The Heiress (1949)

★ 7.8 1h 55m IMDb

In 1840s New York, the uneventful and boring days of the daughter of a wealthy doctor come to an end when she meets a dashing poorer man — who may or may not be after her inheritance.

The Heiress

Where to Watch

Netflix Netflix
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video
Disney Plus Disney Plus
HBO Max HBO Max
Max Max
Hulu Hulu
Paramount Plus Paramount Plus
Apple TV Plus Apple TV Plus
Peacock Peacock
Showtime Showtime
Starz Starz
Paramount+ with Showtime Paramount+ with Showtime

Rent / Buy

Rent

Apple TV Apple TV
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies
Amazon Video Amazon Video
YouTube YouTube
Vudu Vudu
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home

Buy

Apple TV Apple TV
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies
Amazon Video Amazon Video
YouTube YouTube
Vudu Vudu
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home

Cast

Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland as Catherine Sloper Died 2020 · Tokyo, Japan Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland DBE (July 1, 1916 - July 25, 2020) was a British-American actress, whose career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films, and was one of the leading mo...
Montgomery Clift
Montgomery Clift as Morris Townsend Died 1966 · Omaha, Nebraska, USA Edward Montgomery “Monty” Clift (October 17, 1920 - July 23, 1966) was an American actor of the Golden Age, known for often playing sensitive or conflicted outcast characters with realistic emotional...
Ralph Richardson
Ralph Richardson as Dr. Austin Sloper Died 1983 · Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor, one of a group of theatrical knights of the mid-20th century who, though m...
Miriam Hopkins
Miriam Hopkins as Lavinia Penniman Died 1972 · Savannah, Georgia, USA Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She first signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930, working with Ernst Lubitsch and Joel McCr...
Vanessa Brown
Vanessa Brown as Maria Died 1999 · Vienna, Austria Known as the bright radio "Quiz Kid," Vanessa Brown became a popular leading lady in films and stage productions of the 1940s and 1950s and later a respected writer. During her heyday as an actress, B...
Mona Freeman
Mona Freeman as Maria Almond Died 2014 · Baltimore, Maryland, USA Monica Elizabeth "Mona" Freeman (June 9, 1926 – May 23, 2014) was an American actress and painter. A professional model while still in high school, Mona Freeman was signed to a movie contract by Howar...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 9/10 Aug 28, 2019
Turning of the tide in acting and directing masterclass.

Dowdy spinster Catherine Sloper is stuck in a rut, she is often made to feel useless by her almost tyrannical father, and her life is ambling along in uneventful boredom. Potential gentleman suitors stay well clear of her, such is her unease with the social graces of the day. Then one day at a society ball she is lavished with attention from Morris Townsend, could this be love? Or is he merely after her inheritance? An inheritance her father will take away from her should she progress further with the shifty Townsend.

A novel written by Henry James (Washington Square) and a successful Broadway play by Ruth & Augustus Goetz (responsible for the film's wonderful ending), The Heiress adapts perfectly to the big screen due to the almost peerless work from all involved in the production. Olivia de Havilland is sensational as Catherine, the tale is about Catharine's transition from put upon victim into a mature, rational wise woman, and de Haviland double deals from the top of the pack - with one particular look towards the end of the play, she may just own the title of worlds best ever icy stare. Ralph Richardson plays the father brilliantly, fusing a trio of character traits with imposing results. William Wyler's direction is right on the money, so it's no surprise to learn that de Havilland requested Wyler for the project, for she must surely have known that he was the man to bring out such a majestic two fold performance.

Montgomery Clift gives a rather more safe than great performance as Townsend, perhaps at times too aware that de Havilland and Richardson were shining bright on set, Clift none the less is one of those actors whose average shows were still better than some of his so called peers' best. Major bonus here is the score from Aaron Copland, jaunty in earlier sections then swirling like a poetic menace in the final third, it's simply beautiful. Tales of bad feeling on the set can be found in various sources, with both Richardson & Clift showing disdain for de Havilland's acting ability. Surely though, one only has to view the film now to see that the off screen tensions lifted de Havilland up to another acting level, helped by the gifted hands of one William Wyler of course.

A smashing, dramatic and engrossing picture, The Heiress is a must see for those looking for artistic deftness, and to find an ending that is a fittingly memorable piece of class. 9/10
CinemaSerf 7/10 Jan 16, 2025
There are three really strong performances here, but for my money it is Sir Ralph Richardson who stands out. "Sloper" is a wealthy surgeon, a widower and father to the naive young "Catherine". She (Olivia de Havilland) is shy and usually quite happy doing her embroidery quietly at home. Then her well meaning aunt "Lavinia" (Miriam Hopkins) comes to stay and her father thinks that perhaps she can help bring his daughter a little out of her shell. One of the results of this change is a meeting with "Morris" (Montgomery Clift). Now whilst he's not exactly penniless, he hasn't anything remotely like her $30,000 a year. She falls completely for his simple charms and swiftly they are talking marriage. Not unreasonably, her father thinks this is all moving far too fast and so suggests a trip to Europe to see if she can get him out of her system. When that doesn't quite work, the father starts to show his true colours and that's just the start of things unravelling for the young woman who is about to be given some very harsh lessons on life. It's a sumptuous looking drama, this, with a fantastically toxic storyline that pits love and affection against selfishness and jealousy - but it does it in a painfully and politely ambiguous fashion. There are so many assumptions being made about what people here think. Not just by the three characters, but by the audience too as we must assess the motives of each. All three have a point to make, valid questions to raise and flaws in their character and that's bound to sow seeds for misunderstandings and mistrust. The novel that underpins this story is one that cleverly looks at the roles of men and women in a society where there wasn't an hint of equality - even when the woman has the cash, but where there was also evidence of decency and pride - good and bad. The denouement is entirely fitting but I felt rather an unsympathetic and condemnatory one that left me feeling sorry for just about everyone left alive. It's a sad film populated with real characters, a dynamic drama and is William Wyler at his best.

Similar Movies