Review of The Heiress (1949) by Adrian B — 08 Nov 2010

I was so enraptured/taken/convinced with the way that Olivia de Havilland played Catherine Sloper in the first half to two-thirds of this film that when her character takes such a drastic transition in demeanor and behavior I was struck. Completely struck. There is not one moment where it feels false. The story, yes, allows it to work too, the motives behind it, but it is clearly on de Havilland's head to make us sure of what we're seeing. It is so masterfully handled and the kind of moments that make good performances into great ones. Her performance seemingly outshines every other element in the film including a typically sure Montgomery Clift and the terrific Ralph Richardson.

What is most impressive in this adaptation of the stage play is how it does not feel like it was on the stage. Wyler does a good job of keeping the camera lively, not stagnant like his usual, and his use of mirrors and shadows/harsh lighting only enhance the tone of the film to almost noirish heights. Speaking of the story itself, it is most interesting the way the story is handled because we never really know the true motives of Morris Townsend. We can never be sure of him. We really only see into the worlds of Dr. Austin and Catherine, and there is the scathing indictment that Henry James was so good at. Not only does it fault the class structure and the way marriage was handled at the time, but how, in this system, it hurt the way the children were raised too.

(It is sad to see one of Wyler's best kind of loss in the shuffle of classic film despite its well standing in that area.).