Wuthering Heights (2011 film)
Encyclopedia
Wuthering Heights is a 2011 British romantic
drama film
directed by Andrea Arnold
and starring Kaya Scodelario
as Catherine
and James Howson as Heathcliff
. The screenplay, written by Andrea Arnold
and Olivia Hetreed, is based on Emily Brontë
's 1847 novel of the same name
.
was originally set to star as Cathy
in a new film adaptation
of the novel, but she left the project in May. In May 2008, director John Maybury
cast Michael Fassbender
as Heathcliff and Abbie Cornish
as Cathy, however, in May 2009, Peter Webber
was announced as the new director, with Ed Westwick
and Gemma Arterton
attached to play Heathcliff and Cathy respectively. However, the project did not get off the ground and in January 2010, it was announced that Andrea Arnold
would direct the adaptation. In April, she cast Kaya Scodelario
as Catherine, a more age-appropriate choice than previous adaptations.
Due to Brontë's description of Heathcliff as "dark-skinned gypsy in aspect" and "a little lascar", Arnold searched for an actor from the UK's Romani community, however, the community had some doubts. The search was then expanded to Yorkshire actors aged 16 to 21 of mixed race, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Middle Eastern descent. In November, it was reported that James Howson had been cast as Heathcliff, the first time a black actor would portray the role. Lucy Pardee was in charge of casting the children in the film (Gail Stevens cast the adults). Pardee auditioned private school children with no history of acting.
Principal photography
concluded in November 2010. Filming took place in several North Yorkshire
locations, including Thwaite
, Cotescue Park in Coverham
(as Thrushcross Grange), and Moor Close Farm in Muker
(as Wuthering Heights) and with the production office being temporarily based in Hawes
during filming.
's pre-Cannes Film Festival
party, with The Guardian
noting that the teaser "wowed" the partygoers (including Venice Film Festival
artistic director Marco Mueller who was present in order to scout films for his festival).
The film premiered in competition at the 2011 Venice Film Festival
and appeared at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
as a Special Presentation. It was also shown at the London Film Festival
, Zurich Film Festival
. and the Leeds Film Festival. The film was released in the UK on November 11.
Grammy Award
-nominated band Mumford & Sons
have recorded two songs for the film, one of which (entitled "Enemy") will be played over the closing credits.
Photographer Agatha A. Nitecka shot promotional material for the film including photos for the poster, DVD cover, magazines and a photo-essay. Film4
released the first promotional photo of James Howson as Heathcliff to their Twitter
account the morning the Venice Film Festival lineup was announced. With the announcement that the film would play at the Toronto Film Festival, four new promotional images were released.
An exhibit of film stills and photographs taken on the set by Agatha A. Nitecka was displayed in Curzon Cinema's Renoir location and her photo-essay was available free to every customer who purchased a ticket. A video of the photo-essay was also released online.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold OBE is a filmmaker and former actress from England, who made her feature film directorial debut in 2006 with Red Road.-Early TV work:...
and starring Kaya Scodelario
Kaya Scodelario
Kaya Rose Scodelario is a British actress and model. She is best known for her role as Effy Stonem in the E4 drama Skins.-Skins :...
as Catherine
Catherine Earnshaw
Catherine Earnshaw, known as Catherine Linton after her marriage, is the main female protagonist of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights....
and James Howson as Heathcliff
Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
Heathcliff is a fictional character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Owing to the novel's enduring fame and popularity, he is often regarded as an archetype of the tortured Romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both himself and those around him.Legend has stereotyped...
. The screenplay, written by Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold OBE is a filmmaker and former actress from England, who made her feature film directorial debut in 2006 with Red Road.-Early TV work:...
and Olivia Hetreed, is based on Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë
Emily Jane Brontë 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, now considered a classic of English literature. Emily was the third eldest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Anne and her brother...
's 1847 novel of the same name
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
.
