For the novel, see Wuthering Heights.

Wuthering Heights
Directed by	William Wyler
Produced by	Samuel Goldwyn
Written by	Emily Brontë (novel) Charles MacArthur Ben Hecht
Starring	Merle Oberon Laurence Olivier David Niven Flora Robson Donald Crisp Geraldine Fitzgerald Hugh Williams
Music by	Alfred Newman
Cinematography	Gregg Toland
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	13 April 1939
Running time	103 min.
Country	US
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Wuthering Heights is a 1939 film, directed by William Wyler and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. It is based on the celebrated novel by Emily Brontë, although the film only depicts sixteen of the novel's thirty-four chapters. The novel was adapted for the screen by Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht and John Huston. It is considered to be the best film version of Bronte's novel ever made, and was the film responsible for making Laurence Olivier a Hollywood star. The film earned nominations for eight Academy Awards, including the awards for for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best cinematography, which Gregg Toland won for his work on the film. Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontës only novel. ... Image File history File links Wutheringheights1939. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902–July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... // Samuel Goldwyn (July, 1879, Warsaw, Poland – January 31, 1974, Los Angeles, California, United States) was a widely known motion picture producer and founding contributor of several motion picture studios. ... Portrait by her brother Emily Jane Brontë (July 30, 1818 – December 19, 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel Wuthering Heights, which is now an acknowledged classic of English literature. ... Charles MacArthur (November 5, 1895 _ April 21, 1956) was an American playwright and screenwriter, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. ... Ben Hecht (February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was a prolific Hollywood screenwriter, even though he professed disdain for the motion picture industry. ... Actress Merle Oberon in Berlin Express (1948) Merle Oberon (February 19, 1911 – November 23, 1979), born Estelle Merle OBrien Thompson, was a film actress, known for her sultry looks. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907–11 July 1989) was an Academy Award winning English actor, director, and producer. ... David Niven portrayed the original Sir James Bond in the 007 spoof Casino Royale James David Graham Niven (David Niven) (March 1, 1910 – July 29, 1983), was an Academy Award-winning English actor. ... Flora Robson (March 28, 1902 - July 7, 1984) was a British actress renowned as one of the great character players and one of Britains theatrical grandes dames. ... Donald Crisp (July 27, 1880 – May 25, 1974) was a film actor and director. ... Geraldine Fitzgerald Geraldine Fitzgerald (24 November 1913 - 17 July 2005) was an Irish-American actress. ... Hugh Williams (born Bexhill-on-Sea 6 March 1904 and died London 7 December 1969) was an English actor and dramatist. ... Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was a major American composer of music for films. ... Gregg Toland (1904-1948) was an influential American cinematographer, most noted for his work on Orson Welles Citizen Kane. ... The current United Artists logo (a variant was used during the 1980s). ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1938 in film 1939 1940 in film 1930s in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Movie historians and film buffs often look back on the year 1939 as the greatest year in film history. ... William Wyler (July 1, 1902–July 27, 1981) was a prolific, Oscar-winning motion picture director. ... // Samuel Goldwyn (July, 1879, Warsaw, Poland – January 31, 1974, Los Angeles, California, United States) was a widely known motion picture producer and founding contributor of several motion picture studios. ... Portrait by her brother Emily Jane Brontë (July 30, 1818 – December 19, 1848) was an English novelist and poet, best remembered for her only novel Wuthering Heights, which is now an acknowledged classic of English literature. ... Charles MacArthur (November 5, 1895 _ April 21, 1956) was an American playwright and screenwriter, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. ... Ben Hecht (February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was a prolific Hollywood screenwriter, even though he professed disdain for the motion picture industry. ... Statue of John Huston, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico John Marcellus Huston (August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director and actor. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907–11 July 1989) was an Academy Award winning English actor, director, and producer. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent film awards in the United States and most watched awards ceremony in the world. ... Gregg Toland (1904-1948) was an influential American cinematographer, most noted for his work on Orson Welles Citizen Kane. ...

• Tagline: I am torn by Desire... tortured by hate!

Main cast

• Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff
• Merle Oberon as Catherine Linton
• David Niven as Edgar Linton
• Flora Robson as Ellen Dean
• Donald Crisp as Dr. Kenneth
• Geraldine Fitzgerald as Isabella Linton
• Leo G. Carroll as Joseph Earnshaw.

Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907–11 July 1989) was an Academy Award winning English actor, director, and producer. ... Actress Merle Oberon in Berlin Express (1948) Merle Oberon (February 19, 1911 – November 23, 1979), born Estelle Merle OBrien Thompson, was a film actress, known for her sultry looks. ... David Niven portrayed the original Sir James Bond in the 007 spoof Casino Royale James David Graham Niven (David Niven) (March 1, 1910 – July 29, 1983), was an Academy Award-winning English actor. ... Flora Robson (March 28, 1902 - July 7, 1984) was a British actress renowned as one of the great character players and one of Britains theatrical grandes dames. ... Donald Crisp (July 27, 1880 – May 25, 1974) was a film actor and director. ... Geraldine Fitzgerald Geraldine Fitzgerald (24 November 1913 - 17 July 2005) was an Irish-American actress. ... Leo G. Carroll as The Professor in North by Northwest. ...

