Ryuichi Sakamoto - Composer
Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights soundtrack (1992)
Japanese to English Translation of CD Notes
Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights soundtrack (1992)
Japanese to English Translation of CD Notes
FROM: KEIKO
Hi all, Here's my WH soundtrack booklet translation. The Jacket sleeve notes that the "Main Theme, Piano Version" is included only in the Japanese version. The page with the Wuthering Heights photo is a synopsis of the story.Production notes follow: "Wuthering Heights is a timeless classic of an unbelievable love story that embraces something powerful with intrinsic qualities." producer Mary Selway said on the making of WH.
Paramount started shooting WH on Sept. 30, 1991 in Yorkshire and this date was the debut for three individuals. For Peter Kosminsky, who was well-known in documentary work with many awards, WH was his directorial debut. Mary Selwey debuted as a producer of this film, who was well known for casting of "Out of Africa", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Gorilla In The Mist" and "The Russian House". And WH was also the movie debut for Ralph Fiennes, who was in RSC for three years.
Juliette Binoche was found 5 months into the search for Cathy. Director Kosminsky met more than 100 actress and selected 12 for a screen test. Mary Selwey said that a camera is a very mysterious thing. There are so many fabulous actors out there, but the camera cannot always accurately depict the actor's ability to the audience. The chemistry between Juliette and Ralph was electric. Kosminsky agreed with her. The only problem they had with Juliette was that Juliette was French, which gave her an accent. The famous voice coach Joan Washington was called in. Kosminsky said that the important thing was that Juliette was the perfefct Cathy, and her accent was merely a technical problem that could be solved. We were looking for young Vivian Leigh for acting ability, frame, and charm. After all WH is not a modern story.
Catherine Earnshaw brighten up one's lonely world like a lighthouse. She was beautiful, strong, not tied down to tradition and goes on her own way. Kosminsky has loved WH since he read it for the first time in school. "I was very excited when I was asked to direct WH, but at the same time, I thought I was going to be crushed under the pressure. No one else would remake it for the next 10 years or so, so I felt that it was important for me to do it right." The script covered 27 years from young Heathcliff's arrival in Spring of 1775 until his death in 1802. Unlike Olivier's WH (which ended with Cathy's death), Kosminsky's WH continues to show the growth of Catherine Linghton. Also in the script, author Emily Bronte was included.
Emily Bronte's appearance in the movie was discussed in the very early stages of casting. Kosminsky and Selwey had decided to cast Sinead O'Conner. "She was a real actress and a true performer and was expected to fit the role." said Selwey. They admitted that they didn't know if that would work. Anne Devlin, the screen writer, "WH was a very meaningful book for me, an extraordinary story that sways your emotions. We didn't know much about Emily but she was a very enchanting character. As a writer I prefer Emily's book over Charlotte. She valued herself and had courage and never compromised. She had a happy childhood and a fulfilling life. Her world was her family relationship. She grow up in Hawroth but she had completely opposite ideas in her heart. Her passion, impiety, and primitiveness created this classic book."
Scenery - if there are any book which unite with the scenery, WH is the one. The only place you could film WH was North Yorkshire where the story evolved. The film crew was to post headquartes in Brounghton Hall near the market town of Skipton for a month. Brounghton Hall has been privately owned by the same family since the 15th Century. They used that house to shoot the scenes for Edgar and Isabella's house. The house where the Bronte sisters lived is Bronte museum now.
Crows cry in the garden, the sky is crisp and clear, and the place has a special unique smell, of the Bronte sisters' world. The ruined Top Withins was a model for WH. The Black Bull Inn still remains, the same place where Branwell Bronte, brother of the Bronte sisters, drank himself to death.
Northunderland, Durham, and Yorkshire were part of the British Empire. As for the rest of the country, this area had a stormy history. In spite of contributing rich resources to the Industrial Revolution, but the vast countyside spectacle remains the same.
After filming the outdoor scenes in Yorkshire, the cast and crew returned to Lee Internationall Studios in London and shot the interior scene for 6 weeks. The moive was completed in the Spring of f1992 and was released later that year. (Dec. 1992 is the planned Japanese opening.)
