MovieChat Forums > Wuthering Heights (1992) Discussion > Ralph Fiennes ISNT Heathcliff!

Ralph Fiennes ISNT Heathcliff!

posted 20 years ago by wer56
66 replies | jump to latest

People, what’s with you? Why do you call him perfect Heathcliff? Have you read the book? «He dashed his head against the knotted trunk; and, lifting up his eyes, howled, not like a man, but like a savage beast getting goaded to death with knives and spears. I observed several splashes of blood about the bark of the tree, and his hand and forehead were both stained; probably the scene I witnessed was a repetition of others acted during the night»
Can you imagine cool, brooding, laggard Fiennes dashing against the tree? Or calling for Catherine’s ghost through the window? I can’t! And probably Kosminsky couldn’t too, because these scenes weren’t included in the film.
I admit that in other movies Fiennes was excellent – I saw him in «English patient» and «Onegin» – but as Heathcliff he was miscast. Funny, but I prefer Cliff Richard’s performance in musical «Heathcliff». Have you seen this? A stunning thing.
In general, I’m not happy with Wuthering Heights adaptations. I’ve not yet seen convincing Cathy – only artificial Merle Oberon, irritating Anna Calder-Marshall and French Juliette Binoche in this movie. I think Helena Bonham-Carter would be much better as Cathy.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] katieabaker 17 years ago

I totally agree. Ralph Fiennes is moonbeams, not lightning, and frost instead of fire. He just doesn't burn with emotion as Heathcliff should.

Juliette Bionche was okay, but I thought it was more than a bit of a stretch for her to play both Catherines, because they aren't very much alike at all in the book. Plus, her French-accented English bothered me.

[–] suikoden_sigurd 17 years ago

Actually, Cathy (second gen) is like her mother. Why do you think Heathcliff blames her for reminding him about her mother?

[–] tinkerbell52504 17 years ago

^And actually, Catherine Linton wasn't really like Cathy, Catherine had a sweetness and an overall gentle persona whereas Cathy was a complete wench most of the time. She doesn't remind Heathcliff of Cathy, according to the book she looks nothing like Cathy she takes after the Lintons, she reminds Heathcliff of Edgar Linton, the one Heathcliff hated because Linton ended up with Cathy. She's a constant reminder of Edgar Linton possessing HIS Cathy.

Back to what the topic is about...I love Ralph Fiennes and I adored him in the role of Heathcliff! His acting just can't be surpassed.
But I do agree with what others have said about making a Wuthering Heights that is no holds barred, really showing the depth of Heathcliff's hate and the violence.

[–] talk_tomee 17 years ago

that is an amazing analysis, did you study wuthering heights or are you just very perceptive?or both.
I agree that as Heathcliffe Fiennes was excellent, his performance wasn't held back by him being "wrong" for the part, but by the filmmakers.
I've only seen this version so i can't compare his to other actors in the part, but i thought that he showed Heathcliff's character brilliantly

[–] brunettesrule 17 years ago

ok this movie sucked. the person who played hareton would have made a better heathcliff. ahhh iwasted my time watching this movie. they left the good stuff out and emphasised the wierd stuff.

[–] tinkerbell52504 17 years ago

I read all the time, and I'm very into English literature and Wuthering Heights happens to be my favorite, so I've read it quite a few times. Thank you so much for the compliment!

I completely agree with your opinion of Fiennes in this film by the way, he is quite brilliant.

[–] suikoden_sigurd 17 years ago

You're mostly right, Tinkerbell, but Heathcliff at least in part holds Cathy responsible for the death of Catherine. I'm actually studying it in AS English LAng & Lit, so we analyse these things :P

But this Wuthering Heights film is the only film made that relates to the book, with exceptional detail to it.

[–] uirp 17 years ago

Actually the only thing that reminds him of Cathy (Senior) in Cathy (Junior) is her eyes. When he's about to strike her all he sees is her mother staring back and can't do it but admits that otherwise she is not like her and that Hareton looks more like Cathy (Senior). Back onto the Ralph debate. He just did not work for me. When I read the book I imagined him to be slightly dark skinned or mixed race like when Nelly says, "Your mother could have been an Indian Queen and your father the Emperor of China", so he would have had to be Asian looking for her to make those assumptions and the Lintons call him a "Lascar", a derogatory term for an East Indian. In fact Charlotte Bronte described Heathcliff as being Middle Eastern.

"We accept you, one of us, one of us! Gooble Gobble Gooble Gobble!"- Freaks 1932

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] jannag 17 years ago

I saw almost all versions, and I must say that Ralph was the best Heathcliff from all actors. nobody didnt express such pain, passion and cruelty as he did.

[–] UnderMySkin 17 years ago

Oh NO!!!
I don't really like him as an actor but he's amazing as Heathcliff! It's his best movie part!

[–] author_book 17 years ago

Oh, and they skipped the part where Heathcliff came in and both Hareton and Catherine looked at up at him and he notices how similar their eyes are.

