The Heiress

Watching the cracking work by Olivia de Havilland, I kept thinking "they should've given her an Oscar for this" and, lo and behold, it turns out they did. She's amazing here, her convincing transformation crucial to the superbly written tragedy which has quite a mean streak, as memorable as that gone through by Naomi Watts in Mulholland Dr., and her masterful emoting throughout approaching the league of Falconetti's. It's her film but the supporting cast is strong as well. Highly entertaining.

A very good melodrama. I really like the moral complexities of the story, giving Clift's character and motives a highly welcome ambiguity. Also, de Havilland, whose acting normally doesn't age very well, gives a great performance here.

How often do we see a prestige Golden Age period romance with this deep capacity for scorn and cruelty? It's unexpected and refreshing. Every bit of this production is tasteful, from photography to costuming, but not enough can be said for this showcase of masterful performances. How awkward de Havilland is, how ambiguous Montgomery Clift. But Ralph Richardson is the best: his severe poise displayed (and in the right moments, betrayed) with brilliant gesture and timing.

A well-designed demonstration of the ambiguity of love. It snuck up on me; I wasn't particularly interested until the return from Europe when the narrative contorts and reveals its true nature. In serving as a depiction of innocence corrupted while instinct and judgment are gained, it requires one actor to embody these subtle internal shifts avoiding passivity and another to externally embody the charming persuasion to counteract a wholesome skeptical father. de Havilland and Clift nail it.

A film about men who hates mediocrity that is ironically pretty mediocre itself. Too slow and simple by today's standard, and visually quite plain compared to it's contemporaries, the true merit of this film is that it touches upon how men loving their children is a social construct, and not something that they actually do.

Fine movie, with excellent performances of morally complex, ambiguous characters. While disturbing to watch, it was also refreshing in that regard.

Superb melodrama. The casting is perfect, with a terrific supporting performance by Miriam Hopkins (who had aged quite gracefully since her delightful work with Lubitsch). Wyler's direction is a bit workmanlike and unremarkable, but he gets the job done and has such fine source material to work with. This is a really compelling story with nuanced characters and complex interpersonal drama. Very satisfying.

The film is deft, and de Haviland is indeed marvelous, calling upon a layered subtlety that is somewhat atypical for the era. As the suitor, Clift is just ambiguous enough about his character's intentions to heighten the sense of uncertainty. The film poses an intriguing, perhaps unanswerable question: if happiness is predicated on a deception, does it really matter? Is contentment, a joyful satisfaction with life, reward enough, regardless of the shadows that may exist behind it?

1

I kinda loved this movie. It went to places and said things I didn't expect. I thought it seemed quite ahead of its time, especially in terms of female empowerment. The lead actress, Olivia de Havilland was fantastic, and so was Ralph Richardson. I don't have all that much more to say about it - it's just great. I can easily recommend this to everyone.

Very interesting. I was just a bit confused about what the final irony was. I was left wondering - Did he love her or not?

William Wyler is among the most capable of directors. He had the advantage of surrounding himself with the best people in the business and knowing exactly what to do with them. Tremendous cast.

Top-class performances from de Havilland and Richardson (both in peak form), ably supported by an intriguingly ambiguous Clift, and flighty Hopkins, who invests her thinly written character with unexpected depth and nuance. It's de Havilland's convincing transformation from guileless naivety to cold brutality which truly impresses, however a lack of focus in Clift's true motivations means the finale feels somewhat muted, rather than providing the visceral response Wyler seems to aim for.

At times the acting is too melodramatic for my tastes, making it almost feel like a dark comedy, but it's a wonderful script and the performances are captivating.

I mean, the acting is great and Wyler's direction is competent if somewhat cold, but I can't help but feel like there's already so many other better similar films out there, even from the same director. How many '30s and '40s period dramas set in 19th century America about wealthy White women struggling against the confines of patriarchy are there? And ultimately, the Heiress seems mediocre in comparison to the likes of Jezebel, The Little Foxes, hell even Gone with the Wind.

I really liked it and it is further proof that Wyler can be a far more skilled craftsman than garbage like Ben-hur might have you believe. The Heiress is a very well scripted, well acted film which delivers all that it needs to and is very compelling.

De Havilland and Richardson are excellent in this version of Henry James' "Washington Square."

640

Oh William Wyler, you've never found a movie that you didn't try to turn into the most sturged, proper, boring version of itself, have you? Luckily the acting here all around (but particularly by Clift who I swear has elevated every film he's ever made) and the unexpected brutality of this one make it quite worthwhile.

good movie, see it if you're into this type of classic love dramas. i saw it mainly for copland's score, and wasn't disappointed

91.00

Brutal. The first half or so is functional and workmanlike but it turns into something more after Ralph Richardson finally sets aside niceties and absolutely blasts de Havilland.

Based on the title and plot summery didn't think I would like this movie. I've enjoyed other William Wyler films, but never watched this one. Each character is complex yet simple and their interactions are quite realistic, something needed to make a melodrama watchable.

I'm more of a plot guy than a character guy, but this period piece really grabbed me. De Havilland was impressive in her innocent girl routine, and I was sufficiently on the fence when analyzing Clift's and Richardson's roles. Usually, melodramas have such simple storylines that it was nice to see the interactions between such complex characters.

An elegy that I just can't bear to watch but every few years. Olivia is superb!

Girl power, bitches. Há anos tenho o livro do James aqui pra ler e sempre vou adiando, por isso demorei tanto tempo pra ver esse filme, mas valeu a pena assistí-lo antes de lê-lo, assim pude degustá-lo na maestria do Wyler e seus atores sem as inevitáveis comparações literárias.

My initial interest merely in the Copland score I almost forgot in the face of a simple yet deft story and three absorbing lead performances. It's strong in all areas and the kind of film that pretty much anyone could appreciate. And that score, incidentally, was pretty good too; not edgy, but Copland's modernist, "American" sound is evident.

Great in almost every aspect, beginning to end. De Havilland, Richardson and Hopkins give excellent performances, and Clift is decent in his role.

Solid, entertaining melodrama of it's time. Convincingly acted, although it felt a bit theatrical at times.

Very well written, with interesting characters and a good cast. Havilland as the heiress Catherine is particularly fantastic. It does become a bit over-insistent during some stretches of time, where (from a text-heavy script) I might have expected more complexity, more nuance in the development of the relationships. Nevertheless, it is always intelligent.

685

If only all directors understood how to use space as well as Wyler does here.

I was really liking what I was seeing, but I wasn't feeling the hard emotions of this complex romance story, even if I absolutely loved the ending! It was more the elegance of the presentation and the characters that was the driving force. The more ugly human aspect sank in later. One thing was clear, Olivia de Havilland was really picking interesting roles during this period.

#747

Like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a deftly crafted thing that I want nothing at all to do with.

overrated.