I love this movie. When she locks the door and walks up the stairs at the end, I get goose bumps every time. Catherine also could never forgive her father for taking away her one chance for a life away from her father. Even if Monty was a cad, at least she would have some chance for love for a time. Her father crushed her all her life because she wasn't a copy of her mother and took away her only chance.
@@happybkwrm He was willing to bequeath to her though rather than to an animal charity. She hadn't noticed for most of her life that he didn't love her so ignorance was bliss.
@@crose7412 Oh, please. If he'd disinherited her, people would have gossiped about him. He didn't want that. He didn't want her to have anything BUT money. Besides, he was too shocked that she actually called him out.
I showed my boyfriend (Who hasn't seen much from the era) this film, one of my very favorites, in increments over about a week and we spent hours discussing it. There's so much to dissect it's almost overwhelming. Take for example Catherine's quips about "You led me to believe you and he lived on love alone" and "That depends on where he is, aunt", which both demonstrate she didn't *become* a worthwhile person. It was in her all along, but relentless abuse and dismissal buried it. And as a film with only as much depth as it has can do, you're left with a host of mixed feelings. She has her triumphant ending, but at what cost? She's cold in a way not dissimilar from Dr. Sloper. She can't believe Mariah's compliment, she's damaged from this in a way she's likely to be all her life. Heartbreakingly, she returns "Yes Morris, that is true" when he suggests she'll always care for him. But it was too late. He came to the wrong house. 10/10, BRILLIANT.
@@bespectacledheroine7292 You're so welcome!! You summed it up so beautifully! I LOVE that you and your boyfriend enjoying it slowly and talking about it as you watched the segments. so cool!! Lots of JOY to you!!
Her father had her so crushed mentally and emotionally that he turned INTO a shy thing who wasn't comfortable "in company" and didn't have all the desirable social graces, and so she is "unmarriageable." The fact he has no other children makes me think Catherine's mother died giving birth to her, and I'd bet that when it comes down to it, her father resents her for "killing her mother." Bad enough that he lost evidently the only woman who ever found him to be an acceptable husband (made clear by the fact he didn't manage to remarry), but on top of that she isn't a boy, a son to carry on his name. He resents her. "Your dress is so lovely dear...too bad YOU can't pull it off because you aren't pretty and fair enough." He made her insecure and lonely, turning her into the perfect target for any predatory man, and then he has the nerve to put her down for being the perfect target. And of course Morris IS a predatory man. MAYBE he would have actually loved her, and maybe she'd have come out of her shell more if she thought she was with a man who loved her. But he doesn't show up when he thinks she won't get the money, and dad calls her an idiot for ever believing in Morris, and the life gets crushed right out of her. It's so bad that when Maria pays her a compliment because she's in a pretty dress that, for that time, was the HEIGHT of fashion and that any young maid would have envied, Catherine can't accept it and thinks she's just buttering her up before making a request. I wish I could say she had changed into a self-assured and confident woman, but it feels more like she has become hard and cold and cruel. It feels like she can never find love now because she will never believe that it's real; any man who likes talking to her or is GENUINELY happy sitting home at night reading while his wife expertly embroiders is never going to have a chance with her because she is always going to doubt that anyone can find her interesting or pretty. 😢
I love it when you watch these old black-and-white films from the classic Hollywood era. It reminds me of when I had my mom living with me in her declining years so I could take care of her. She loved these films. I would hear the sound of these old films coming from her room every night and the glow of the TV illuminating from the half-open door. She would always fall asleep during the movie. She grew up watching these films. She was born in 1924 and lived to be 87. She watched her brothers and high school friends go to war in 1942. She had five children. The oldest passed away at just 39 years old. Her mom was killed by a drunk driver. He husband (my father) died at a young age leaving her to raise five children. She had a successful career as an interior designer and fought heart disease. These films gave her comfort. Thank you for watching these great films.
I LOVE Olivia & Monty Clift so much. But I always appreciate Ralph Richardson (father) and Miriam Hopkins's (aunt) performances in this too. Such a wonderful group of actors in this masterpiece 💜
Completely agree! And what I love is that they are completely different acting styles! Ralph Richardson, one of the great Shakespearean actors, Clift literally showing off the method for practically the first time onscreen, and Olivia, a total Hollywood movie star, going back to the mid 30s. (That said: she came to the movies through the stage production of "Midsummer Night's Dream", and is incredible in THAT film, so she definitely has Shakespeare chops as well).
