When the four-hour epic Cleopatra premiered in 1963, audiences and critics were divided. On the one hand, people enjoyed the Elizabeth Taylor vehicle for its madness and opulence, which only a big-budget historical epic can have. Others hated how indulgent and inaccurate the whole experience was. Sounds familiar? Well, Emerald Fennell and Margot Robbie can probably relate.
Over 60 years later, a similar reaction – except this time amplified by the existence of Instagram, TikTok and Reddit – unraveled as the photos of costumes for Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ emerged online one particular dress, an iridescent pink gown with a flouncy bustier and a pink satin ribbon, caused a full-on revolution as costume-loving netizens declared their disgust for this new take on the Brontë classic.
One of the milder comments read: “The upcoming Wuthering Heights film has committed many sins, but none as atrocious as this dress.” (@isafrankenst3in on X) Over on the ‘Bronte sisters’ subreddit, user @wodsowlonk also chimed in: “I’m usually pretty relaxed about adaptations that take liberties (loved GDT’s Frankenstein, for example), but this is giving me hives.” Without going further, you probably get the gist – those with strong opinions on costumes and a passion for period stories almost unanimously came out against Jacqueline Durran’s designs for Fennell’s personal interpretation of the romantic tragedy.
Jaap Buitendijk/Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures
But what did people expect? A film that, even in its casting, prioritised a Hollywood approach instead of trying to project the most rigorous version of the novel, was always going to be about pushing the boundaries of the Venn diagram between truthfulness and fantasy. If our favourite brat Charli xcx is smashing out her signature auto-tune on the soundtrack, why are we so enraged at Victorian-era Margot Robbie wearing red latex? Do we want a toothless version of Cathy just because oral hygiene was limited at the time? When it comes to finding a balance between period accuracy, creative freedom and making a piece of art people will want to engage with, it’s interesting to consider where this line falls.