I just saw it yesterday and while watching it thought "this is the best adaptation I've seen", and I've seen all of them except foreign language films. It was sort of presented as a play, the characters' conversations weren't cut to bits. They actually included most of the dialogue in the book with a delivery that seemed natural, which I think would be hard to do. People don't talk like that in real life "He is my soul" "he's like the eternal rocks beneath" "I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!" Most of those deep, poetical emotions aren't conveyed like that, imo. But the actors delivered all those types of lines very smoothly, very naturally, when to me they've always seemed awkward. Anna Calder- Marshal's Cathy was pretty good, but she only says a little snippet of the entire declaration like "I don't just love Heathcliff, I am Heathcliff" The whole speech was cut to a few lines. Fiennes and Olivier I didn't buy as Heathcliff. One was too scrawny and the other too dopey. Plus the story was very much changed in Oliver's movie. I liked Dalton, but his lines were cut up too, plus he's really hot, too good-looking. This Heathcliff wasn't ugly but he wasn't too handsome that you'd want him just by looking at him. Oh and I got to say this Cathy and Heathcliff have brown eyes! Anna and Timothy have beautiful blue eyes, I hated that. All the other main characters were cast appropriately as well - Hindley (Julian Glover was too old and looked nothing like the kid who played him younger), Edgar (Ian Ogilvy was better though), Isabella, Hareton, daughter Cathy, and the delicate brat Linton., Bravo to all!
As for Anna's Cathy I've always liked it, but it was tamed down a bit to maybe make her more likeable? But I found her believable. I really hated Juliette Binoche as Cathy. Too French, too refined- I don't know who she was playing but it wasn't Catherine Earnshaw. Merle Oberon was lovely, but that movie wasn't even Wuthering Heights, just some Hollywood regurgitation of the novel.
Anyway if you're a fan of the story and have been disappointed by other films, check this 5 episode series out! It's pretty good and better than the rest!
