The Heiress (1949) | |
| Director(s) | William Wyler |
| Producer(s) | Lester Koenig (associate), Robert Wyler (associate), William Wyler |
| Top Genres | Drama, Film Adaptation, Romance |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, Book-Based, Money, Romance (Drama), Spinsters |
Featured Cast:
The Heiress Overview:
The Heiress (1949) was a Drama - Romance Film directed by William Wyler and produced by William Wyler, Robert Wyler and Lester Koenig.
The film was based on the novel Washington Square and also Serial, Cornhill Magazine & Harper's New Monthly Magazine; also Stage Play "The Heiress" written by Henry James published in 1880 (novel); 1880 (magazines); Sep 29, 1947 - Sep 18, 1948 (performed at Biltmore Theatre, NY).
SYNOPSIS
A superb cinematic version of Henry James's novel Washington Square. After discovering that his bride-to-be (de Havilland) is going to be disinherited by her brutally overbearing father (Richardson), a handsome young fortune hunter (Clift) jilts her on the night of their elopement. Years later, when the woman's fortune is secured, the man returns and asks for her hand, but his erstwhile sweetheart exacts her revenge. Copland's score is magnificent.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.The Heiress was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1996.
Academy Awards 1949 --- Ceremony Number 22 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Supporting Actor | Ralph Richardson | Nominated |
| Best Actress | Olivia de Havilland | Won |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Harry Horner, John Meehan; Set Decoration: Emile Kuri | Won |
| Best Cinematography | Leo Tover | Nominated |
| Best Costume Design | Edith Head, Gile Steele | Won |
| Best Director | William Wyler | Nominated |
| Best Music - Scoring | Aaron Copland | Won |
| Best Picture | Paramount | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
The Heiress (1949, William Wyler)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Jul 1, 2019 From The Stop ButtonMy favorite moment in The Heiress is when Olivia de Havilland has a slight tremor, watching someone walk away after she?s just told them off. It?s this fantastic glimpse into her character. The film has something of a double twist ending, so it?s going to be hard to talk around various spoilers but ... Read full article
The Heiress (1949, William Wyler)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Jul 1, 2019 From The Stop ButtonMy favorite moment in The Heiress is when Olivia de Havilland has a slight tremor, watching someone walk away after she?s just told them off. It?s this fantastic glimpse into her character. The film has something of a double twist ending, so it?s going to be hard to talk around various spoilers but ... Read full article
The Heiress (1949, William Wyler)
on Jul 1, 2019 From The Stop ButtonMy favorite moment in The Heiress is when Olivia de Havilland has a slight tremor, watching someone walk away after she?s just told them off. It?s this fantastic glimpse into her character. The film has something of a double twist ending, so it?s going to be hard to talk around various spoilers but ... Read full article
The Heiress (1949, William Wyler)
on Jul 1, 2019 From The Stop ButtonMy favorite moment in The Heiress is when Olivia de Havilland has a slight tremor, watching someone walk away after she?s just told them off. It?s this fantastic glimpse into her character. The film has something of a double twist ending, so it?s going to be hard to talk around various spoilers but ... Read full article
The Heiress
By Amanda Garrett on Apr 8, 2016 From Old Hollywood FilmsToday, I'm reviewing The Heiress (1949) starring Olivia de Havilland. This article is part of Beyond the Cover: Books to Film Blogathon hosted by Now Voyaging and Speakeasy. 19th century American author Henry James is the great exponent of literary ambiguity. His distinctive fictional works, w... Read full article
See all The Heiress articles
Quotes from
Aunt Penniman: Can you be so cruel?
Catherine Sloper: Yes, I can be very cruel. I have been taught by masters.
Austin Sloper: You have found a tongue at last, Catherine. 'Tis only to say such terrible things to me.
Catherine Sloper: Yes. This is a field where you will not compare me to my mother.
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Facts about
The original idea was to reteam Olivia de Havilland with her frequent co-star Errol Flynn, but this was dropped in favor of the more subtle acting that Montgomery Clift could bring to the role.
In his autobiography, Basil Rathbone lamented that he did not get the part of Dr Sloper in the film, following his performance in the play in New York, opposite Wendy Hiller. Had he been cast, and had Errol Flynn won the part of Morris Townsend as originally planned, this would have been a re-teaming of all three main stars from the film classics, "Captain Blood" (1935) and "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938.
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