The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Miriam Hopkins, Montgomery Clift, Olivia de Havilland, Ralph RichardsonBrand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Portuguese (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Restored
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-02-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)
Movie Review: "You have found a tongue at last, Catherine!"
Summary: 5 Stars
I've seen more than a fair share of revenge movies, American and foreign, from variants of "The Count of Monte Cristo" to "Kill Bill" and hundreds in between. None has altered my opinion that "The Heiress" is the best of them all. Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift-that alone is reason enough to see this. But if it isn't, just read some of the reviews here and on other Internet sites. It's called a classic for one simple reason-it's an excellent film.
No doubt that the ensemble in "The Heiress" was a stroke of luck or genius. Sir Ralph Richardson as Dr. Austin Sloper, with his perfect diction, embodies the Old New York patriarch-cold, stern, and overbearing. Montgomery Clift, as the codger Morris Townsend, is devilishly handsome and irresistibly flirtatious as he sweeps Catherine Sloper off her feet, until he's revealed for what he truly is. Miriam Hopkins, as the busybody Aunt Lavinia Penniman, projects the compassion borne of knowing what it's like to be lonely. As outstanding as they all were, and as unerring and meticulous as William Wyler's direction was, this film belonged to Olivia de Havilland. As Catherine Sloper, first meek, socially inept and cowering under her beastly father's rule, her transformation to a steely, wronged woman is flawless and heartbreaking. Blessed with an excellent script, a compelling story, and a brilliant cast, "The Heiress" is a jewel.
Some of my youthful imaginings were fuelled by Henry James and Edith Wharton books, and although my youth is long gone, my admiration endures. "Washington Square" is timeless and remains one of James' best realist fictions, and this adaptation is the finest James on film, no disrespect intended to the Merchant-Ivory productions. Buy it, rent it, borrow it, and see for yourself how a reel of celluloid can still engender praise sixty years later.
Summary of The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)
Catherine the plain shy daughter of a wealthy physician has never received either tenderness or attention. So when a handsome young man comes along and claims to love her she eagerly returns his affections. Her cold stern father however realizes that the suitor cares more for Catherine's money than for her... and he does everything in his considerable power to destroy the relationship.A superb cinematic version of the Henry James' novel "Washington Square." After discovering that his bride-to-be is going to be disinherited a handsome young fortune hunter jilts her on the night of their elopement. Years later when the woman's fortune is secured the man returns and again asks for her hand but his erstwhile sweetheart has other plans for him. Copeland's score is magnificent. Academy Award Nominations: 8 including Best Picture; Best Director.BONUS MATERIALS : Introduction Theatrical TrailerSystem Requirements:Run Time: 116 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/CLASSIC UPC: 025193236722 Manufacturer No: 61032367Olivia de Havilland's Oscar?-winning performance in The Heiress is so good that even hard-to-please critic Pauline Kael hailed it as de Havilland's "finest work ever." Like director William Wyler's previous masterpiece The Best Years of Our Lives, this tightly controlled drama is an all-time classic (it was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry in 1996), and as Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne observes in his DVD introduction, its reputation has steadily improved with the passage of time. It was de Havilland who sought the services of director William Wyler for this superlative film adaptation of Henry James' 1881 novel Washington Square, after director Lewis Milestone urged her to see the acclaimed stage adaptation by married playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz. De Havilland had already won her first Oscar (for her role in the 1946 drama To Each His Own), and recognized a prestigious opportunity when she saw one. Wyler enthusiastically agreed, and The Heiress was fast-tracked for production in early 1949. Released on October 6 of that year, the film eventually earned eight Academy Award nominations, winning the Oscar? for Best Actress, Art Direction, Costume Design, and Music (the last for Aaron Copland's splendid score). When Martin Scorsese was preparing to film The Age of Innocence in 1992, he cited Wyler's film as a primary influence. (Washington Square was filmed again in 1997, with its original title and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Catherine.)
De Havilland is heartbreaking, docile, victimized, and ultimately cruel as Catherine Sloper, a plain-looking aristocrat who stands to inherit a fortune from her ailing physician father (Ralph Richardson), as well as his well-meaning but cold-hearted demeanor. Dr. Sloper disapproves of Catherine's passionate suitor Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift, perfectly cast), certain that the penniless young man has proposed marriage to win Catherine's inheritance. Catherine's too much in love to consider this potential betrayal, and when circumstances lead her to misinterpret Morris's intentions, The Heiress reaches an unforgettable conclusion that brilliantly supports the richly psychological nuance that Wyler brings to the preceding romance. Universal's "Cinema Classics" DVD is skimpy on extras, but Osborne's introduction is informative (as always), and despite a grainy quality of some scenes (typical with films of this vintage), the DVD transfer impeccably captures the mood-setting excellence of Leo Tover's flawless cinematography. The film's original theatrical trailer is also included. --Jeff Shannon
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