Masterpiece Theatre

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TOMATOMETER

Total Count: N/A

61%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 437

Movie Info

Emily Bronte's enduring tale of a love struggling against all odds is brought to the screen once again in this adaptation created for British television. Cathy (Orla Brady) is the daughter of the goodhearted Hareton Earnshaw (Matthew MacFadyen), who allows a lost soul, Heathcliff (Robert Cavanah), to move into their home. While Cathy and Heathcliff outwardly appear to have little in common, they soon feel a strong attraction to one another, and Heathcliff pledges his undying love to her. However, circumstances conspire to keep them apart; Cathy's brother doesn't want Heathcliff to see her, her wealthy family sees a marriage between them as unthinkable, and in time Cathy agrees to an arranged marriage with Edgar Linton (Crispin Bonham-Carter). But none of this changes the desire Heathcliff feels for the woman he loves. Wuthering Heights first aired in the United States as part of the award-winning anthology series Masterpiece Theatre.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Drama, Romance
Directed By:

David Skynner
Written By:

Neil McKay
In Theaters:

Oct 18, 1998 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Aug 2, 2005
Runtime:

112 minutes
Studio:

WGBH

Cast

Orla Brady
as Catherine Earnshaw

Robert Cavanah
as Heathcliff

Ian Shaw
as Hindley

Crispin Bonham-Carter
as Edgar Linton/Nelly Dean

Ken Kitson

Peter Davison
as Joseph Lockwood

Flora Montgomery
as Isabella Linton

Matthew MacFadyen
as Hareton Earnshaw

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Critic Reviews for Masterpiece Theatre

There are no critic reviews yet for Masterpiece Theatre. Keep checking Rotten Tomatoes for updates!

Audience Reviews for Masterpiece Theatre

Apr 02, 2013

Don't know if this was the best version. Can only judge it as a film on it's own merit, and it left me wanting.

Marcus W Super Reviewer
Apr 17, 2010

There is a lot wrong with this version of the classic tale. First and foremost the compressing of the story into two hours, the original and best version with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon only told a fraction of the book and it was of equal length, makes everything feel rushed and motivations fuzzy. Almost as damaging is the miscasting of Robert Cavanah in the lead. Heathcliff is a complex, difficult, mostly unlikable character which requires an actor of great personal magnetism to bridge that gap for the audience, Cavanah is not that guy. He just seems cruel, insane and totally unsympathetic. Orla Brady is a bland Cathy making Heathcliff's mad devotion all the more puzzling. Another sore spot no one ages! Once the main characters reach maturity their looks never change even though decades pass. The one bright spot is Matthew MacFayden whose performance is controlled and centered unfortunately his part is small and comes late in the proceedings so he can do little to rescue this woeful effort. Watch the 1939 version instead.

jay n Super Reviewer