The Heiress (1949) William Wyler
Is it love or is it the money? Her aunt believes it’s love, her father, money. Catherine never gets the chance to find out.
This will change how you see spinsters. Olivia de Havilland is a marvelous and retiring Catherine Sloper, the only daughter of a prominent doctor in William Wyler’s The Heiress. She starts out as a people-pleasing wall flower. Her father is exacting and just the kind of ass to tell his daughter that her new dress just isn’t her color. She’s an introvert, before anyone knew there was such a thing. Not great with people, not great at socializing, though she does try. She goes to her cousin’s engagement party where she meets Montgomery Clift’s, Morris Townsend. He’s the right kind of sweet and attentive. Is it love or is it the money? Her aunt believes it’s love, her father, money. Catherine never gets the chance to find out. Such a baller ending. Enjoy her audacity!
If you like films about women discovering that the life they were handed may not be the life they want, try A Room with a View next. Lucy Honeychurch lives in a very different time, but she also has to decide how much of the expected path she is actually willing to follow. Read the review →
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