Clip 1
Watch clip 1. How is film language used to convey information about Heathcliff’s character in this short sequence? If you are familiar with the novel, you could consider how Andrea Arnold’s interpretation of his character compares to your expectations and to details in the novel.
Clip 2
Watch clip 2. How is Heathcliff represented here? How would you describe the camerawork in this sequence? What emotional response do you think this sequence is intended to have on an audience, and how has the director set out to achieve this? Consider also how the connections between Cathy and Heathcliff are conveyed on screen.
Clip 3
Watch clip 3. Now, play this clip again but with a blank screen (turn off your monitor or projector) so you focus entirely on the sound. What noises can you hear? What effects do you think the various sounds have in this short sequence in terms of building atmosphere? For what reasons do you think this scene – which has no dialogue and features no character other than Heathcliff – has been included in the film?
General questions
- Which of these clips do you think have been adapted from events in the novel and which do you think are either new to the film, or significantly altered from their appearance in the novel?
- How are character, theme and narrative perspective transformed from the written to the visual through film language?