***Monsters on the Moors***
There are numerous film versions of Emily Bronte’s classic 1847 novel, including the recent 2026 rendition with Margot Robbie. Emily was the younger sister of Charlotte, the author of “Jane Eyre,” which was published a month earlier the same year. Charlotte’s book focused on isolation, freedom from legalism, romance and realism while Emily’s novel also addressed isolation and love but swung toward dark Gothic surrealism centered on bitter revenge with references to ghostly phenomena and involving a Byronic hero, aka antihero.
Speaking of which, Ralph Fiennes is captivating here as the brooding Heathcliff. The first half hour makes him out to be the hero, but he’s really only a hero toward the free-spirited Cathy, played by Juliette Binoche. He’s otherwise almost a villain. Whether or not this turns you off or on is a personal matter, but Emily should be given credit for creating unpredictable characters with dimension.
Many versions of her novel omit the second generation of the story, such as the classic 1939 movie featuring Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff, as well as the aforementioned 2026 rendition. This one thankfully includes it, and thus covers events from 1770-1802 in remote Yorkshire, but the runtime should’ve been 15 minutes longer to better flesh out the characters in the later portions of the tale. Regrettably, producers wanted to tighten things up and so scenes were cut. Nevertheless, I’m glad this version is more faithful to the book, and Jason Riddington stands out in the second half as the adult Hareton Earnshaw, although he should’ve had more scenes. Meanwhile Binoche works well in a surprising dual role (you’ll see what I mean).
While a commercial failure upon release, with critics panning it as an empty and disjointed adaptation (which they’re right about to a degree), it has since acquired a following with many fans of the book citing it as one of the top renditions. In any case, Fiennes proved his mettle, which paved the way for future stardom. For example, he and Binoche teamed up again four years later for the mega-successful “The English Patient.”
Anyone in the mood for a pre-Victorian or Victorian era flick with the milieu of remote castles or manors should find something to like here, but you’ll have to brace yourself for dialogues that are sometimes surreal. The breathtaking locations are certainly a highlight. Speaking of which…
It runs 1h 46m and was shot Sept-Dec 1991 in areas across Yorkshire, England, taking advantage of the region’s historic abodes (East Riddlesden Hall in West Yorkshire and Broughton Hall Estate in North Yorkshire), as well as natural moors (North York Moors, Brimham Rocks and Malham Cove, all in North Yorkshire).
GRADE: B/B-
