Wuthering Heights (1939)
#74 on my Top 100 List
Since the 70th anniversary of Hollywood's Greatest Year is drawing to a close, I figured I'd watch this as my last 1939 film. Laurence Olivier is amazing in everything he does, from this to Maxim deWinter in Rebecca to his multiple Shakespearian roles and finally his chilling performance in Marathon Man. His Heathcliffe is tortured and tragic, but not whiny. This sort of dark, gothic melodrama is the precursor to today's "emo" stories, but without the irritating self-pity. There is self-pity, of course, but it's the brooding kind. Sort of like Angel on Buffy as opposed to Edward Cullen. The child actors in the beginning leave something to be desired and Cathy is never a sympathetic character, but Merle Oberon leaves nothing to be desired in her performance.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
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