Let me first just start off by saying I did not like the 1847 book Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë. I am a hopeless romantic, so I expect stories to have a happy ending. This story made me very angry because all hopes of having a “happily ever after” went straight out the window as soon as Catherine died. Now the 1939 film, book Wuthering Heights, directed by William Wyler, I can somewhat tolerate, because it only told the first half of the book.
Even though it still did not have a happy ending, Catherine and Heathcliff still got a
tearful and somewhat romantic goodbye. The most romance you can get before someone meets death that is. Whenever I saw Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon, who played Heathcliff and Catherine, I could not help but smile. The scenes that they had together were very passionate; even when they were yelling at each other, I could hear the love in their voices.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie was shown when Catherine and Edgar (David
Niven) hosted a ball at Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff entered looking very sharp and handsome; and here comes poor Isabella (Geraldine Fitzgerald) doting on Heathcliff and trying so hard to make him love her the way she believes to be in love with him. He is not even giving her any attention; the entire time she is talking to him he is locking eyes with Catherine across the room. Every time Catherine glances up at him he is staring her down. While watching this I
could not help but blush because it is forbidden, and it should not be happening because Catherine is supposedly “devoted” to Edgar.
In another sense I totally do want this to be happening because this love is much greater than any love that Catherine could ever feel toward Edgar or any man other than Heathcliff for that matter.