Wuthering Heights (2012)

What do Ian McShane, Keith Michell, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Burton, Richard Todd, Timothy Dalton, and Tom Hardy have in common? They’ve all portrayed the anti-hero Heathcliff in big and small screen versions of Emily Brontë’s classic Gothic novel from 1847. The same can be said of James Howson in Wuthering Heights (2011). Much fuss has been made about the character’s ambiguous ethnicity. And Mr. Howson is the darkest to date. But whether Heathcliff has Asian, Black, Caucasian, Indian, Romani, or Spanish DNA is neither here nor there so long as he’s hot! And fortunately for us, we get to see this skintastic actor in the buff. Fast forward to the 0:54:48 mark to appreciate the naked T&A on James. With the help of your pause button, you can even peek at his peen! No doubt, this shot helped Robbie Ryan win an Osella for Best Cinematography; Camerimage’s Bronze Frog; and the London Film Museum Award for Technical Achievement at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. Under the direction of FIPRESCI Award-winner Andrea Arnold, this adaptation brings to life Catherine Earnshaw (Kaya Scodelario), Edgar (James Northcote) and Isabella (Nichola Burley) Linton, Nelly Dean (Simone Jackson), Hindley (Lee Shaw), Frances (Amy Wren), Joseph (Steve Evets), Mr. Earnshaw (Paul Hilton), and Mr. Linton (Oliver Milburn). Alas, the low-budget film doesn’t fully cover the story. Perhaps that’s why the movie was a box office flop. Nevertheless, this period piece provides enough flesh for Mr. Man to give it two thumbs and one cock up!