The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)

The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)
Olivia de Havilland's Oscar®-winning performance in The Heiress is so good that even hard-to-please critic Pauline Kael hailed it as de Havilland's "finest work ever." Like director William Wyler's previous masterpiece The Best Years of Our Lives, this tightly controlled drama is an all-time classic (it was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry in 1996), and as Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne observes in his DVD introduction, its reputation has steadily improved with the passage of time. It was de Havilland who sought the services of director William Wyler for this superlative film adaptation of Henry James' 1881 novel Washington Square, after director Lewis Milestone urged her to see the acclaimed stage adaptation by married playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz. De Havilland had already won her first Oscar (for her role in the 1946 drama To Each His Own), and recognized a prestigious opportunity when she saw one. Wyler enthusiastically agreed, and The Heiress was fast-tracked for production in early 1949. Released on October 6 of that year, the film eventually earned eight Academy Award nominations, winning the Oscar® for Best Actress, Art Direction, Costume Design, and Music (the last for Aaron Copland's splendid score). When Martin Scorsese was preparing to film The Age of Innocence in 1992, he cited Wyler's film as a primary influence. (Washington Square was filmed again in 1997, with its original title and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Catherine.)

De Havilland is heartbreaking, docile, victimized, and ultimately cruel as Catherine Sloper, a plain-looking aristocrat who stands to inherit a fortune from her ailing physician father (Ralph Richardson), as well as his well-meaning but cold-hearted demeanor. Dr. Sloper disapproves of Catherine's passionate suitor Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift, perfectly cast), certain that the penniless young man has proposed marriage to win Catherine's inheritance. Catherine's too much in love to consider this potential betrayal, and when circumstances lead her to misinterpret Morris's intentions, The Heiress reaches an unforgettable conclusion that brilliantly supports the richly psychological nuance that Wyler brings to the preceding romance. Universal's "Cinema Classics" DVD is skimpy on extras, but Osborne's introduction is informative (as always), and despite a grainy quality of some scenes (typical with films of this vintage), the DVD transfer impeccably captures the mood-setting excellence of Leo Tover's flawless cinematography. The film's original theatrical trailer is also included. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Review: Perfect in every way
This is a wonderful film. It has romance, action, dialogue, direction, but most of all it is psychologically satisfying. And horrifying too. The numerous ways each character is flawed, the deceits, the verbal damages inflicted, all will keep you awed as you find yourself totally immersed. A solid 5 stars!
Customer Review: An "unmarriageble" girl
The Heiress (1949) is an outstanding movie - adaptation of the play by Augustus and Ruth Goetz, based on the novel "Washington Square" by great writer, Henry James, The drama of a young, shy, sweet, open to love, rather plain in her appearance but very rich girl takes place in New York City in the mid-1880s. Olivia de Havilland is excellent as Catherine, the heiress of the title, who fells in love with a very good looking young man Morris Townsend(Montgomery Clift in the role that had propelled him to the stardom), who may or may not be after her extraordinary wealth. Catherine's Father, Dr. Austin Sloper (Ralf Richardson) is protective of his daughter and does not trust Moris sincerely felling in love with awkward Catherine. Dr. Sloper constantly compares his daughter to her late mother. Catherine is nothing like her mother whom the girl never knew but who was everything she was not. De Haviland's Catherine is so sweet and nice, she makes a viewer hope that she had found a true love and would be happy with the man of her dreams even if she is not the prettiest or wittiest girl in the world. Will it really happen? The film was directed by one of the Hollywood's greats, William Wyler and was nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Black-and-White Cinematography, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, and Best Music Score. Surprisingly, an excellent script which is one of the main reasons of the movie's success was not nominated. The film received four Oscars and deserves them all, especially Ms. de Havilland in one of her very best performances.