|
Post by Fading Fast on Jun 4, 2023 20:49:29 GMT
I think she's right not to trust Morris, now back and pleading for forgiveness.
Fool me once indeed. It is odd she hasn't moved on....with all her money and new found spirit. Years of not going to Newport have passed. The evening you so well noted, broke her for good.
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 4, 2023 20:49:37 GMT
I think she's right not to trust Morris, now back and pleading for forgiveness.
Fool me once indeed. It is odd she hasn't moved on....with all her money and new found spirit. Years of not going to Newport have passed. Plus there would have been other opportunists ready to make a play for her after the father died.
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Jun 4, 2023 20:49:46 GMT
What an outstanding revenge ending. It's not happy making, but man is it payback.
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Jun 4, 2023 20:50:42 GMT
Fool me once indeed. It is odd she hasn't moved on....with all her money and new found spirit. Years of not going to Newport have passed. Plus there would have been other opportunists ready to make a play for her after the father died. Yes, the pretty boys would be forming a line outside her door.
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 4, 2023 20:52:35 GMT
What an outstanding revenge ending. It's not happy making, but man is it payback. Yes, it's a superb ending.
"Bolt the door, Maria."
|
|
|
Post by Andrea Doria on Jun 4, 2023 20:53:35 GMT
I can't get passed the father's crushing speech to his daughter. Just brutal. I agree. It's truly shocking. It's why I picked this for the "fathers" month as he's the worst I've seen on screen. Ralph Richardson didn't hold back.
|
|
|
Post by galacticgirrrl on Jun 4, 2023 20:54:03 GMT
What an outstanding revenge ending. It's not happy making, but man is it payback. The sweetest revenge would have been a happy full life with a man better than either Morris or the Doctor.
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Jun 4, 2023 20:55:35 GMT
What an outstanding revenge ending. It's not happy making, but man is it payback. The sweetest revenge would have been a happy full life with a man better than either Morris or the Doctor. Yes. Sadly, though, she was too broken to be open to finding that.
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 4, 2023 20:55:45 GMT
I can't get passed the father's crushing speech to his daughter. Just brutal. I agree. It's truly shocking. It's why I picked this for the "fathers" month as he's the worst I've seen on screen. Ralph Richardson didn't hold back. Yes, glad you chose this film. The fathers in your other selections are 'softer' and less unkind!
|
|
|
Post by galacticgirrrl on Jun 4, 2023 20:56:49 GMT
And yet there was something very positive in the look on her face as she ascended the stairs....like maybe she was finally free of all the chains placed on her by others.
|
|
|
Post by Fading Fast on Jun 4, 2023 20:57:03 GMT
I can't get passed the father's crushing speech to his daughter. Just brutal. I agree. It's truly shocking. It's why I picked this for the "fathers" month as he's the worst I've seen on screen. Ralph Richardson didn't hold back. Yes, I'm wondering a bit about your relationship with your father if this was your choice. I'm just kidding, of course, this was an outstanding movie.
|
|
|
Post by galacticgirrrl on Jun 4, 2023 20:59:23 GMT
Odd it was such a beautiful movie to gaze upon with such ugliness oozing out of so many people.
Thank you for such a great pick. Very thought provoking. Not a usual father daughter relationship.
|
|
|
Post by Andrea Doria on Jun 4, 2023 21:02:20 GMT
What an outstanding revenge ending. It's not happy making, but man is it payback. The sweetest revenge would have been a happy full life with a man better than either Morris or the Doctor. Totally right, Galactigirrl.
This is a different ending than Henry James's book. In it she has a nice gentleman friend but isn't really interested in marriage so much as her work with children. She's living well and happy.
Jennifer Jason Leigh, in "Washington Square" plays Catherine closer to the book and I think her version is pretty great, too. Although not as wonderfully dramatic as this one.
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 5, 2023 3:34:47 GMT
I've been reflecting on today's film since we all watched it earlier.
I think I derive the most pleasure from Hopkins' performance, and it really holds up well.
Hopkins was a Georgia native, and she failed to snag the lead part ten years earlier in GONE WITH THE WIND. But I think she's playing an older Scarlett here in THE HEIRESS...just so put upon, exasperated by her brother, devising those convenient headaches while chaperoning, and squealing with delight when her niece informs her of the engagement.
Then later she reverses herself, somewhat betraying Catherine, but not enough to get kicked out of the Sloper home...so she is operating between artificial coquettishness and manipulation. As the "maternal" figure, she is supposed to be dependable and trustworthy, and while she does love her niece, it's clear she has her own priorities, her own philosophy...her own agenda.
To Hopkins' credit, she keeps Lavinia from becoming lachrymose by making the character somewhat comedic. It's a great interpretation of the role, a thoroughly enjoyable performance.
As for the others...Olivia deserved her Oscar, no doubt...but she is not able to demonstrate her full range until the last half hour, and I think the first 90 minutes, she is forced to stick to a limited bag of tricks which makes the character almost repetitive and daresay boring in some of those earlier scenes.
The weakest performer, in my view, is Montgomery Clift. It's obvious why he was not nominated for an Oscar or Golden Globe like the others. He lacks the gravitas the role requires. He would reach maturity in A PLACE IN THE SUN two years later, but here, he's not fully registering like he should. He's not giving us a multidimensional portrayal. Morris Townsend is a complex young man and while Monty had a very conflicted life off screen, he is not bringing a sense of multiple conflicts or contradictions to the role and as a result, he's a bit flat in scenes. His good looks carry him through, but we needed more from him.
