Year of Release: 1949Country of Origin: USA
Director: William Wyler
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson
Plot outline: A young naive woman falls for a handsome young man who her emotionally abusive father suspects is a fortune hunter (IMDb).
After being denied her second Oscar for her impressive work in The Snake Pit (1948), Olivia de Havilland came back a year later with even stronger, finer performance ... the Academy couldn't deny or overlook her achievement anymore. The Heiress is a dramatic masterpiece, based on the literary work by Henry James - "Washington Square", with stunning performance by Ms. de Havilland. It's amazing to see, as the story progresses, how skillful and convincing she evolves from a shy, weak girl to a vengeful, strong woman. My favourite scene, the most unforgettable, is the closing scene when she leaves Mr. Clift's character locked out of the house pounding on the door, while she calmly walks up the stairs with hardened look on her face. Director's use of closeup and lamp light serve to set and accentuate the character's final emotion. This scene reminds me of Gloria Swanson's stunning performance in the closing scene in Sunset Boulevard (1950). Ralph Richardson gives superb performance as a bitter, resentful father, while Montgomery Clift - young, handsome and on the brink of stardom - gives his best as a seductive lover. The story itself is very rich ... so rich that there are no easy answers. You can think that the father is right about the young man, and he only wants to protect his daughter. But, at the same time you can see how bitter he is toward his daughter - he blames the death of his adored, beloved wife on her. The young man could be what the father thinks he is, or he could be a man who really loves her, in his own way, and would make her happy. Or maybe both? We'll never know.
My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars
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