particular interest.  She was an honorable woman, so he divorced her.”  Then the film starts just before Anne Boleyn’s execution.  While Anne (Merle Oberon) is enjoying her neck while she can, Henry (Charles Laughton) and his whole royal staff is getting ready for his wedding to Jane Seymour (Wendy Barrie).  She dies in childbirth, but thankfully produces a son.  Soon, the whole kingdom is saying that Henry should marry again.

During a dinner scene, we see the classic Henry VIII everyone would love to play.  He’s on his throne, a huge turkey in front of him just tearing it apart and rambling with his mouth full.  “There’s no delicacy nowadays. No consideration for others. Refinement’s a thing of the past! Manners are dead!”  And he proceeds to burp and toss the bones behind him casually.  When the topic of remarrying comes up at dinner he starts to bellow, “What am I, a breeding bull?”

He then goes on to marry Anne of Cleaves (played by Laughton’s wife Elsa Lanchester).  This short marriage is one of the funniest moments in the film.  Before the marriage, Henry doesn’t even want to marry this dopey girl, but if he sent her back to Germany they would be outraged.  Just before he enters the chamber for his wedding night he sighs, “The things I’ve done for England.”  Even better, Anne of Cleaves is completely oblivious to wedding night activities.  “That story about children being found under gooseberry bushes isn’t true,” Henry tells her.  The scene only gets better.

Seeing that this was the first non-US film to be nominated for Best Picture, this could have been one of the first looks the world had at British comedy.  Some of the jokes are hysterical and feel nearly Monty Python inspired.  When peasants are gathering for the execution a man asks, “Do you mind taking off your hat, we can’t see the block.”  Later, in a bit of dialogue a British man tells the French executioner, “Enough British executioners are out of work as it is.”  And when Henry is trying to sneak up to Cathrine Parr’s bed chamber every guard he passes loudly announces him.

I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this film.  It’s a great mix of history, biography and keeps fluid and personable with a great amount of comedy.  The characters feel like a great ensemble around Laughton and he executes his Henry perfectly and earned that Best Actor award.  If you want a fun brush-up on Henry VIII or want to see some early British comedy, I would suggest this film.