The first and, despite its streamlining, finest screen adaptation of the timeless story of obsessive love in 19th-century England. Wyler’s assured helming maximizes Gregg Toland’s Oscar-winning cinematography, Alfred Newman’s score, and a stellar cast; Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon as soul mates Heathcliff and Cathy are backed up by David Niven, Flora Robson, Leo G. Carroll, Cecil Kellaway, Donald Crisp, and Oscar-nominated Geraldine Fitzgerald.