The Heiress

Infobox_Film
name = The Heiress


image_size = 125px
caption = Original poster
imdb_id = 0041452
writer = Augustus Goetz
Ruth Goetz
starring = Olivia de Havilland
Montgomery Clift
Ralph Richardson
Miriam Hopkins
Ray Collins
director = William Wyler
producer = William Wyler
music = Aaron Copland
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = October 6, 1949
runtime = 115 min
language = English
budget =

"The Heiress" is a 1949 American drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Augustus and Ruth Goetz was adapted from their 1947 play, which was based on the 1880 novel "Washington Square" by Henry James. The film stars Olivia de Havilland as Catherine Sloper, Montgomery Clift as Morris Townsend, and Ralph Richardson as Dr. Sloper.

Plot synopsis

Catherine Sloper is a plain, painfully shy woman whose emotionally detached father makes no secret of his disappointment in her. When she meets the charming Morris Townsend, she immediately is taken by the attention that he lavishes upon her, attention she so desperately seeks from her father. Catherine falls madly in love with Morris and they plan to marry.

Catherine's father believes Morris is courting Catherine only to get her inheritance and threatens to disinherit her if she marries him. Catherine does not care, and plans to elope with Morris but not before telling him about her father's decision. On the night they are to elope, Catherine eagerly waits at home for Morris to come and take her away, but he never arrives.

Catherine is heartbroken. A few years pass and her father dies, leaving her his entire estate. Morris eventually returns, penniless. Again he professes his love for Catherine, claiming that he left her behind because he could not bear to see her destitute. Catherine pretends to forgive him and tells him she still wants to elope as they originally planned. He promises to come back that night for her, and she tells him she'll start packing her bags.

When Morris returns, Catherine takes her revenge. She calmly asks the maid to bolt the door, leaving Morris locked outside, shouting her name. Her aunt asks her how she can be so cruel, and she responds, "I have been taught by masters." The film fades out with Catherine silently ascending the stairs while Morris' despairing cries echo unanswered through the darkness.

Production notes

Wendy Hiller originated the role of Catherine on Broadway; in the West End, she was portrayed by Peggy Ashcroft.

After seeing "The Heiress" on Broadway, Olivia de Havilland approached William Wyler about directing her in a screen adaptation of the play. He agreed and encouraged Paramount Pictures executives to purchase the rights from the playwrights for $250,000 and offer them $10,000 per week to write the screenplay. The couple was asked to make Morris less of a villain than he was in their play and the original novel in deference to the studio's desire to capitalize on Montgomery Clift's reputation as a romantic leading man [ [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=77655&category=Articles "The Heiress" at Turner Classic Movies] ] .

Ralph Richardson reprised the role of Austin Sloper he originated in the London production.

The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

The film was remade under the original Henry James title in 1997.

Principal cast

*Olivia de Havilland ..... Catherine Sloper
*Montgomery Clift ..... Morris Townsend
*Ralph Richardson ..... Dr. Austin Sloper
*Miriam Hopkins ..... Aunt Lavinia
*Mona Freeman ..... Marian Almond

Critical reception

In his review in the "New York Times", Bosley Crowther said the film "crackles with allusive life and fire in its tender and agonized telling of an extraordinarily characterful tale" and added, "Mr. Wyler . . . has given this somewhat austere drama an absorbing intimacy and a warming illusion of nearness that it did not have on the stage. He has brought the full-bodied people very closely and vividly to view, while maintaining the clarity and sharpness of their personalities, their emotions and their styles . . . "The Heiress" is one of the handsome, intense and adult dramas of the year." [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9400E7DC143BE23BBC4F53DFB6678382659EDE "New York Times" review] ]

"TV Guide" rates the film five out of a possible five stars and adds, "This powerful and compelling drama . . . owes its triumph to the deft hand of director William Wyler and a remarkable lead performance by Olivia de Havilland. [ [http://www.tvguide.com/movies/heiress/review/125765 "TV Guide" review] ]

"Time Out London" calls the film "typically plush, painstaking and cold. . . . highly professional and heartless." [ [http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/71889/The_Heiress.html "Time Out London" review] ]

Channel 4 says of the performances, "de Havilland's portrayal . . . is spine-chilling . . . Clift brings a subtle ambiguity to one of his least interesting roles, and Richardson is also excellent." [ [http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=104176 Channel 4 review] ]

Awards and nominations

"The Heiress" was nominated for eight Oscars, winning four. The film won awards in:

*Academy Award for Best Actress (Olivia de Havilland)
*Academy Award for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Black and White (John Meehan, Harry Horner, and Emile Kuri)
*Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black and White (Edith Head, and Gile Steele)
*Academy Award for Original Music Score (Aaron Copland)

The four categories it didn't win in but were nominated for were:

*Academy Award for Best Picture
*Academy Award for Best Director
*Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Ralph Richardson)
*Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black and White

Other awards "The Heiress" won and was nominated for are as follows:

*Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture (Olivia de Havilland, winner)
*Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture (Miriam Hopkins, nominee)
*Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture (nominee)
*Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Drama (nominee)
*New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (Olivia de Havilland, winner)
*National Board of Review Award for Best Actor (Ralph Richardson, winner)
* In 1996, "The Heiress" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0041452|title=The Heiress