E X T E N S I O N WUTHERING HEIGHTS: THE FILMS The very first screen adaptation of Wuthering Heights is believed to have been a silent movie by A. V. Bramble, released in 1920. It is said to have been shot on location1 in Yorkshire, and the film makers went to a lot of trouble to produce it realistically and to remain faithful to the story. It starred2 some of the most popular actors in the U.K. at that time, but sadly the prints appear to have been lost, and only a few stills and photographs of the film remain. The Bront Museum has put out an appeal on the Internet to anyone who might possibly have a copy of it. Perhaps the most famous and best remembered version is the film by William Wyler, released in 1939 at the height of Hollywood s hey-day3, which starred the brilliant British actor, Laurence Olivier, and the American actress, Merle Oberon. It only covered the first part of the book up until Cathy s death, and has been called one of the greatest love stories ever captured on screen . The film was nominated for the Academy Awards and remains even now, a Hollywood classic. The powerful, haunting 4 story also inspired international film-makers to create their own visual interpretations of its tale. In 1953, the great director, Luis Bu uel released the Spanish language adaptation set in Mexico, Abismos de Pasi n, while in 1985, Jacques Rivette produced the French version Hurlevent. Back in the English-speaking world, in 1970 Robert Fuest produced the American and UK adaptation, with the lesser-known actors, Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall. This too was nominated for the Golden Globe and portrayed young love in a setting of adventure, drama and romance. 1. shot on location: filmed outside the studio in a place which suits the story. 2. starred: had as main actors. 3. heyday: the most successful or Milton Rosmer as Heathcliff in Bramble s film. Abismos de Pasi n. Dalton-Heathcliff in Fuest s film. popular period. 4. haunting: beautiful, sad and a little frightening in a way that cannot be forgotten. 61