Juliet McDermott

With the temperature dropping, the impending winter can only mean one thing: Awards season is approaching.

Though my interest in, or should I say respect for, such awards is minimal, the quickly approaching Oscars means that a whole bunch of new movies, ones that are meant to be Oscar bait and not just summer entertainment, are coming out. And though you may think I am incapable of watching a movie made after the year 1980, there are a few movies I’m actually excited to see believe it or not. Or perhaps excited isn’t the right word.… There are a few movies coming out that I am curious, though not necessarily excited, to see, with one in particular standing out: Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of “Wuthering Heights.”

For those who need a refresher, Emerald Fennell directed a little-known movie called “Saltburn” a few years ago. Yes, that “Saltburn”—the freaky movie no one could stop talking about. With a few teasers released and some reviews of the test screening in, it’s sounding like Fennell’s new film might have a similar level of eccentricity.

Yet, such eccentricity is perhaps somehow even more controversial, because unlike Fennell’s past two films, this film is based on a very well-known and fairly beloved novel (a novel I happen to personally love very much). I worry that the entire viewing experience of her adaptation will essentially be a constant comparison of what parts of the novel were changed, and, as the source material is so revered, such changes are destined to come under fire.

This tendency to critique adaptations is not unique to Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights.” As someone who used to very boldly wear a shirt that read, “The book was better,” I know that I and many others find it extremely difficult to separate films from their source material. But, the question has to be asked: Can the movie actually ever be better than the book? And though I am apt to almost always say no, it is undeniable that there are certain adaptations that do outshine the source material. So here are a few of my favorites (based on books I also read), and why I think they were able to be successful.

For me, the first film that comes to mind is the 2012 film “Silver Linings Playbook.” Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper (with Robert De Niro), it’s a romance, comedy and drama between a widow and a man just out of psychiatric care for bipolar disorder that ends with a very, very fun dance scene. Did you know the movie was, in fact, based on a book by the same name? If you’re anything like me, chances are you did not. The book’s lack of notoriety allows the film to borrow successful characters and plot, but skip the bit where viewers like me spend the entire film complaining about all of the director’s choices.

Quite different from “Silver Linings Playbook,” another incredibly successful adaptation is Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film “The Shining,” based on the Stephen King novel. Like many a modern viewer, I initially planned on watching only the film version of “The Shining.” Left with questions, however, I decided that on an 11-hour plane ride, I would brave the novel version. And, oh boy, let me tell you, though the two share essentially the same plot, they are incomparable. Unlike King’s novel, Kubrick’s film focuses almost entirely on visuals, giving little explanation for many of the strange occurrences in the hotel. His unique directorial vision makes it so that his film can be almost entirely separated from the original, allowing it to stand on its own without the constant comparison we are so apt to make.

Finally, I personally quite love the 1939 version of “Wuthering Heights” starring Sir Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. A beautifully acted romance set in the English moors (but really filmed in the California mountains), it’s a tale of love ordained by fate. It is clear that William Wyler, the director, understood just how revered the novel was and made sure to respect and pay significant attention to it. As a result, the film is just a really good adaptation, bringing to life Emily Brontë’s words by keeping much of the original plot (though ignoring the final third of the novel). This strategy of adaptation is quite successful, as popular films such as the 2005 version of “Pride and Prejudice” and the 1995 “Sense and Sensibility” both demonstrate.

Trust me, as someone who has read many, many books on which films were based, and though this list could go on and on (others include Elia Kazan’s “East of Eden” and “Brokeback Mountain”), I worry that the 2026 “Wuthering Heights” will not quite make the cut. But, there’s no denying that on February 13, chances are you can find me at the closest movie theater watching “Wuthering Heights.” And, whether or not it’s a good movie, isn’t the mere fact that I’m paying money to go and see this movie the whole point of film these days?