''Wuthering Heights'' is a 1978 British film adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 novel ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...

'', starring

Ken Hutchison Aitken Hutchison (24 November 1948 – 9 August 2021) was a Scottish actor. Life and career Hutchison played roles in many episodes of ''Play for Today'' from 1970 to 1980, such as in " Just a Boys' Game". Hutchison played Norman Scutt in the ...

, Kay Adshead,

Pat Heywood Patricia Heywood (born 1 August 1931 in Gretna Green, Dumfriesshire, Scotland), is a Scottish character actress who has appeared in stage productions, films and television. She is married to Oliver Neville, the former principal of the Royal Acad ...

, and

John Duttine John Arthur Duttine (born 15 March 1949) is an English actor noted for his roles on stage, films and television. He is well known for his role as Sgt George Miller in '' Heartbeat'' and also Bill Masen in the TV series ''The Day of the Triffid ...

, originally broadcast on BBC Two as a 5-part mini-series, beginning 24 September 1978. Location filming took place on the Yorkshire Moors. This BBC version is regarded as being the one most faithful to the original novel because it does not end with Cathy's death but continues into the next generation, with Heathcliff seeking revenge against those he felt had wronged him.

Plot summary

Cast

* Heathcliff –

Cathy ''Cathy'' is an American gag-a-day comic strip, drawn by Cathy Guisewite from 1976 until 2010. The comic follows Cathy, a woman who struggles through the "four basic guilt groups" of life—food, love, family, and work. The strip gently pokes f ...

– Kay Adshead * Joseph –

Brian Wilde Brian George Wilde (13 June 1927 – 20 March 2008) was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, most notably Mr Barrowclough in '' Porridge'' and Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst in ''Last of the Summer Wine''. His lugubrious ...

* Ellen Dean –

* Hindley –

* Frances – Maggie Wilkinson * Mr Linton – Dennis Burgess * Mrs Linton – Wendy Williams * Lockwood – Richard Kay * Mr Earnshaw – John Collin * Mrs Earnshaw – Patricia Healey * Servant Girl – Judith Byfield * Dr Kenneth –

John Golightly John Golightly (born 18 May 1936 in Reslven, Glamorgan) is a Welsh actor who has appeared in numerous British television productions over a 45-year period. His father was a transport foreman. After grammar school he trained as an actor at RA ...

* Edgar –

David Robb David Robb (born 23 August 1947) is a Scottish actor. Early life Born in London, the son of David Robb and Elsie Tilley, Robb grew up in Edinburgh and was educated there at the Royal High School, where he played Henry II in a school product ...

* Reverend Graham – Paul Dawkins *

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

–

Caroline Langrishe Caroline Langrishe (born 10 January 1958) is an English actress. Early life Born in London, Langrishe is the elder daughter of Patrick Nicholas Langrishe (1932–2022), of The Manor House, Sellindge, Kent, a Lieutenant in the 11th Hussars, late ...

* Mr Green – Norman Rutherford * Zillah –

Barbara Keogh Barbara Keogh (21 April 1929 – 25 October 2005) was a British actress. Keogh is most noted for her work on television, particularly her role as Lilly Mattock on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Early life and career Keogh was born on 21 ...

Catherine Linton Catherine Linton (also known as "Young Catherine" or Cathy Linton and later as Catherine Heathcliff then as Catherine Earnshaw) is a character in Emily Brontë's 1847 novel ''Wuthering Heights''. She is the daughter of Edgar Linton and Catheri ...

– Cathryn Harrison * Hareton – David Wilkinson * Linton – Andrew Burleigh * Mary – Kate David * Robert – Barry Hart * Sexton – Charles Turner * Small Boy – Richard Usher * Heathcliff (as child) – Dale Tarry * Cathy (as child) – Maria Swailes * Hindley (as child) – Mitchell Varnam * Edgar (as child) – Grant Bardsley * Isabella (as child) – Julia Stark * Hareton (as child) – Elliot Moss * Hareton (as child) – Simon Massey

Critical reception

Allmovie wrote, "Irish playwright

Hugh Leonard Hugh Leonard (9 November 1926 – 12 February 2009) was an Irish dramatist, television writer, and essayist. In a career that spanned 50 years, Leonard wrote nearly 30 full-length plays, 10 one-act plays, three volumes of essay, two autobiograph ...

handles the adaptation, deftly juggling the many characters and subplots without the slightest sense of strain"; and the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

described the adaptation as "embracing the hysteria and savagery of its source novel." However, in a contemporary review Clive James called it " e latest but not the best of the Beeb's long line of classic serials", and "the blithering pits".

References

External links

*
''Wuthering Heights'' at the Internet Movie Database
1978 films BBC Film films Films based on Wuthering Heights British television miniseries {{1970s-UK-film-stub