@@crose7412 That is why I found the movie so depressing. Because her very strange father and her nitwitted aunt say something she assumes it must be so. I know you will say she has never been told she is worth anything so she accepts it must be so. I prefer my heroines to have a backbone.
This (The Heiress) is one of her great triumphs because Hollywood has always liked these dramas, but I think Olivia is better playing happy people. Unforgettable with Flynn. My favorite Olivia movie is "Strawberry Blonde", a simple, unpretentious comedy where she is charming, well accompanied by Cagney, Rita, Carson and Hale. How good it is to see someone who understands what she sees and helps us understand it. Thank you.
I haven’t watched this in about 50 years, even though Wyler is my second-favorite director (after Capra), the leads are all tremendous (especially de Havilland), and the cinematography is spectacular. Although the ending is satisfying as a victory over a fraud, the story is so desperately tragic that I have never wanted to see it again. Dr. Sloper ruins his daughter’s life by his controlling and emotionally unsupportive treatment of her. It reminds me of Bette Davis’s “Now, Voyager,” except that Davis rebuilds her life in a more positive way. Thank you for your excellent presentation and fine insights into the psychology of events in the film.
I mean - on the one hand, the ending could e read as her cutting her life and her heart off from any chances of love. But on the other hand she said the embroidery she was doing was the last one, so maybe when she's cut away her old life she's giving herself new chances. In the book she's described as sitting down to her embroidery like she was settled for life. And that can also mean that she's resigned herself to a loveless life of spinsterhood and solitude. But on the other hand, in the play, movie and original book - she has her own money, and her own house, and her own life. She's become more outspoken because she hasn't centred her life around pleasing others like she used to. She has more than enough to live comfortably and with whichever luxuries she might like without being in any financial worry. She goes out when she wants to go out, and she stays in when she wants to stay in. She visits those she likes and accepts visits from those she likes. She has her relatives and she does have some friends, we know that. She has her own interests that she may take up or drop whenever she likes. And what's wrong with any of that? Maybe, just maybe, she's actually happy with her life, without any need of a husband.
GREAT movie! I've always said that how a viewer interprets the ending of this film (bittersweet? Tragic? Triumphant?) is such a cypher for your perspective on the world, autonomy, relationships, etc. I'm with you -- I love the ending. (I've seen other reviewers here on YT think it was a sad ending but NO! not to me!)
OMG I am so glad you are watching this movie! Mia I knew you would be loving the transformation of Catherine. Olivia de Havilland OWNED this role. Monty Clift was amazing as well! He has a way of playing the tormented male, I mean all the guy has to do is stand outside and pound on a door and the lines of crap he fed her he done it so well. If you haven't seen him in A Place in the Sun I HIGHLY recommend it. I am SO stoked to see a The Women movie poster in the background and OMG you just said you are watching it next! GIRL KEEP ROCKING THESE CLASSICS OUT! Thanks for these!
One of my favorite movies i first saw as a young girl in the 60's is "a place in the sun 1951" with Montgomery, Elizabeth Taylor & Shelley Winters. Liz fell in love with Monty during the filming but he was gay, they became lifelong friends though. It was based on the novel "an american tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser.l which was based on a true story.
It's wonderful how you appreciate the subtleties, something especially important in a Henry James story, where the subtleties of individual behavior and of society are everything. Seeing this again with you made me realize how amazing this movie is, how Wyler, the screenwriters, and the cast didn't flatten or oversimplify things, which would have destroyed it. When I first saw this, the performance that stayed with me most was Ralph Richardson's. Richardson was one of the great Shakespearean actors of his generation, ranked with his contemporaries and frequent collaborators Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. He does have that way of seeming to command every scene he's in. But when I saw it again recently I realized how great DeHavilland is, completely believable in both the before and after aspects of Catherine, and convincing you of the transformation.
