A movie that takes liberties with 'Wuthering Heights'? Scholars are OK with that

Emerald Fennell’s new “Wuthering Heights” sparked a familiar fight about book adaptations, but some Brontë experts say it still works. Last weekend, the film led the box office in North America despite mostly negative reviews. Experts and fans debated big choices, like casting Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as a blond Cathy. Scholar Claire O’Callaghan says Robbie captured Cathy’s spoiled side well. Writer Lucasta Miller says it makes no sense to demand strict fidelity. She calls the film stylized and fairy-tale like. Experts also argue the novel is too complex for a two-hour film.