{"id":37685,"date":"2026-02-26T15:48:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/quench\/?p=37685"},"modified":"2026-02-26T15:48:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:48:39","slug":"the-many-faces-of-heathcliffe-anti-hero-gothic-symbol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/quench\/film-tv\/the-many-faces-of-heathcliffe-anti-hero-gothic-symbol\/","title":{"rendered":"The Many Faces of Heathcliff: Brooding Anti-Hero, Gothic Symbol\u2026 and X-Rated Elordi?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The release of Emerald Fennell\u2019s highly speculated adaptation of <em>Wuthering Height<\/em>s is a project she has described as being imagined by her \u201c14-year-old self,\u201d. It is invigorating, and creates the perfect moment to revisit the many versions of Emily Bront\u00eb\u2019s novel. What sets the plethora of adaptations apart? How have directors reinterpreted, and in some cases softened, a text that is drastically more violent and socially charged than its romantic reputation suggests?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the opening pages, Heathcliff\u2019s ostracisation is unmistakable: he is called a \u201clittle Lascar,\u201d and a \u201cgypsy brat\u201d. He longs to be \u201cfair-skinned,\u201d revealing both external and internalised social otherness. His place in society fuels his anger, driving a narrative that brings ruin upon everyone involved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Historically, filmmakers whitewash Heathcliff and foreground his attachment to Catherine. Ultimately, this has reshaped Bront\u00eb\u2019s legacy of a gothic tragedy as a love story. Or, as the 2026 film markets, \u201cthe greatest love story of all time.\u201d They dilute the central tension brought by the \u201cother\u201d and lose what makes Bront\u00eb\u2019s only novel so magnetically unsettling.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Setting the novel aside, what does Fennell\u2019s film offer as a standalone piece? Visually, it is striking. The lighting and cinematography transform the bleak Yorkshire moors into a fantastical haven. The same could be said of its glamorous leads Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But remember, this is <em>not<\/em> a love story. At its core lies obsessive rage, violent trauma and the stinging pain of marginalisation. This is a<em> revenge<\/em> story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With every frame pristine and every performer flawless, something essential is lost. It becomes a caricature, minimising the emotional brutality between Heathcliff and Catherine. Unfortunately, the only emotion on display is lust. Fennell appears to overcompensate for lack of character depth and chemistry, through overt sexualisation: ironic, given that the couple never even kiss in the source material.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By casting 6\u20195 Elordi, Heathcliff becomes an eroticised spectacle rather than a symbol of generational destruction and marginalisation. This adaptation prioritises aesthetic atmosphere and fetishistic imagery, rather than depicting the raw human suffering that has ensured the survival of Bronte\u2019s work. This isn\u2019t a critique of on-screen sexuality, erotic cinema <em>can <\/em>be radical. But without substance, it feels ornamental.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fennell continues a Hollywood tradition: smoothing out Heathcliff\u2019s vulnerability and psychological complexity into a morally simplified romance. Peter Kosminsky\u2019s 1992 adaptation exemplifies this approach, where Heathcliff being \u201cas dark as if it came from the devil\u201d is interpreted metaphorically. This resulted in a brooding anti-hero, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, whose charisma neutralises Heathcliff\u2019s supposed ostracisation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> By trimming the novel\u2019s brutal content, Kosminsky focalises his star-crossed lovers against a romanticised countryside backdrop. Here, Heathcliff and Catherine aren\u2019t political, just tragic: she dies melodramatically in his arms, and with her, Bront\u00eb\u2019s intention of addressing social cruelty.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In stark contrast to both versions, Andrea Arnold\u2019s 2011 adaptation, excels precisely for its refusal to romanticise tragedy, producing an authentic, domestic sincerity between Heathcliff and Catherine.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arnold racialises Heathcliff through James Howson, foregrounding Bront\u00eb\u2019s preoccupation with otherness in a way that no major adaptation had. Here, his marginalisation is not an abstract gold-studded suggestion, it is embodied and inescapable. Every slur, every blow at the hands of Hindley reinforces his social exclusion, showing that his rage is learnt, not innate. By comparison, Fennell\u2019s Heathcliff experiences zero systemic oppression and is swiftly given the Byronic hero treatment. His anger materialises in stylised, BDSM-tinged sequences that aestheticise violence, rather than being grounded in context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arnold\u2019s gritty depiction of the moors, grounded in Gothic realism heightens the couple\u2019s feral, intimate desires. Natural lighting, handheld camerawork and the harsh hiss of wind against skin immerse the audience within the inhospitable realities of the 18<sup>th<\/sup> century. Instead of a pop score telling us how to feel, lingering shots let emotions simmer, amidst the wuthering, wuthering heights. Despite sparse dialogue, their fleeting touches and electric gazes show that Heathcliff\u2019s romantic yearning is also entangled with a desperation for dignity in a world that refuses him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet across multiple decades and directors, these adaptations ultimately testify to the lasting brilliance of Bront\u00eb\u2019s Wuthering Heights. A tale of obsession, rage and otherness that still captivates nearly two centuries later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Words by Sara Raasen.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Featured Image courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@ethnrdd\">Ethan Ridd<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/s\/photos\/yorkshire-moors\">Unsplash.<\/a> No changes have been made to this image. Image licence found <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/license\">here. <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The release of Emerald Fennell\u2019s highly speculated adaptation of Wuthering Heights is a project she has described as being imagined [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":650,"featured_media":37686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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