BY ELLIE WOOD
W
U T H E R I N G H E I G H T S
OVER BLACK
A door creaks and slams, then we hear the shuffle of chairs as
people are sitting down.
BLACK FRAME
We hear a clock ticking.
QUOTE APPEARS:
‘Muse- Space Dementia’ plays loudly for 1:24.
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Anger is a manifestation of a deeper issue... and that, for me,
is based on insecurity, self-esteem and loneliness.
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QUOTE FADES OUT.
Music continues as background noise.
STAY ON THE BLACK FRAME.
-The door creaks quickly and slams, a WOMAN speaks
and a MAN replies-
WOMAN
(sternly)
You’re late!
MAN
Ah. What of it? I
doubt they’re bothered, and you Cathy; you’ve no right to whine.
WOMAN and CATHY are the same person.
FRAME SWITCHES QUICKLY FROM BLACK TO A P.O.V SHOT
FROM THE MAN.
A dull, ill-lit yellow room in Thowarh City,
scattered with various posters with positive messages and a large painting of
Top Withens, and four chairs in a square. Two are occupied by an uptight Nelly and
slouched Hindley. There is a ‘Bramwell furniture’ book case with poetry by
Curer, Ellis and Acton Bell, and a tea stand on one side of the room and a
large window on the other. The atmosphere of the room is cold and hostile. Like
the people in it.
Cathy lunges forward to the man. The frame quickly
switches to a wide shot showing CATHY waving her finger in front of the man’s
face. Characters are frozen in the background.
MAN and HEATHCLIFF are the same person.
CATHY
No right? Ah yeah Heathcliff, marrying Edgar
means I’m completely void of friendship, love or ‘owt we’ve developed since we
were what-six? Seven?
Heathcliff looks down and Cathy strokes his matted
hair.
CATHY CONT’D
I still love you Heathcliff and you’ll not
change that with any shit you give me.
Music stops abruptly.
NELLY
Miss Catherine? Perhaps you shouldn’t over
step t’mark, think of others present
(looks over to Isabella, head in hands)
Camera sweeps through the crowd zooming in on
Heathcliff.
HEATHCLFF
(sudden interjection with a vicious tone.
Removes Cathy’s hand from his face and slowly swaggers up to Hindley)
She’s never been one to think of others Nelly
has she.
Silence and tension fills the room as Heathcliff
stands behind Hindley, sternly dusting off his shoulders as if caring for him,
then clutching them firmly. 30 seconds go by.
The shot is a view of each of their eyes in a thin
wide shot. Hindley’s showing exhaustion and Heathcliff’s black and empty.
HEATHCLIFF CONT’D
Observe Hindley.
(grabs him by the chin. Hindley appears
drunk)
Look how his sister torments him, how she
fled from him, and how she still manages to disgrace him by loving me. Tut tut
Catherine
(smiles wickedly)
Moves over to ISABELLA.
HEATHCLIFF CONT’D
And as for this one...
(strokes Isabella’s hair, she reacts by
wincing. He says this quietly)
Cathy can do as she likes
(pointing at Isabella)
‘cos she doesn’t care for me anyway so...
(vaguely begins to laugh)
NELLY
(standing)
Heathcliff, leave her be.
HEATHCLIFF goes to react to Nelly aggressively,
frowning and leaning forward pointing his finger, but Isabella interrupts.
Heathcliff seems impressed and leans back folding his arms in a smug way.
ISABELLA
(mumbling in a timid way)
Nelly you haven’t bothered before so please,
don’t.
NELLY
(shocked and seems offended. Turns attention
directly to Isabella)
Miss Isabella? I don’t know what you mean.
ISABELLA interrupts.
ISABELLA
...well that’s not strictly true is it
(lifts head and begins to half smile)
You ignore me all’time.
NELLY
(shocked)
No. I never. I...
Heathcliff is sitting chewing his nails, legs
crossed and enjoying the drama that is unfolding when he interrupts.
HEATHCLIFF
(coughs to get Nelly’s attention)
Nelly you do. And rightly so.
ISABELLA
(Standing and speaking with sarcasm)
how loving
(rolls eyes)
HEATHCLIFF
(unbothered by the sarcasm and goes on
chewing his nails)
that’s me flower...loving and that.
Cathy laughs and Heathcliff is offended, delivering
a scowl that she ignores.
HEATHCLIFF
(in a sharp tone and quickly spoken speech
with raised volume)
Don’t you dare start this Cathy cos’ I’ll
finish it. I’ve done now’t but love you as long as I can remember and I’ll be
damned before I let you think otherwise.
CATHY
(retaliating identically to Heathcliff)
OH!!
She goes toward him as if to engage in a fight when
Hindley stands upright maintaining his drunken state. Attention is on Hindley.
