February 28, 2007

The Heiress

I suppose a lot of the "classics" don't live up to the hype. You've read about them for years, and by the time you finally get around to seeing them you've built them up so high in your head, or seen so many riffs on their innovations that they don't seem that special any more. Thankfully, that's not the case with The Heiress. This Oscar-winning film from 1949 is great, and doesn't feel too dated (even though it's set in the mid-19th century). Why? The quality of the production and the acting are all excellent - and it deals with situations tied to family and money and love and betrayal that are still quite familiar today. It's tough - brutal even - but very well done. And I can't say enough about the acting. It's wonderful, but also rather fascinating as the principals are all working in rather different styles. But all four of the main performers (Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson and Miriam Hopkins) do terrific things with their roles.

Posted by armand at February 28, 2007 03:38 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Movies


Comments
Post a comment









Remember personal info?