Such a frustrating disappointment

Good concept, poorly executed.

best movie i've ever seen.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Being an avid Bronte fan, especially Emily, I have seen every single adaptation of their novels. While most screen adaptations prove to be rather disgraceful, there are some "gems" which, though not equaling the original source, turn out to be masterpieces in their own right. Such is the case with this wonderful TV adaptation of Wuthering Heights. It follows as closely to the book as possible, and takes great pains to bring the characters and their world to life, and succeeds with flying colours. Robert Cavannah and Orla Brady are near perfect in their portrayal of the two star-crossed lovers Cathy and Heathcliff, and David Skynner, the director, does his best to emulate the chaotic atmosphere in which their love blossoms in the novel. But the most enjoyable part of the movie - and indeed of the novel - is the allusion to the post-Heathcliff Wuthering Heights epitomised by the union of Hareton and Catherine Linton.This is a dark, dreary, passionate and compelling adaptation - probably the most stirring, and definitely the most faithful to the original - for it shows why we love and continue to love Emily Jane Bronte's masterpiece! I most strenuously recommend it to every Bronte fan - Victorian world doesn't get bleaker than this!

This 1998 version of "Wuthering Heights" here depicts the emotional intensity, violence, and cruelty of the novel. Never a "sweet romance," it depicts the quite understandable actions of two "soulmates" and the destruction they wreak around them--a drama that somehow ends perfectly in another romance that promises to be as rich and soulful, if more temperate.As Cathy, Orla Brady has the beauty, brashness, and vitality of the original, if not as much of the desire to dominate others. As Heathcliff, Robert Cavanaugh has intensity, intelligence, and physicality, if not the "otherness" of appearance that the book describes. Together, Brady and Cavanaugh show the primal need for each other that is so essential to the book.Like all other film adaptations, this film suffers from the needs of practical aspects of film-making. The essential parts of the story happen when Cathy and Heathcliff are about ages 8-9, 12-13, and 15-16. As in most films, most of these events are played by actors much older than are credible for the events portrayed. It makes no sense for a mature Heathcliff to stay at Wuthering Heights, but it does for a boy of 12 or 13. Why would Cathy value the attentions of a wealthy neighbor? Because she is only 15 and wants to become part of the elite in a stratified society.Maybe someday the film industry will find a way to show people growing and evolving--then one can finally have a perfect film version of "Wuthering Heights." But as it stands, the bleak, yet beautiful landscape, the characters' isolation, and the depth and complexity of each main character are admirably presented. If only the film could be longer! Melanie Matson, 6-11-10

As someone who has created a website on Wuthering Heights so had to read and re-read it many times, paragraph by paragraph, I was very impressed by this version (ITV has not a great reputation for historical drama in the UK).The house itself looked like a farmhouse rather than a mansion, the minor details such as hair colour were generally accurate, the acting was excellent. Somehow Orla Brady didn't feel right to me as Catherine (although she's a fine actress) but Sarah Smart was perfect as the younger Cathy.Being two hours rather than a movie's 90 minutes allowed more of the novel to be used and I was constantly thinking "Yes, I remember that from the book". Until Andrew Davies produces the definitive 'Wuthering Heights' as he did for 'Pride and Prejudice', this is probably the best around.

I find that this 1998 Masterpiece theater TV version follows the novel of the same name pretty faithfully. One who has never read the novel may find the action moving too quickly, so that the flow of the movie may seem slightly abrupt or choppy. However, the movie is only 2 hours long, which is probably why they had to cut out parts of the book and take some liberties with ages and certain details. That does not detract too much from the enjoyment of this movie, which despite its choppiness, has excellent acting, beautiful cinematography (the landscapes are breathtaking), and a wonderfully wrought out, bitter plot which focuses on three generations of two families who are intimately interlocked with each other. Heathcliff definitely comes off as the cruel, embittered man he is in the book, and it's great to see a TV movie capture the personalities of all the characters so well. Highly recommended movie.