Ang VavourisOld vs New: ‘Wuthering Heights’ / ‘The Others’
February 8th 2008 10:54
Ladies and gentlemen - let’s get rrrrreadyyy ... to rrrrruuumble!
In the blue corner, representing the old school, a story penned by Emile Bronte and starring Merle Oberon plus the debonair duo of Laurence Olivier and David Niven - please put your hands together for 1939’s ‘Wuthering Heights’.
And in the red corner, the challenger, the underdog punching well above its budget, a movie with a twist that actually makes sense, directed by Alejandro Amenabar and starring a vitamin D-deficient Nicole Kidman plus some equally pale offspring - 2001’s ‘The Others’.
First, a quick synopsis of each plot. ‘Wuthering Heights’ is the story of Heathchliff, a gypsy orphan who grows up alongside a gentleman’s daughter, Cathy, under the tyrannical rule of Cathy’s older brother. Heathcliff and Cathy fall in love, but Cathy ultimately decides to marry a wealthy neighbour, Edgar. In revenge, Heathcliff marries Edgar’s sister and makes her life a living hell. When Cathy dies, Heathcliff is left to await his own demise in utter misery - until the night a traveller seeks shelter at his house during a snowstorm.
‘The Others’, meanwhile, centres on a woman awaiting her husband’s return from World War II in a desolate mansion she shares only with her two photosensitive children. The three of them have been alone since the recent and inexplicable disappearance of the servants. One day, however, an elderly couple and a mute woman arrive to offer their services as domestics. A series of mysterious occurrences follow in their wake.
Onto the first round, then; a match-up of the fundamental ideas. The victory here goes to the challenger. In some respects, the entire movie is merely a lead-up to a punchline, but the ending of ‘The Others’ (which I can’t disclose for obvious reasons) is so ingenious that this singularity of purpose is easily forgiven. ‘Wuthering Heights’ is an above-average idea executed flawlessly, but ‘The Others’ is a flawless idea.
Ding! Second round; the plot.
The sequence of events in each movie is logical. However, the slavish dedication of ‘The Others’ to merely further the story towards the clever conclusion means it is rather spartan. The decades-long story of ‘Wuthering Heights’, in contrast, appears to be a more realistic unfolding of events towards an ending that is not set in stone. It tackles a variety of issues, including racism, sibling rivalry, ambition, hate and love. The social dynamics appear genuine (even if the acting is somewhat dated), and ‘Wuthering Heights’ ultimately transcends the constrictive labels of ‘drama’, ‘love story’ or ‘ghost story’. Is is, simply, a rich story with a melancholic and plausible plot.
One-all. The decider, then, is each film’s ability to generate goose pimples - the X-factor, in other words.
‘Wuthering Heights’, despite its age, is still capable of increasing the heart-rates of its audiences. For example, there is something pleasantly spooky about the scene in which Heathcliff’s guest puts his hand through the opaque window and feels something grab him. Perhaps it strikes a chord with our fear of the unknown. Perhaps it locks onto our primeval fear of being seized by a predator. Either way, it is a creepy idea that hurdles the limitations of the period’s special effects technology by circumventing the need for a visible ghost. Furthermore, the scene will make you think twice about dipping your hand in murky waters or sticking it through a hole in a fence.
What can ‘The Others’ offer? Well, apart from the usual woman-hears-creaking-and-inve stigates, this movie builds to a brilliant scene at the end, when Nicole Kidman ventures upstairs to rescue her children and confront “the others”. Unfortunately, I can’t say too much without spoiling the plot, but it is a disturbing scene awash with emotions and epic enlightenment - a worthy climax.
‘Wuthering Heights’, however, has more up its sleeve. Its geographical setting is a desolate Yorkshire moor, a haunting scenery enhanced by the colourless cinematography. ‘The Others’ can only counter with sustained darkness (explained by the light-sensitive skin of Kidman’s children) and inexplicable fog. Atmospheric, sure, but also somewhat cliched.
Finally, there is the unromanticising honesty of ‘Wuthering Heights’. Heathcliff fluctuates between mild psychosis and deep despair, conjuring up mixed emotions in the viewer that mirror the love/hate relationship between him and the tumultuous Cathy. The central characters are flawed personalities, which makes them more life-like and distances ‘Wuthering Heights’ from stale fairy-tale romances. If I could say only one thing about the film, it would be this: ‘Wuthering Heights’ simply eclipses the competition.
Which means that the winner, by technical knockout, is ... ‘Wuthering Heights’! ‘The Others’ put up a valiant fight but was ultimately too one-dimensional to pull off the upset. Both films are highly deserving of your viewing, of course, and ‘The Others’ is a fine choice especially if you wish to challenge your astuteness. But if you’re after something to truly treasure, the original adaptation of Bronte’s novel is the way to go.