Ralph Richardson is superb. In my review, which I will post in a while, I compare the role of Dr. Austin Sloper in THE HEIRESS to the role of Edward Barrett in THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET. Fortunately, Richardson refrains from the type of scenery chewing Charles Laughton did. Instead, we get a very thoughtful depiction of a man troubled by his daughter's behavior.
One thing I think the film does wrong is it doesn't give us enough outdoor scenes of the square. A line of dialogue has Catherine say, after her father's death, that she loves life on the square...but we don't really see her interact with the neighbors. There is some of this outdoor interaction in GASLIGHT (1944) and THE MATCHMAKER (1958) where the lead female characters are more directly connected to their immediate environment and surrounding neighborhood.
I feel as if Washington Square is really a character in its own right, and as such, it helps define the Sloper family and why Catherine is compelled to stay there for the rest of her life. But this film doesn't present that to any real degree, and as a result, there is a lack of depth.
We need Catherine to be more than a stereotype of a sheltered rich girl. We need to see she's a product of a specific place and time.
Also, there is no real talk of money, except on the part of the father and his accusations against Morris. But I do think that as a legitimate heiress, Catherine would be instructed in financial matters, and we should have had a scene or two with her learning how to keep her accounts in order...especially, when the father had died and Morris came crawling back. She had a nest egg to protect. This is part of why she had to stand up to vulture Morris at the end and not let him back in. So yes, we needed a quick scene or two of her becoming a shrewd handler of money the way a responsible heiress would.
Related to this, I think we needed some earlier scenes with Lavinia's finances being discussed. We needed to know why she was dependent on living at the home of her brother and niece. Part of it is because she was a surrogate mother for Catherine, but part of it is because she might actually have been just as penniless as Morris, after the death of her husband. She may have been just as needy as Morris, but had her reputation as the widow of a reverend to maintain credibility.
Lavinia comes into the home and is expected to help teach Catherine some social graces. This is similar to Morris saying he was teaching his sister's children while staying with them. So I do think Lavinia and Morris are kindred souls in a way, yet none of that is really emphasized in the movie and as a result we get less depth with the characters than we might otherwise have had.
|
|
|
Post by topbilled on Jun 5, 2023 14:14:11 GMT
My review:
No more foolish beguilement
The main character may not be marriageable. Because of this she turns from sweet, innocent and naive to embittered and isolated, giving Best Actress Olivia De Havilland a chance to demonstrate her dramatic range. Throw in handsome young Montgomery Clift as a scoundrel suitor, Miriam Hopkins as an over the top doting aunt, and Ralph Richardson as the stern father– and what do you have? The film that should have been named the Best Picture of 1949.
Paramount purchased the rights to the stage play based on Henry James’ novel at De Havilland’s urging. She had recently earned an Oscar at the studio for TO EACH HIS OWN, and after seeing Wendy Hiller play Catherine Sloper on Broadway, she was determined to star in the film version with William Wyler directing.
In addition to her win in the lead actress category, the production earned Oscars for art direction, costumes, and score. It was nominated for Best Picture and had nominations for Wyler, Richardson and for its cinematography. Scene stealing Hopkins received a Golden Globe nomination as supporting actress.
Hopkins hadn’t made a film since 1943 and was now taking character roles. She has a memorable turn as Lavinia Penniman, a woman obsessed with the idea of finding a suitable match for her niece. She mistakenly thinks Clift’s character is just such a catch. Clift has an unusual entrance as Morris Townsend. At first we hear his voice and only see him from the back during a party. Then he eventually sits down and joins the others. Given how gorgeous Morris is, it’s hard to believe women weren’t leaving lining up to dance with him.
Catherine’s father finds it hard to believe Morris would choose to spend time with her. After the party Morris starts calling at the Sloper home in Washington Square. He makes a visit each day, and Catherine becomes increasingly enchanted. This culminates in a scene where Morris and Catherine share their first kiss and leads to his sudden proposal of marriage. It’s poignant, awkward and strangely romantic — moments aided by Aaron Copland’s score.
Catherine’s family seems to want what is best for her, but they go about it in the wrong way. It’s nice to see how protective the aunt is towards Catherine. The father is not written too evil. Certainly not as creepy as old Barrett in THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET.
We also have Morris’ sister in one key scene, and like Catherine’s family, she wants what is best for the young couple. But she and Catherine’s father have different approaches. This is followed by some tense verbal psychological warfare between Dr. Sloper and Morris about the young man’s intentions.
Most of the time the characters are transparent with their feelings. But the best moments are the ones without such obvious dialogue. In the middle of the film there’s a farewell scene on a ship when the Slopers decide to travel abroad. Morris and auntie both show up to wish Catherine and her father a safe voyage. In this scene Hopkins has no lines, but her facial expressions speak volumes. Visually the film is full of rich images.
When Catherine returns from Europe, she reunites with Morris in the rain. It’s emotional, especially because of her father’s continuing disapproval of them as a couple. In the second half of the story there are different levels of trust and betrayal going on among the main characters.
Catherine defiantly chooses Morris and disinherits herself from her father; but ironically disinherits herself from Morris’ “love.” He then fails to elope with her. This leads Catherine to reject her father when he dies, and to reject Morris when he later begs forgiveness. She faces life on her own, but it will be embroidered with no more foolish beguilement.
|
|