This is one of my favorite parts, I wish some of the movies would focus on the second generation part, since this is really a mirror image of the 1st generation's story -- just what would have happened if a couple of things had been different. Hareton was like Heathcliff in body and Linton was like Heathcliff in mind. Once the terrible part of Heathcliff was disposed of -- for lack of a better word -- it left the better part.

[–] infesto 16 years ago

he was just awesome as heathcliff!

^^-mate, feed, kill, repeat^^

[–] ssmith-121 16 years ago

I have been watching multiple versions of films based on classic literature for a film series I plan to do at my library. Of the three versions of Wuthering Heights I have seen so far, the Ralph Fiennes Heathcliff was the angriest. Dalton was broodingly angry but Fiennes was cruel and violent in comparison. I can't remember anything about the third Heathcliff - I watched all three back-to-back on a snow day from work - and I have one more to view but the differences in the characterizations are amazing.

"No opinion negates another...it just enriches the discussion"

[–] ellysbelly 16 years ago

ralph fiennes was cast for the role of amon goeth in schindler's list, because of his "evil sexuality". same here.. bad characthers are always more attractive than the real heros, tough it is harder to enact a bad one. the identity struggles and meaningless arrogance of heathcliff is very well presented by fiennes. I can't say that he is the perfect heathcliff but it is clear that he was successful; not every actor has the abilitiy to show the vulnerability under that tough, stubborn and malevolent shell.
I am not just so sure about binoche's catherine btw. indeed, I am not so sure about the likability of the catherine character in the novel anyway. :)

[–] perorewen 16 years ago

Well, you're not supposed to like Cathrine in the book, she's selfish and self-centred. The story is not about the classic romantic heroes, but rather the opposites.

And yes, I think Fiennes was miscast as Heathcliff. He's a brilliant actor, yes, but he's not enough of an animal, or what you want to call it. I've always prefered Timothy Dalton, he looks like a wolf and you're never sure if he's going to attack or not.

**********
They blew up Congress!!! HAHAHA!

[–] RAMrocks 16 years ago

The real question isn't whether Fiennes could play Heathcliff, but whether ANYONE could play Heathcliff! The character is almost absurdly unhuman. To quote G. K. Chesterton: Emily Brontë's "imagination was sometimes superhuman —always inhuman. Wuthering Heights might have been written by an eagle. She is the strongest instance of these strong imaginations that made the other sex a monster: for Heathcliffe fails as a man as catastrophically as he succeeds as a demon...The Brontës exposed themselves to some misunderstanding by thus perpetually making the masculine creature much more masculine than he wants to be. Thackeray...asked in his exquisite plaintive way: 'Why do our lady novelists make the men bully the women?' It is, I think, unquestionably true that the Brontës treated the male as an almost anarchic thing coming in from outside nature; much as people on this planet regard a comet...The reply may be made that the women in men's novels are equally fallacious. The reply is probably just."

[–] perorewen 16 years ago

Timothy Dalton could play him.

**********
They blew up Congress!!! HAHAHA!

[–] TheBreadGirl 16 years ago

I respectfully disagree

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.

[–] onebluestocking 14 years ago

I loved Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff; he has a great intensity and haunted eyes that appear...not quite sane. I did find his voice and facial features a little too aristocratic, and had always pictured Heathcliff with a darker complexion. At least they gave Ralph black hair for the role. But these are superficial quibbles when compared to his superb acting. I really felt his tortured performance.

I've never cared much for Juliette Binoche's acting range, and thought she was a pretty listless and forgettable Cathy. Not much spark at all, IMO, with the possible exception of the scene where she traps her sister-in-law in the room while telling Heathcliff that the girl has a crush on him. I liked someone else's suggestion of Rachel Weisz for the role.

[–] dailyshampoo48 10 years ago

rachel weisz is equally aristocratic, and a poorer actress than juliette. both these roles require brilliant actors, and ralph fiennes was certainly one of them. binoche is a great actress as well, but not in the same class.

why oh why could they not have cast irene jacob? when I think of binoche I think of french actresses from the 90s, and she immediately springs to mind.

the acting in this version is absolutely brilliant, if the production values are at times hokey. I can't think of another actor in recent times with the same intensity as fiennes (this is the word at stake here), not even olivier who I often find wooden. speaking of olivier, why didn't anyone ever think of casting vivien leigh in this role? health issues aside, she would have done a wonderful job.

[–] sarizonana 11 years ago

I Think Ralph Fiennes was amazing in this part.
he showed perfectly both sides of this character when he was being nice to Catherine you couldnt stop loving him but when he starts to become the monster he is at the end you really hate him.

very few actors are able to transform themselves like Ralph Fiennes and i have to say he looked very sexy in film.

[–] Ilovemusic1 10 years ago

Helena Bonham-Carter? say what, a great actress yes, but my god is she umm oh so NOT appealing amongst the eyes. yuk

Ralph Fiennes ISNT Heathcliff!

Ralph Fiennes ISNT Heathcliff!