Cast
- Kaya ScodelarioKaya ScodelarioKaya Rose Scodelario is a British actress and model. She is best known for her role as Effy Stonem in the E4 drama Skins.-Skins :...
as Catherine EarnshawCatherine EarnshawCatherine Earnshaw, known as Catherine Linton after her marriage, is the main female protagonist of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights.... - James Howson as HeathcliffHeathcliff (Wuthering Heights)Heathcliff is a fictional character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Owing to the novel's enduring fame and popularity, he is often regarded as an archetype of the tortured Romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both himself and those around him.Legend has stereotyped...
- Oliver MilburnOliver MilburnOliver Milburn , occasionally known by the name Oz Milburn, is an English actor.-Early life:Milburn was born in Dorset and educated at the Dragon School in Oxford, and then Eton College. He then went straight into television, with no formal acting training.-Career:He played Matthew Bannerman in...
as Mr. Linton - Nichola BurleyNichola BurleyNichola Ann Burley is an English actress best known for her roles in Born Equal, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Goldplated, Donkey Punch and Carly in StreetDance 3D.-Early life:...
as Isabella LintonIsabella LintonIsabella Linton is a female character in Emily Brontë's only novel Wuthering Heights. She is the sister of Edgar Linton and the wife of Heathcliff.- Story :... - Eve Coverley as Young Isabella LintonIsabella LintonIsabella Linton is a female character in Emily Brontë's only novel Wuthering Heights. She is the sister of Edgar Linton and the wife of Heathcliff.- Story :...
- James Northcote as Edgar LintonEdgar LintonEdgar Linton is a character in Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights. His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw's husband. He resides at Thrushcross Grange and falls prey to Heathcliff's schemes for revenge against his family....
- Lee Shaw as Hindley EarnshawHindley EarnshawHindley Earnshaw is a fictional character in Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights. The brother of Catherine Earnshaw, father of Hareton Earnshaw, and sworn enemy of Heathcliff, he descends into a life of drunkenness, degradation, and misery after his wife Frances dies in childbirth, enabling...
- Amy Wren as Frances Earnshaw
- Shannon Beer as Young Catherine Earnshaw
- Solomon Glave as Young Heathcliff
- Steve EvetsSteve EvetsSteve Evets is an English actor and musician, who found fame in the leading role in the 2009 film Looking for Eric.-Personal life:...
as Joseph - Paul HiltonPaul Hilton (actor)Paul Hilton , is a British actor on stage and TV.He has appeared in TV programmes including The Bill, Silent Witness, Wire in the Blood and Robin Hood, and has had regular character roles in True Dare Kiss and Casualty 1909 .Hilton also appeared in the film Klimt, which starred John...
as Mr. Earnshaw - Simone Jackson as Nelly DeanNelly DeanEllen "Nelly" Dean is a female character in Emily Brontë's novel, Wuthering Heights. She is the main narrator for the story, and gives key eyewitness accounts as to what happens between the characters...
- Jonny Powell as Young Edgar LintonEdgar LintonEdgar Linton is a character in Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights. His role in the story is that of Catherine Earnshaw's husband. He resides at Thrushcross Grange and falls prey to Heathcliff's schemes for revenge against his family....
Production
Announced in April 2008, Natalie PortmanNatalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
was originally set to star as Cathy
Catherine Earnshaw
Catherine Earnshaw, known as Catherine Linton after her marriage, is the main female protagonist of Emily Brontë's novel Wuthering Heights....
in a new film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the novel, but she left the project in May. In May 2008, director John Maybury
John Maybury
John Maybury is an English filmmaker. In 2005 he was listed as one of the 100 most influential gay and lesbian people in Britain.-Early life:...
cast Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender is an Irish-German actor. He is best known for playing Lt. Archie Hicox in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds and Magneto in the superhero blockbuster X-Men: First Class...
as Heathcliff and Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
as Cathy, however, in May 2009, Peter Webber
Peter Webber
Peter Webber is a British director who is best known for his debut feature film Girl with a Pearl Earring and Hannibal Rising.-Early career:Webber made his first short film, The Zebra Man, straight out of film school...
was announced as the new director, with Ed Westwick
Ed Westwick
Edward Jack P. "Ed" Westwick is an English actor and musician, best known for his role as Chuck Bass in the main cast on the American television series Gossip Girl.-Early life and career:...
and Gemma Arterton
Gemma Arterton
Gemma Arterton is an English actress. She played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and starred in the feature films St Trinian's, the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tamara...
attached to play Heathcliff and Cathy respectively. However, the project did not get off the ground and in January 2010, it was announced that Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold
Andrea Arnold OBE is a filmmaker and former actress from England, who made her feature film directorial debut in 2006 with Red Road.-Early TV work:...
would direct the adaptation. In April, she cast Kaya Scodelario
Kaya Scodelario
Kaya Rose Scodelario is a British actress and model. She is best known for her role as Effy Stonem in the E4 drama Skins.-Skins :...
as Catherine, a more age-appropriate choice than previous adaptations.
