On 2010-01-22 T.R. Hammer, wrote: Olivia de Havilland was 33 when she made this movie but she acted as if she was 16. So obedient to her father. That took some getting used to. I could see on my big screen TV the wrinkles around her eyes and it was like, How old she anyway?! This was a casting issue--no disrespect to the actress intended. I thought she did okay, but certainly not at an Oscar level; I wouldn´t have given her an Oscar. (I was actually more impressed with the other players who were exceptional!)
Back in the 20s/30s/40s they sure had their fair share of gold digger movies. The difference here is the man is the gold digger. He stands to share or get $10,000/year from the mother-in-law´s estate and $30,000/year from the father-in-law´s estate. She is already dead; he is at death´s door. All he has to do is work his way into the woman´s heart and then her wallet.
Catherine Sloper (OdH) is your atypical heiress. Not the gorgeous gussied-up heiresses of today; no, she´s plain Jane--as plain as they come. She has, indeed, in the opinion of her frustrated father (Ralph Richardson), who tried to make her an eligible bachelorette, nothing to offer a husband. No looks, no personality, no conversation skills, zip. Her only skill is neat embroidery.
Naturally she´s never been kissed and never been loved. Such a woman, of course, no matter her age, is exceedingly vulnerable to the advances of a dashing suitor. Enter Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift) who plays the charming gentleman perfectly. They meet on the dance floor and he moves to sweep her off her feet. The man with no assets, no job, and no prospects.
I enjoyed the elegant and polite conversations everyone had early on in this movie. It was like a finely played orchestra of speech!
Although the film had my attention throughout I felt it was somewhat predictable. You´ve seen this before. Unloved woman meets handsome man. She falls in love. He proposes. She accepts. Father doesn´t approve. Tension fills the air. What will happen? Will they change their minds? Elope? What?
How about some of the most vicious dialogue you´ll ever hear between father and daughter from a film of the 1940s? This stuff was epic. Just so nasty, your jaw will literally hit the floor...
Catherine is sitting on a bench outside her father´s home. The maid comes outside to say she is being summoned by her father because he´s about to die. She refuses to leave the bench...
The script is very polished as you would expect after the adaptation of a popular play that was based on a novel. If you like great old-fashioned dialogue that is elegant and acerbic, with lots of zingers, you should enjoy this one. Also recommended for rich single men and women.
The moral of the story: If you don´t have much to offer, stay out of the dating world. You´ll save yourself a ton of heartache.
Bonus: Fathers, be very careful how you deal with your daughters and speak to them about men they like. Few things are as intolerable as a father losing his daughter´s heart forever.. And summed up by saying The Elegant Gold Digger Meets Super Plain Jane Heiress. Currently The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics) has an overall rating of 10 over 10.
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Universal Studios claimed Academy Award winner Olivia De Havilland and Montgomery Clift light up the screen in this spellbinding, landmark drama. De Havilland is Catherine Sloper, an aristocratic young woman living under the scrutiny of her malevolent father. When a handsome but penniless suitor proposes, her father believes he could only be after her vast estate and threatens disinheritance. Can she be rich in love and money? Based on the stage version of Henry James´ renowned novel Washington Square, this is the ´****´ (Leonard Maltin) winner of four Academy Awards, featuring an all-new, digitally remastered picture. A masterpiece of love, deception and betrayal, The Heiress remains a shining example of a true cinematic achievement.
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