- Viktor Figeczki
Next up: Femme Fatales
In the blue corner, representing the old school, a story penned by Emile Bronte and starring Merle Oberon plus the debonair duo of Laurence Olivier and David Niven - please put your hands together for 1939’s ‘Wuthering Heights’.
And in the red corner, the challenger, the underdog punching well above its budget, a movie with a twist that actually makes sense, directed by Alejandro Amenabar and starring a vitamin D-deficient Nicole Kidman plus some equally pale offspring - 2001’s ‘The Others’.
First, a quick synopsis of each plot. ‘Wuthering Heights’ is the story of Heathchliff, a gypsy orphan who grows up alongside a gentleman’s daughter, Cathy, under the tyrannical rule of Cathy’s older brother. Heathcliff and Cathy fall in love, but Cathy ultimately decides to marry a wealthy neighbour, Edgar. In revenge, Heathcliff marries Edgar’s sister and makes her life a living hell. When Cathy dies, Heathcliff is left to await his own demise in utter misery - until the night a traveller seeks shelter at his house during a snowstorm.
‘The Others’, meanwhile, centres on a woman awaiting her husband’s return from World War II in a desolate mansion she shares only with her two photosensitive children. The three of them have been alone since the recent and inexplicable disappearance of the servants. One day, however, an elderly couple and a mute woman arrive to offer their services as domestics. A series of mysterious occurrences follow in their wake.
Onto the first round, then; a match-up of the fundamental ideas. The victory here goes to the challenger. In some respects, the entire movie is merely a lead-up to a punchline, but the ending of ‘The Others’ (which I can’t disclose for obvious reasons) is so ingenious that this singularity of purpose is easily forgiven. ‘Wuthering Heights’ is an above-average idea executed flawlessly, but ‘The Others’ is a flawless idea.
Ding! Second round; the plot.
The sequence of events in each movie is logical. However, the slavish dedication of ‘The Others’ to merely further the story towards the clever conclusion means it is rather spartan. The decades-long story of ‘Wuthering Heights’, in contrast, appears to be a more realistic unfolding of events towards an ending that is not set in stone. It tackles a variety of issues, including racism, sibling rivalry, ambition, hate and love. The social dynamics appear genuine (even if the acting is somewhat dated), and ‘Wuthering Heights’ ultimately transcends the constrictive labels of ‘drama’, ‘love story’ or ‘ghost story’. Is is, simply, a rich story with a melancholic and plausible plot.
One-all. The decider, then, is each film’s ability to generate goose pimples - the X-factor, in other words.
‘Wuthering Heights’, despite its age, is still capable of increasing the heart-rates of its audiences. For example, there is something pleasantly spooky about the scene in which Heathcliff’s guest puts his hand through the opaque window and feels something grab him. Perhaps it strikes a chord with our fear of the unknown. Perhaps it locks onto our primeval fear of being seized by a predator. Either way, it is a creepy idea that hurdles the limitations of the period’s special effects technology by circumventing the need for a visible ghost. Furthermore, the scene will make you think twice about dipping your hand in murky waters or sticking it through a hole in a fence.
What can ‘The Others’ offer? Well, apart from the usual woman-hears-creaking-and-inve stigates, this movie builds to a brilliant scene at the end, when Nicole Kidman ventures upstairs to rescue her children and confront “the others”. Unfortunately, I can’t say too much without spoiling the plot, but it is a disturbing scene awash with emotions and epic enlightenment - a worthy climax.
‘Wuthering Heights’, however, has more up its sleeve. Its geographical setting is a desolate Yorkshire moor, a haunting scenery enhanced by the colourless cinematography. ‘The Others’ can only counter with sustained darkness (explained by the light-sensitive skin of Kidman’s children) and inexplicable fog. Atmospheric, sure, but also somewhat cliched.
Finally, there is the unromanticising honesty of ‘Wuthering Heights’. Heathcliff fluctuates between mild psychosis and deep despair, conjuring up mixed emotions in the viewer that mirror the love/hate relationship between him and the tumultuous Cathy. The central characters are flawed personalities, which makes them more life-like and distances ‘Wuthering Heights’ from stale fairy-tale romances. If I could say only one thing about the film, it would be this: ‘Wuthering Heights’ simply eclipses the competition.
Which means that the winner, by technical knockout, is ... ‘Wuthering Heights’! ‘The Others’ put up a valiant fight but was ultimately too one-dimensional to pull off the upset. Both films are highly deserving of your viewing, of course, and ‘The Others’ is a fine choice especially if you wish to challenge your astuteness. But if you’re after something to truly treasure, the original adaptation of Bronte’s novel is the way to go.
- Viktor Figeczki
Next up: Femme Fatales
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Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
You are right about The Others: everything is centred on the twist at the end, not the story in it's own right. At least something like The Sixth Sense attempts both.
Michaelie
Comment by jon
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Thanks,
Jon.