Awards and nominations

Won

• 1939: NYFCC Award for Best Picture of the Year
• 1939: Academy Award for Best Cinematography

The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Picture is an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle, honoring the finest achievements in filmmaking. ... The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ...

Nominated

• 1939: Academy Award for Best Actor (Laurence Olivier)
• 1939: Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Geraldine Fitzgerald)
• 1939: Academy Award for Best Art Direction
• 1939: Academy Award for Best Director
• 1939: Academy Award for Best Original Score
• 1939: Academy Award for Best Picture
• 1939: Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay

The Academy Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... From Rule Sixteen of the Special Rules for The Music Awards Original Score: An original score is a substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... // The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ... The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ...

Trivia

• In the final sequence of Wuthering Heights, the spirits of Heathcliff and Cathy are seen walking together. This was added after filming was complete. As Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon had already moved on to other projects, doubles had to be used.

• Wyler hated the idea of the after-life scene, and didn't want to do it but Samuel Goldwyn vetoed him. Goldwyn subsequently claimed, "I made Wuthering Heights, Wyler only directed it." ^{[citation needed]}

• The Mitchell Camera Corporation selected cinematographer Gregg Toland and Wuthering Heights to be the first to use their new Mitchell BNC camera. This camera model would become the studio standard.

• Vivien Leigh wanted to play the lead role, alongside her then lover and future husband Laurence Olivier, but studio executives decided the role should go to Merle Oberon. They later offered Leigh the part of Isabelle Litton, but she declined, and Geraldine Fitzgerald was cast. Leigh's next project, Gone with the Wind, that same year, won her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

• Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier apparently detested each other. Legend has it that when William Wyler yelled "Cut!" after a particularly romantic scene, Oberon shouted back to her director about Laurence: "Tell him to stop spitting at me!" Olivier retorted by shouting, "What's spit, for God's sake, between actors, you bloody little idiot?" ^{[citation needed]}

• Samuel Goldwyn claimed that this film is his favorite of all his productions. [1]

• Laurence Olivier found himself becoming increasingly annoyed with William Wyler's exhausting style of film-making. After countless takes of one scene, he is said to have exclaimed, "For God's sake, I did it sitting down. I did it with a smile. I did it with a smirk. I did it scratching my ear. I did it with my back to the camera. How do you want me to do it?" Wyler's retort was, "I want it better." ^{[citation needed]}

• Ronald Colman, Douglas Fairbanks and Robert Newton were considered for the role of Heathcliff. [2]

• Both of the leading players began work on the film miserable at having to leave their loved ones back in the United Kingdom. Olivier was missing his fiancée Vivien Leigh and Oberon had recently fallen in love with film producer Alexander Korda. [3]

• David Niven remembers the filming of Merle Oberon's deathbed scenes (recorded in his bestselling book The Moon's a Balloon) as less than romantic. He had been given a substance to help it appear as if he were crying, which instead had the effect of making "green goo" come out of his nose.

• Laurence Olivier credits William Wyler with teaching him how to act in films, as opposed to acting onstage, and for giving him a new respect for films. Olivier had tended to "ham it up", as if he were playing to the second balcony, but Wyler showed him how to act more subtly. ^{[citation needed]}

Mitchell Camera Corporation was founded in 1919 by Henry Boger and George Mitchell. ... Vivien Leigh (November 5, 1913 – July 8, 1967) was an English theater and film actress. ... Gone with the Wind is a 1939 film adapted from Margaret Mitchells 1936 novel of the same name. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Ronald Colman (February 9, 1891 – May 19, 1958) was an English actor. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Robert Newton as Long John Silver. ... Sir Alexander Korda (September 16, 1893 - January 23, 1956) was a film director and producer, a leading figure in the British film industry and the founder of London Films. ... David Niven portrayed the original Sir James Bond in the 007 spoof Casino Royale James David Graham Niven (David Niven) (March 1, 1910 – July 29, 1983), was an Academy Award-winning English actor. ... Actress Merle Oberon in Berlin Express (1948) Merle Oberon (February 19, 1911 – November 23, 1979), born Estelle Merle OBrien Thompson, was a film actress, known for her sultry looks. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907–11 July 1989) was an Academy Award winning English actor, director, and producer. ...

External links

• Wuthering Heights at the Internet Movie Database
• Wuthering Heights at All Movie Guide
• Wuthering Heights at Rotten Tomatoes
• Wuthering Heights at Filmsite.org