I remember enjoying the novel, Washington Square. I read it so long ago, but I believe Henry James wrote Catherine's character with care and empathy and, as a reader, I felt quite protective and proud of her.
Olivia was right - canny old Richardson knew how to fill in the gaps, while the Hollywood actors had to wait for "big moments", but to be fair, they came through with their moments, especially de Havilland. I should mention that this story was filmed again at least once: "Washington Square", back in the 90s. It was quite fine, honestly. Albert Finney as the doubting Austin, and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Catherine. It's not as good as this one, but it's not an embarrassment.
I am so glad you are back Mia missed you so much you look so beautiful you should definitely Robert Mitchum’s two classic films Out of the past and Night of the Hunter they are amazing love you Mia
That is a good point that the sensible aunt who wasn't Lavinia pointed out - even if he is only marrying her for her money she's still in love with him, she could still be happy. And he could still be a good husband for her. Such a pity that $10,000 a year was considered too small for him. I mean - it's never been a sum to sneer at, not in Jane Austen's time, not when this story was set (1850s am I right?) not when this movie as made and not even today (I mean today you'd probably have to get a job as well but have 10,000 a year for being alive, that has to make things a lot easier, I mean it's probably groceries sorted for a year at least).
$10,000 a year, in 1849, is approximately $403,000 a year in 2024. Because Morris abandoned her, at that level of guaranteed income, we learn that his financial needs will always be insatiable.
Mia went from falling for him to nope you moving too fast. Red flag! Her switch up when she got her hurt broken was sad because it led her to distance herself more and more from her father. Her father should have treated her better and stopped comparing her to her mother, but I feel one day she will regret not trying to reconcile with him. Edited to add: I don't know if you have ever seen Dark Victory with Bette Davis, but I think you would enjoy it. Glad to see you will be watching The Women.
Watching this movie for the first time it was so sad, and heart breaking to have someone who you thinks loves you and doesn't and it makes not trust and lose faith in anyone.
The Heiress is one of my favorite Victorian dramas. Her father's shrewd passive aggressiveness of at first speaking to her as though she was a beautiful lady of quality but in the same breath letting her know he thought she was plain and dumb, kept Cathy confused and her self-esteem very low. He left her wide open to be taken advantage of by a man like Morris who was handsome, Xy, and charming but who could have easily been spotted for the self-serving golddigger he was hadn't her father kept telling her how inferior she was to her mother and other women. Though she learned about Morris and got her revenge, Cathy lost her ability to trust and to love and be loved. At the end of the movie, she seems transformed into a much older bitter woman probably to live her life alone.
She'll always be cool aunt Cathy to her aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews, at least, which is a positive =) Livinia was a friend, even if her judgment was clouded by romance, and I think Catherine will one day take them up on their offer and join them on holiday.
The ending. It's not an "I see dead people" surprise-type ending, but there is a "wow" factor to her leaving him pounding on the front door and ascending that staircase.
Absolutely superb commentary! I have known for years how much you'd love this film and this reaction did not disappoint! Olivia, what a queen! Loved what you said about Ralph Richardson and Clift as well! So happy you knew the backstory of how the three acting styles were totally different, yet meshed perfectly onscreen!!! I used to suggest this movie every single week to you, lol. And I know I submitted it to your website, and that other form that you used to use years ago. A long time coming, I never thought I'd see the day!!!! THANK YOU!!!! Well worth the wait, holy smokes, what a reaction!
Richardson was a superb stage star and with Olivier and Gielgud composed “the Triumvirate” of great British actors of the time. I loved him in Dr Zhivago.
So many stories we can apply those lines to: "Can you be so cruel?" "Yes, I can be very cruel. I have been taught by masters." Though perhaps ironically enough this revenge or "cruelty" we see from her is the mildest out of all the situations - which is why it hits so perfectly. It's nothing overdone, just a few words of "bolt the door".
I love your reaction to this because it’s so different from mine, making me think I should watch the movie again. When I first watched this film, I thought it was sad. That’s because Catherine believes herself to be unlovable. It made me think about Pauline Keel's comment about Gloria in “They Shoot Horses Don’t They.” She said Gloria was a woman who was so afraid of being gullible that she couldn't live, and that’s the way I saw Catherine at the end. I thought she would end up a spinster never realizing how lovely she is. But you saw her being triumphant. I like that. It made me look at the movie differently.
