The Heiress (1949 movie): Difference between revisions

[[William Wyler]] spins [[Henry James]]'s novel ''[[Washington Square]]'' into '''''[[The Heiress]]''''', a cinematic battle of wills between a timid old maid ([[Olivia de Havilland]]); her cold, arrogant father ([[Ralph Richardson]]); and a rakish fortune-hunting suitor ([[Montgomery Clift]]). Wyler adeptly harnesses the diverse acting styles -- Hollywood studio, Shakespearean, and Method, respectively -- exhibited by the leads to heighten the psychological tension. Richardson was nominated for an [[Oscar]] and de Havilland captured one for her transformation from wallflower to iceberg. A poignant score by [[Aaron Copland]] punctuates the inflexibility and deliberate grandeur of 1880s New York Society that Henry James depicted.