The Heiress

"A truly great motion picture."

1949 1h 55m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

8.1

IMDB

★7.8TMDB · 288🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★8.1IMDB · 18,368

DramaRomanceHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1840s New York, the uneventful and boring days of the daughter of a wealthy doctor come to an end when she meets a dashing poorer man — who may or may not be after her inheritance.

“A truly great motion picture.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Olivia de Havilland
Catherine Sloper
Montgomery Clift
Morris Townsend
Ralph Richardson
Dr. Austin Sloper
Miriam Hopkins
Lavinia Penniman
Vanessa Brown
Maria
Mona Freeman
Maria Almond
Ray Collins
Jefferson Almond
Betty Linley
Mme. Montgomery

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Wyler
Writers: Augustus Goetz, Ruth Goetz
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 88% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Wyler, shot by Leo Tover. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Aaron Copland. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor William Hornbeck shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift and Ralph Richardson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A truly great motion picture.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Wyler directs. Leo Tover behind the camera. Aaron Copland scores. William Hornbeck cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.6M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 88% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
377 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Directed by William Wyler, shot by Leo Tover. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Aaron Copland. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor William Hornbeck shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift and Ralph Richardson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A truly great motion picture.".
9IMDB entry: tt0041452 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "new york city", "marriage", "love", "money".

The technical file

Cinematography: Leo Tover
Original score: Aaron Copland
Editing: William Hornbeck
Production design: Harry Horner
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,600,000
Box office: $2,300,000
Return: 88% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Heiress (1949)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 8.1/10 · 18,368 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Won 4 Oscars. 13 wins & 9 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic or Comedy Score
Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Black and White
Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Academy Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

William Wyler

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-08-28
★ 9/10
Turning of the tide in acting and directing masterclass. Dowdy spinster Catherine Sloper is stuck in a rut, she is often made to feel useless by her almost tyrannical father, and her life is ambling along in uneventful boredom. Potential gentleman suitors stay well clear of her, such is her unease with the social graces of the day. Then one day at a society ball she is lavished with attention from Morris Townsend, could this be love? Or is he merely after her inheritance? An inheritance her father will take away from her should she progress further with the shifty Townsend. A novel written by Henry James (Washington Square) and a successful Broadway play by Ruth & Augustus Goetz (responsible for the film's wonderful ending), The Heiress adapts perfectly to the big screen due to the almost peerless work from all involved in the production. Olivia de Havilland is sensational as Catherine, the tale is about Catharine's transition from put upon victim into a mature, rational wise woman, and de Haviland double deals from the top of the pack - with one particular look towards the end of the play, she may just own the title of worlds best ever icy stare. Ralph Richardson plays the father brilliantly, fusing a trio of character traits with imposing results. William Wyler's direction is right on the money, so it's no surprise to learn that de Havilland requested Wyler for the project, for she must surely have known that he was the man to bring out such a majestic two fold performance. Montgomery Clift gives a rather more safe than great performance as Townsend, perhaps at times too aware that de Havilland and Richardson were shining bright on set, Clift none the less is one of those actors whose average shows were still better than some of his so called peers' best. Major bonus here is the score from Aaron Copland, jaunty in earlier sections then swirling like a poetic menace in the final third, it's simply beautiful. Tales of bad feeling on the set can be found in various sources, with both Richardson & Clift showing disdain for de Havilland's acting ability. Surely though, one only has to view the film now to see that the off screen tensions lifted de Havilland up to another acting level, helped by the gifted hands of one William Wyler of course. A smashing, dramatic and engrossing picture, The Heiress is a must see for those looking for artistic deftness, and to find an ending that is a fittingly memorable piece of class. 9/10
CinemaSerf2025-01-16
★ 7/10
There are three really strong performances here, but for my money it is Sir Ralph Richardson who stands out. "Sloper" is a wealthy surgeon, a widower and father to the naive young "Catherine". She (Olivia de Havilland) is shy and usually quite happy doing her embroidery quietly at home. Then her well meaning aunt "Lavinia" (Miriam Hopkins) comes to stay and her father thinks that perhaps she can help bring his daughter a little out of her shell. One of the results of this change is a meeting with "Morris" (Montgomery Clift). Now whilst he's not exactly penniless, he hasn't anything remotely like her $30,000 a year. She falls completely for his simple charms and swiftly they are talking marriage. Not unreasonably, her father thinks this is all moving far too fast and so suggests a trip to Europe to see if she can get him out of her system. When that doesn't quite work, the father starts to show his true colours and that's just the start of things unravelling for the young woman who is about to be given some very harsh lessons on life. It's a sumptuous looking drama, this, with a fantastically toxic storyline that pits love and affection against selfishness and jealousy - but it does it in a painfully and politely ambiguous fashion. There are so many assumptions being made about what people here think. Not just by the three characters, but by the audience too as we must assess the motives of each. All three have a point to make, valid questions to raise and flaws in their character and that's bound to sow seeds for misunderstandings and mistrust. The novel that underpins this story is one that cleverly looks at the roles of men and women in a society where there wasn't an hint of equality - even when the woman has the cash, but where there was also evidence of decency and pride - good and bad. The denouement is entirely fitting but I felt rather an unsympathetic and condemnatory one that left me feeling sorry for just about everyone left alive. It's a sad film populated with real characters, a dynamic drama and is William Wyler at his best.