The Heiress (Universal Cinema Classics)

Description

Olivia de Havilland’s Oscar®-winning
performance in The Heiress is so good that even hard-to-please critic Pauline
Kael hailed it as de Havilland’s “finest work ever.” Like director William
Wyler’s previous masterpiece The Best Years of Our Lives, this tightly
controlled drama is an all-time classic (it was added to the Library of
Congress’s National Film Registry in 1996), and as Turner Classic Movies host
Robert Osborne observes in his DVD introduction, its reputation has steadily
improved with the passage of time. It was de Havilland who sought the services
of director William Wyler for this superlative film adaptation of Henry James’
1881 novel Washington Square, after director Lewis Milestone urged her to see
the acclaimed stage adaptation by married playwrights Ruth and Augustus Goetz.
De Havilland had already won her first Oscar (for her role in the 1946 drama
To Each His Own), and recognized a prestigious opportunity when she saw one.
Wyler enthusiastically agreed, and The Heiress was fast-tracked for production
in early 1949. Released on October 6 of that year, the film eventually earned
eight Academy Award nominations, winning the Oscar® for Best Actress, Art
Direction, Costume Design, and Music (the last for Aaron Copland’s splendid
score). When Martin Scorsese was preparing to film The Age of Innocence in
1992, he cited Wyler’s film as a primary influence. (Washington Square was
filmed again in 1997, with its original title and Jennifer Jason Leigh as
Catherine.) De Havilland is heartbreaking, docile, victimized, and ultimately
cruel as Catherine Sloper, a plain-looking aristocrat who stands to inherit a
fortune from her ailing physician father (Ralph Richardson), as well as his
well-meaning but cold-hearted demeanor. Dr. Sloper disapproves of Catherine’s
passionate suitor Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift, perfectly cast), certain
that the penniless young man has proposed marriage to win Catherine’s
inheritance. Catherine’s too much in love to consider this potential betrayal,
and when circumstances lead her to misinterpret Morris’s intentions, The
Heiress reaches an unforgettable conclusion that brilliantly supports the
richly psychological nuance that Wyler brings to the preceding romance.
Universal’s “Cinema Classics” DVD is skimpy on extras, but Osborne’s
introduction is informative (as always), and despite a grainy quality of some
scenes (typical with films of this vintage), the DVD transfer impeccably
captures the mood-setting excellence of Leo Tover’s flawless cinematography.
The film’s original theatrical trailer is also included. –Jeff Shannon

Features:

Product Details:

• Genre: Drama
• Format: Multiple Formats, Full Screen, Restored, NTSC, Black & White, Original recording remastered, Dolby See more
• Contributor: Montgomery Clift, Olivia de Havilland, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins
• Initial release date: 2007-02-06
• Language: Portuguese
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.47 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 1032367
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Full Screen, Restored, NTSC, Black & White, Original recording remastered, Dolby
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 56 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ February 6, 2007
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Miriam Hopkins, Ralph Richardson
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ French