Interpreting passion and violence in Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights' and the 1939, 1992, and 1953 film adaptations

This thesis investigated the relationship between a classic text and its film adaptations in an attempt to uncover the intangible "it" that makes a particular film a good adaptation of a literary work.; This study specifically focused on Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and William Wyler's 1939, Peter Kosminsky's 1992, and Luis Bunuel's 1953 film adaptations of the novel. After gaining a clearer understanding of film adaptation theory and establishing Bronte's most strongly supported theme as all people having inherent violent tendencies and a primitive nature of animal passion which can be exacerbated by poor upbringing and an abusive living environment, I read the three films against this information noting the changes from novel to film and their implications.; This investigation found that the intangible "it" needed to make a good film adaptation is the filmmaker's capture and conveyance of the novel's most strongly supported theme.