1847. Under the male pseudonym of Ellis Bell, Emily Brontë signs her one and only novel, perhaps the most renowned yet mysterious one of Victorian literature. More than 150 years after its publication, "Wuthering Heights" lost none of its fascinating aura.
Narrating the doomed romance of Heathcliff and Catherine, the story also contains a powerful critique of British society, denouncing its oppressive and colonizing system. Contemporary critics are stunned. Over time, adaptations and variations have proliferated – from William Wyler’s film to Kate Bush’s pop single – yet Emily Brontë and her masterpiece remain a true mystery. At the core of the “Brontë Country”, this film draws the portrait of this enigmatic writer.
Thanks to precious archival documents and the interventions of specialists, we discover the genesis of a tragic and transgressive book. Combining animated sequences to splendid images of the Yorkshire moors, this film captures Emily Brontë’s dark imagination.
Direction: Mathilde Damoisel
Production: Les Films d'Ici for ARTE France