'Emily' mixes creative license with archival limitations. And it's generating new interest in the 'Wuthering Heights' author, experts say.
, the author of “Wuthering Heights,” remains something of a mystery. Because of her reclusive nature, relatively little is known about the poet and author, who died at age 30. But it’s this enigmatic quality that makes her the perfect inspiration for a film — most recently, writer-director Frances O’Connor’s “Emily.”
The film, opening in Los Angeles on Friday, stars Emma Mackey as Emily, and draws on both historical fact and creative imagining. While writing the script, O’Connor read every book she could find. Her most essential sources wereAdvertisementAlthough some scholars have voiced frustration that “Emily” isn’t completely accurate, the fictionalized aspects were primarily used to fill in existing blanks.
“For me, in the film the church represents the patriarchy and Emily’s wild nature represents the female, the creative, the dark and the moon,” O’Connor explains. “So you’ve got these two opposing forces in the film. If you take a character like Weightman, he is connected to the patriarchy. He eventually has to go back into that position of structure and masculinity and say [to Emily], ‘There is something ungodly about you.’ I was interested in having that discussion.
One of the most fascinating discoveries for O’Connor was the existence of a porcelain mask that was given to Patrick and Maria Brontë as a wedding gift. It was handed to the Brontë siblings to hide behind when they were children and needed courage to speak. The whereabouts of the mask are unknown, but it reappears in the film as Emily wears it to channel her late mother.
“I really do feel that Emily has something to say to this current generation,” O’Connor explains. “Here is a story in which young women are in the middle of exploring who they are. For a lot of women, actually, being your authentic self comes at a cost because the patriarchy doesn’t really reward it very much.”
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Emily Review: Mackey Soars In Dreamy, Gothic-Inspired Twist On Typical BiopicEmily Review: Mackey Soars In Dreamy, Gothic-Inspired Twist On Typical Biopic
Read more »
Watch an Exclusive Clip of 'Sex Education' Star Emma Mackey in 'Emily'Emily Brontë like you've never seen her before.
Read more »
Frances O'Connor's Emily Fills in the Blanks On the Reclusive Bronte's LifeFrances O'Connor speculates about Emily Bronte in her directorial debut, but she manages to honor her subject with a passionate and well-made drama. agracru's review of Emily:
Read more »
Record-breaking footprint found on England's ‘Dinosaur Coast’More than 3 feet long, the footprint was made by a meat-eating theropod dinosaur almost 166 million years ago from the Jurassic Period, according to the authors of a study published in the Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society journal.
Read more »
Emily Ratajkowski, Eric Andre Nearly Naked in Valentine's Day SelfieEmily Ratajkowski and Eric Andre are bearing it all this Valentine's Day!
Read more »