The Heiress (1949)

Olivia de Havilland in 'The Heiress'

'The Heiress' is a spellbinding, drama film made in 1949, directed by William Wyler and starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, and Ralph Richardson. The movie was written by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, adapted from their 1947 play also called 'The Heiress', which, in turn, was based on the Henry James's 1880 novel 'Washington Square'.

The movie was critically well received on release although its box-office performance was poor, particularly in comparison to Paramount's other major film of 1949, 'Samson and Delilah', which was an enormous commercial success. However it has since come to be regarded as a classic.

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'The Heiress' received a total of eight Academy Award nominations, winning four, for Best Actress (Olivia de Havilland), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Original Music Score (Aaron Copland). 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".

The movie's success comes from sharp, meticulous direction by William Wyler with his trademark long takes and masterful lighting and camera techniques, combined with outstanding acting from the principals, particularly Olivia de Havilland. The beautiful actress manages to portray a plain, gauche, girl marked as a spinster despite the considerable fortune she will inherit. When she is jilted by the fortune-hunting wasterel played by Montgomry Clift, she makes a compellingly believable transition to effect a bitter revenge upon Clift in the final scene. Ralph Richardson, who reprises his role in the London stage production, is also excellent as the caustic, heartless, yet ultimately loving father.

The whole production oozes class from start to finish, underlined by Aaron Copland's evocative score.