Overview
A tale of love and loss set against the backdrop of societal constraints and class struggles.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- tempestuous
- somber
- classic movie night
- literary adaptation marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as a sumptuous, forcefully acted and poetically atmospheric adaptation, while noting that its somber mood and slow pace can limit its accessibility.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Cathy and Heathcliff's affection is obstructed by their unequal status and her socially advantageous marriage to Edgar Linton.
The Yorkshire moors and stormy landscapes provide the film's defining atmosphere of wildness, isolation, and longing.
Heathcliff and Cathy's enduring bond persists through abandonment, marriage, resentment, and social separation.
The screenplay adapts Emily Brontë's novel into a compact 104-minute dramatic arc focused on Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship.
Films like Wuthering Heights, and why
Jane Eyre
gothic romance, class conflict, and doomed passion in a historical setting
Rebecca
literary period romance shaped by social hierarchy, repression, and tragic longing
Gone with the Wind
sweeping old Hollywood romantic drama with intense emotional conflict and sumptuous studio design
The Age of Innocence
melancholic forbidden love and class barriers in a prestige literary adaptation
Movie Details
- Director
- William Wyler
- Release Date
- 1939-04-07
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (336)
Cast
- Merle Oberon
- Laurence Olivier
- David Niven
- Flora Robson
- Donald Crisp
- Geraldine Fitzgerald
- Hugh Williams
- Leo G. Carroll
- Miles Mander
- Cecil Kellaway
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Wuthering Heights about?
- A wild, melancholic romance in which class prejudice turns Cathy and Heathcliff’s childhood bond into a lifelong tragedy.
- What is Wuthering Heights like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Wuthering Heights as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Wuthering Heights violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Wuthering Heights as mild.
- What did critics think of Wuthering Heights?
- Critics broadly praise the film as a sumptuous, forcefully acted and poetically atmospheric adaptation, while noting that its somber mood and slow pace can limit its accessibility.
- Which films are like Wuthering Heights?
- Films with a similar feel include Jane Eyre, Rebecca, Gone with the Wind, and The Age of Innocence.
- How long is Wuthering Heights?
- Wuthering Heights runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Wuthering Heights?
- In United States, Wuthering Heights streams on Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
