The Japan Times - New 'Wuthering Heights' film unleashes fresh wave of Bronte-mania

Now the latest big-screen adaptation of her classic 1847 novel -- starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi and with a Charli XCX soundtrack -- is drawing a fresh influx of visitors.

It was here that Emily and her sisters, Charlotte and Anne, lived and wrote.

More than 150 years after the sisters' deaths, "the world is still fascinated with their stories," said Canadian retiree Nancy Marto, adding that being able to visit Haworth was "a dream come true".

"I think the fact that there is a new version of 'Wuthering Heights'... speaks to the power of these authors, to Emily, but also to her sisters," she said.

Two weeks after the release of the film, picturesque Haworth in northwest England with its narrow, cobbled streets and small stone houses, is packed.

The film, loosely based on the book, was one of the most anticipated of the year.

At the heart of the plot is the passionate relationship between Heathcliff, a boy of mysterious origins taken in by the wealthy Mr Earnshaw and his daughter Catherine.

The moors, battered by the elements, play a central role in the novel, as well as in Emerald Fennell's film.

- 'Completely besotted' -

Johnnie Brigg, a local tour guide, has been inundated with requests in recent weeks.

"They want to come here and experience the Brontes, the moor, and find their own interpretation of Emily," he said.

The film would attract a "whole new generation of people" who had not yet read the book but were "completely besotted" after seeing the film, he added.

The parsonage between the village and the moors where the Brontes lived with their clergyman father and brother, Branwell, is now a museum dedicated to their memory.

Emily's sister Charlotte also wrote "Jane Eyre" here, another classic of English literature.

The museum's Mia Ferullo, who has been giving talks on "Bronte-mania" for the past fortnight, said "so many people" were "picking up the book for the first time" as a result of the film.

Museum director Rebecca Yorke said 500 people of all ages and backgrounds visited on one Saturday.

Numbers like that were usually only seen in peak season such as during the August summer holidays, Yorke said.

"Everyone is talking about Emily Bronte and 'Wuthering Heights'.... It's just extraordinary," she added.

T.Shimizu--JT