The Heiress (1949)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Augustus Goetz (play)
Augustus Goetz (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 October 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

When a Woman Loves a Man . . . She Doesn't Want to Know the Truth About Him !

Plot:

A young naive woman falls for a handsome young man who her emotionally abusive father suspects is a fortune hunter.

Plot Keywords:

Money | Fortune Hunter | Inheritance | Marriage | 1840s

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Olivia de Havilland	...	Catherine Sloper
Montgomery Clift	...	Morris Townsend
Ralph Richardson	...	Dr. Austin Sloper
Miriam Hopkins	...	Lavinia Penniman
Vanessa Brown	...	Maria
Betty Linley	...	Mrs. Montgomery
Ray Collins	...	Jefferson Almond
Mona Freeman	...	Marian Almond
Selena Royle	...	Elizabeth Almond
Paul Lees	...	Arthur Townsend
Harry Antrim	...	Mr. Abeel
Russ Conway	...	Quintus
David Thursby	...	Geier

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:12 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

To help Olivia de Havilland achieve the physically and emotionally weary and worn effect that he wanted, director William Wyler packed books into the suitcases that the actress lugged up the staircase in the scene where her character realizes that she has been jilted by her lover.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Morris first asks Kathryn to dance at the party, she is seated with her dance card in her hand. Her fan is hanging from a string around her wrist on the same arm. Cut to a wider shot as Kathryn stands to join Morris, and suddenly her fan is in her hand, and her dance card is hanging from her wrist.

Quotes:

Catherine Sloper: He's grown greedier over the years. Before he only wanted my money; now he wants my love as well. Well, he came to the wrong house - and he came twice. I shall see that he does not come a third time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Plaisir d'amour (The Joys of Love)

If I could choose one word to describe this film, it would be "masterpiece"...

Along with THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937), PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943), and PETER IBBETSON (1935), this is one of my favorite films set in the 19th Century. It's a truly excellent film that won tremendous critical acclaim upon its release but was a box office failure in comparison to the enormous success of Paramount's other film of 1949, SAMSON AND DELILAH. Whereas Hedy Lamarr's magnificent beauty and screen presence were the only redeeming features of SAMSON AND DELILAH, THE HEIRESS is a dramatic masterpiece and a film that has withstood the test of time. Its star, Olivia de Havilland, went home with a deserving second Best Actress Oscar for her outstanding performance as Catherine Sloper, the naive and plain title character.

The direction, acting, casting, writing, production values, and music score of this film are perfect. I have no complaints whatsoever on any of these departments. However, others have criticized these departments of the film and I would like to point some of these criticisms out. Some have remarked that Montgomery Clift's performance as Morris Townsend is "too modern," especially in his speech. I found his performance authentic to the period—how else would a charming 19th Century New York gentleman act, let alone a crafty fortune hunter? Others have also criticized the film as a "melodramatic soap opera." This film is a breath of fresh air amongst the vast crowd of heavily melodramatic films that were a trademark of 1940s cinema—the sincere performances are subtle and underplayed here, as is the Oscar-winning Aaron Copland music score which rarely reaches the level of "melodramatic musical cue" throughout the film. Due to the film's level of excellence, the film is timeless and could be viewed comfortably amongst many members of today's generation despite its meticulous black-and-white cinematography by Leo Tover. I have seen this landmark film three times so far and it improves with each viewing—I am also ready to buy the upcoming DVD of the film in early 2007. Although I'm not a huge fan of William Wyler's other films, including the hokey "British" wartime melodrama MRS. MINIVER (1942), THE HEIRESS is one of the few films of his that belongs on my shelf sometime soon.

Although this is generally a thinking person's film, the story is simple and I suppose all of us could relate to Catherine Sloper in a way. All of us have faced the dominating, somewhat emotionally abusive presence of our parent(s) at some point in our lives, especially when the parent(s) disapproves of the new friend or intended future spouse we have discovered. However, Catherine's father (Ralph Richardson) proves right in a shocking revelation here. As with Catherine, I can't help but despise Dr. Sloper despite his correct views on Morris Townsend.

Next to the wholly convincing performance of Olivia de Havilland, my favorite element of the film is the haunting music score by Aaron Copland. It's a tragic yet beautiful score that stirs the emotions in all the right places in the film. As I may have said before, the score is used sparingly and rarely reaches a sentimental level.

In short, this marvelous film is a timeless masterpiece. And who could not forget the ambiguous and abrupt ending?