Rating: 4.5/5
Taking place in New York in the 1840s, The Heiress is about Catherine Sloper (Olivia de Havilland), the naive and “unrefined” daughter of Dr. Austin Sloper (Ralph Richardson). Or, as her father describes her, an “entirely mediocre and defenseless creature without a shred of poise.”
At a wedding reception, Catherine cannot seem to find a man who is willing to dance with her — her loving Aunt Lavinia (Miriam Hopkins) coerces a boy to dance with Catherine, but he quickly sits her down, pretends to get drinks, and abandons her to dance with someone else
Later that night, the charming and undeniably handsome Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift) sits with Catherine and offers to dance with her. The two hit it off, and within a few days, the two intend to marry one another
But Morris does not ask Catherine’s father’s permission — he knows that Dr. Sloper will not approve because Morris is poor — instead, he bolsters her to stand up to him and insist they be married
This act convinces Dr. Sloper that Morris is only after Catherine’s inheritance and does not love her. Aunt Lavinia, on the other hand, gets swept away by the romance of it all and encourages Catherine like she’s in a romance
It’s hard to talk about this movie without spoiling the direction it takes — maybe you can guess, perhaps not — but I can say that it is incredibly acted, beautifully shot, and an emotional whirlwind whose final shot sent chills up my spine
I’m not a period piece person, and this movie does not shy away from the flowery language and near impenetrable courtesy that each statement must contain — it’s practically essential to the plot. However, it let the characters and their emotions speak the loudest, and I was able to fall into its charms