Saturday, January 28, 2012

Twin Souls Movie, Part 4

     You can't talk about Twin Souls movies without mentioning Wuthering Heights.  Moody, suspenseful, and maddening in some ways, it is based on the novel by Emily Bronte.  Her novel, however, was influenced by a poem by Shelley, "Epipsychidion," which alludes to some Twin Soul concepts.

     Back to the movie.  I don't have a preference between the 1939 one with Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier (those cheekbones!) and the 1992 one with Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes.  Either way, the story is a cautionary tale about Twin Souls who haven't mastered their mortal/divine elements enough to be together.  Cathy is more interested in her comforts and security and Heathcliff is unable to control his passions.  The tragedy is that their lack of balance and mastery affects everyone in their lives, even after death. 

     My usual reaction to watching this movie is to want to smack both of them and say,

     "Better luck next lifetime."

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