He pushes her away and reaches into his inside coat pocket bringing out a gun.
Nelly goes to his aid.
Nelly
Come on Hindley sit down you big lump
(in a mothering attitude not offensive)
Hindley lets her hold him but refuses to sit down.
HINDLEY
YOU! BASTARD!
(shouting. points gun at him)
HEATHCLIFF
(rubbing his forehead as if lost his
patience)
Sit down Hindley or I’ll put you on your arse
(pauses) again.
HINDLEY
(all a drunken slur)
Don’t threaten me gypsy! You’ve torn my
family apart taken all I cared about. House. Money.
HEATHCLIFF
Yes Hindley all you cared about and yet you
only mentioned the house and money which you lost through your own shit luck
and poor gambling techniques. The rest you lost yourself through the wonderful
mistress drink! I’ll not lie, I had the time of my life watching you lose
everything but you did it yourself Hindley
(smiles)
Bird’s eye view shot. Hindley falls to his knees
crying. Nelly helps him up and they both leave the room. Heathcliff shoots
emptying the ammunition into the floor.
Heathcliff looks over to Cathy proud of his self for
‘breaking’ Hindley. Cathy scowls at him.
HEATHCLFF CONT’D
(surprised but maintains his smile)
What?
CATHY
Why are you like this?
(inquisitive and distressed tone)
HEATHCLIFF
What?
pause for a minute as Heathcliff’s smile fades and
Cathy attempts to control her temper.
CATHY
You’re evil.
He reacts as if proud.
CATHY CONT’D
Look what you do. How many times have you
broken my heart? You say you love me but you play games and wreck other
people’s lives.
(Isabella looks up at him, he looks back not
caring)
HEATHCLIFF
I... (Cathy interrupts)
CATHY
No! Look!
(holds up Isabella’s bruised arm)
This is not right. I don’t know what’s
happening at the Heights but you know this wouldn’t happen with me so why is it
acceptable to do it to Isabella!
Heathcliff speaks not letting her continue.
HEATHCLIFF
(Angry)
how do you know what's right?! I don’t think
you’ve ever done what’s right. You’re a hypocrite!
CATHY
Yes Heathcliff but I’m not the one that’s
beating my spouse and humiliating our brother!
HEATHCLIFF
Hindley deserves everything he gets for how
he treated me. Us...
CATHY
And Isabella? Why her?
HEATHCLIFF
(sulking)
what’s it to you.
CATHY
Answer me Heathcliff.
CATHY CONT’D
Answer me or live with the responsibility
that you finished us and I’ll never speak to you again.
Pause for 30 seconds.
CATHY
(shouts)
HEATHCLIFF!
HEATHCIFF
(shouts and stands)
SHE’S NOT YOU!
Pause as Cathy begins to cry, Heathcliff clenches
his fists and rubs his hands on his face as if both are totally overwhelmed.
CATHY
...and that makes it right?
HEATHCLIFF
No... (pauses)...It makes it necessary. I’d
slit my own throat if I thought I was capable of anymore suffering than I’m
already going through. But I can’t. And she looks so like her bastard brother
and wants so much for me to love her like I do you and I can’t, I won’t and
then it just happens...I’d apologise but I don’t care Cathy I just want you.
Cathy walks towards him tucks his hair behind his
ear and cuddles him although he doesn’t put his arms round her.
CATHY
(whispers and is crying)
I love you.
(kisses his forehead)
but I’m pregnant.
(walks away)
The colour drains out of the scene leaving it in
black and white. Slow motion Cathy exits the room not looking back then a close
up of Heathcliff’s shocked face and here a muffled sound getting clearer- his
heart beat. This continues until we see Cathy in the background of the close up
getting in a car with a MAN (assumed to be Edgar) and driving away.
Heathcliff walks over to Isabella who is sitting
down with a plastic cup of hot tea. He seems zombie like- obviously fuming but
is speaking calmly and sharply.
HEATHCLIFF
We’re going. Put that down.
ISABELLA
I’m not going anywhere with you.
HEATHCLIFF
Yes you are. Put down your drink or wear it.
ISABELLA
(Putting down her drink)
I don’t want to.
HEATHCLIFF
(Bending down to her height and speaking in a
spiteful way)
And when have I ever cared what you wanted.
grabs her by the scruff of the neck and drags her
out the room with him as she is shouting ‘NO’ and crying.
Doors are flung open and we see the long corridor
ahead of them as he is dragging her- the doors shut slowly and make a loud bang
as they fully shut. ‘Muse- Space Dementia’ begins to play again loudly.
FADES TO A BLACK FRAME : QUOTE APPEARS.
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My
heart was taken by you... broken by you... and now it is in pieces because of
you.
--Anonymous
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CREDITS
Wuthering Heights’ – Kate Bush plays.
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