On Wuthering Heights
Sunday 6th November 2011
Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is one of my favourite books and I am a sucker for film versions of the story. The latest one, by award-winning director Andrea Arnold, looks interesting, especially as it stars a black actor, James Howson, as Heathcliff. But you wouldn’t know this fact by looking at the poster that advertises the film: instead of showing Howson’s face this poster shows the back of his head! Yes, that’s right — the back of his head. And, just in case you’re not paying attention: the back of his head. In advertising terms, isn’t this a bit blatant? As in: black faces will put audiences off. It smells of the making the blacks sit at the back of the bus. How can a company advertise a film with a black actor by showing the back of his head? Is this the year 2011, or 1911? Un-be-fucking-lievable!
© Aleks Sierz
