The Heiress

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Kyle M Sep 28 Simply beautiful by design and passionately scored for a more gradual earnest romance upheld by de Havilland’s subtly transformative performance detailing impeccable honesty and generational nuances, reflected through her relations amid classic traits being more thoughtful but problematically depicted. (B+) See more Isaiah Y Sep 16 Notable William Wyler film with a good performance by Montgomery Clift, but an amazing performance by Olivia De Havilland See more Georgan G 09/07/2023 Her character perfectly played by Olivia de Havilland, added to my love of watching the timid, brow-beaten woman become self-assured. So much so that she gets perfect revenge against the two men who betray her. See more Red T 09/03/2023 All Time Classic. The acting is really good across the board. The only issue is while I found each character riveting I didn't love most of them. I found Catherine & her father to be sympatheitc and well acted but never did I root for them. Clift was the best thing in this. Any scene he shares with Olivia is riveting. Everything else about this is pretty much flawless. The music is super memorable and distinct. The deep focus and subtle camera movement along with lavish set design is amazing to watch. This has a very distinct pacing to it that can feel a bit slow and dry a times but always makes up for it with scenes of Catherine & Morris together which are amazing and moving to watch. This blends melodrama and romance in a great coming of age tragedy seamlessly. I love how their scenes hold on long take close ups. The ending I didn't see coming also and made it worth while watching this and tragic. This is something everyone should give a try once. While I think it may not be loved by everyone I think its something everyone will find well made and interesting at the very least and riveting at best. See more Matthew B 08/24/2023 It has been a while since I read Washington Square, and I cannot fully comment on how far William Wyler's adaptation is true to the book. There is one important change in emphasis however. Henry James wrote his work with detachment and irony. We may feel a little sorry for Catherine Sloper, but we are never really invited to identify with her. Wyler's movie version is suffused with ideas of post-war feminist empowerment, and he therefore encourages the viewer to take Catherine's side. Whether or not this is an improvement on the book depends on one's viewpoint. It might be felt that this feminist triumphalism is a simplification of James' novel. Curiously the film's story about an unappreciated heroine rising in strength had a real-life echo. Catherine Sloper is played by Olivia de Havilland, and she too met with discouragement from her male co-stars. While the director fully believed in her, Ralph Richardson sought to upstage her, and Montgomery Clift sneered at her abilities as an actress. In the event, the film is de Havilland's. She went on to win an Oscar, while Clift walked out of a showing of the film because he was unhappy with his own performance. While The Heiress shares the same ending as the original book, there is a sharp change in tone that makes the story seem more modern. I wrote a longer appreciation (with spoilers) of The Heiress on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2018/07/12/the-heiress-1949/ See more Tom M 02/04/2023 Another one of those old films this is highly regarded that I found to be entertaining enough and reasonably well done, but I really don't understand why it is so highly regarded. See more Read all reviews

The Heiress

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