The Heiress (1949)

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

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.