Due to Brontë's description of Heathcliff as "dark-skinned gypsy in aspect" and "a little lascar", Arnold searched for an actor from the UK's Romani community, however, the community had some doubts. The search was then expanded to Yorkshire actors aged 16 to 21 of mixed race, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Middle Eastern descent. In November, it was reported that James Howson had been cast as Heathcliff, the first time a black actor would portray the role. Lucy Pardee was in charge of casting the children in the film (Gail Stevens cast the adults). Pardee auditioned private school children with no history of acting.
Principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
concluded in November 2010. Filming took place in several North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
locations, including Thwaite
Thwaite, North Yorkshire
Thwaite is a small village in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. It was the home and birthplace of Richard and Cherry Kearton, who were pioneers in wildlife photography at the end of the 19th century...
, Cotescue Park in Coverham
Coverham
Coverham is a village in Coverdale on the border of the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It lies only a mile west of the town, Middleham....
(as Thrushcross Grange), and Moor Close Farm in Muker
Muker
Muker is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. Situated in Swaledale, one of the Yorkshire Dales, its name...
(as Wuthering Heights) and with the production office being temporarily based in Hawes
Hawes
Hawes is a small market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England, being granted its market charter in 1699...
during filming.
Promotion and release
The first footage of the film released was a four-shot teaser at Film4Film4
Film4 is a free digital television channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned and operated by Channel 4, that screens films.-Programming:...
's pre-Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
party, with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
noting that the teaser "wowed" the partygoers (including Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
artistic director Marco Mueller who was present in order to scout films for his festival).
The film premiered in competition at the 2011 Venice Film Festival
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
and appeared at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011.Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening film was From the Sky Down, a documentary film about the band...
as a Special Presentation. It was also shown at the London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
, Zurich Film Festival
Zurich Film Festival
The Zurich Film Festival ' is an important international film festival, held annually in Zurich, Switzerland. A stated objective of the festival is to discover and support young, aspiring filmmakers and to offer the industry, audiences, the press and a broader public an exciting cinema experience...
. and the Leeds Film Festival. The film was released in the UK on November 11.
Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated band Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons are a British folk rock band. The band consists of Marcus Mumford , Ben Lovett , Country Winston Marshall , and Ted Dwane...
have recorded two songs for the film, one of which (entitled "Enemy") will be played over the closing credits.
Photographer Agatha A. Nitecka shot promotional material for the film including photos for the poster, DVD cover, magazines and a photo-essay. Film4
Film4
Film4 is a free digital television channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned and operated by Channel 4, that screens films.-Programming:...
released the first promotional photo of James Howson as Heathcliff to their Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account the morning the Venice Film Festival lineup was announced. With the announcement that the film would play at the Toronto Film Festival, four new promotional images were released.
An exhibit of film stills and photographs taken on the set by Agatha A. Nitecka was displayed in Curzon Cinema's Renoir location and her photo-essay was available free to every customer who purchased a ticket. A video of the photo-essay was also released online.
Awards
- 2011 Venice Film Festival68th Venice International Film FestivalThe 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
Osella for Best CinematographyGolden OsellaThe Golden Osella is the name of several awards given at the Venice Film Festival. They are awarded irregularly and in various categories such as directing, screenwriting, cinematography and 'technical contributions'.-Best Director:... - 2011 Valladolid International Film Festival SeminciValladolid International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain since 1956....
Best Director of Photography - 2011 Valladolid International Film Festival SeminciValladolid International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain since 1956....
Award to the Young Actors (Solomon Glave and Shannon Beer)