The film. However, Henry James's novel "Washington Square" is highly enjoyable for its relentless epigrammatic style, which precedes his much denser, labyrinthine style of his later novels.
Ralph Richardson was great friends with Lawrence Olivier and John Geilgud and was of the same quality. Most of his work when he was young but was taught stage technique by Geolgud and led the Old Vic company for years
Red River was always my favorite Montgomery Clift movie. This one never hooked me but it has wonderful actors. Richardson had a great role in Exodus. Love his voice.
I've read the Henry James novel at least three times.. James is the master of super-subtle character work. The film's really pretty faithful to the book.
One of my favorite movies being viewed by the best movie reactor!. Your analysis is always so good. You discuss the acting, plot, direction, cinematography, etc. You truly appreciate and understand movies. Thank you Mia. Olivia is anazing; youre right - she physically changes in this movie. Her reaction when her father tells her that no man could love her; how she tells Morris that they mustn't ever rely on her father, when she tells her father since he couldn't love her he should have let Morris try, AND when her father says he won't know what she'll do (after he dies): "thats right Father -you'll never know, will you?". Chilling line delivery. Love this movie. I like the use of the staircase to show her character - at the beginning she ungracefully hurries on it, not at all like a proper lady, then trudgimg up it when Morris abandons her and she is utterly hesrtbroken, disillusioned and defeated (I believe Wylet had weights put in her satchel), and finally triumphantly ascending the stairs like a queen. Great atuff.
Mia, I hope you see this ❤. I’m 14 years old and may I just say, you are a PHENOMENAL movie reviewer!! My favorite one, actually! You have a beautiful soul! You are so funny, iconic, and relatable! I love to watch your videos and you always cheer me up!! I just saw your ‘His Girl Friday’ video. I loved Rosalind Russell so much! Loved your reaction! Loved the character of Hildy! Loved the movie in general! With that said, I have a movie suggestion for you! It’s called ‘The Women”! It’s got the greats; Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, and other notable actresses!! Interestingly there are no male actors, only women! That’s what I love about this film! It’s a great one! I hope you like it as much as I did!! If you’re looking for another strong minded, intelligent, and fast-talking woman, please, please, please, look into the character of Torchy Blane, her most iconic film, Smart Blonde. If you would also check out the Nancy Drew films with Bonita Granville, that would be greatly appreciated! There are four and they should be available online!! Much love!! 🩷🩷
Hi 👋🏽 thank you so much for watching and I am so happy that you are enjoying the videos! The Women is actually our next reaction! It was such an amazing film! I can’t wait to share the reaction with everyone! I really appreciate your comment, it made my day 😁 thank you so much!
14:56 In the book the sister did actually point out to the doctor that it's in her best interests that her brother marry someone with money - because then he won't ask her for any. In the play she asked "do you want me to tell her that she's incapable of being loved?'
Olivia De Havilland passed away at the Golden age of 104. She is the last of the Great actors of her era. She's well missed. Actress Joan Fontaine was Olivia's younger sister. 😉👍
I think the father is the clear villain of the piece. He’s belittled his daughter from the moment she was born. Morris wanted her money… and jilting her was unforgivable, but it is possible if the father hadn’t cruelly intervened (he tells his own daughter that she has nothing to offer Morris other than money… that’s a monstrous thing to say to your child), that Morris would have taken good care of Catherine and her money (as her Aunt Elizabeth says). We’ll never know, and it’s unlikely that Catherine will ever marry or leave the house. The final scene of her going up the staircase feels as though she’s willingly incarcerating herself. I find it very sad. That said her turning on first her father and then Morris is supremely satisfying!
@@crose7412 We don't know whether he would have or wouldn't. But if his desire was for a luxurious upper class life, a wife from a good family would have been part of that. We know he wasn't a complete monster based on what his sister had to say about him. As Catherine says we don't know that he would have starved her for affection any more than her father did. I'm not defending Morris's actions, I'm only saying I don't think he would have pulled a "Gaslight" on her... And since we know that Catherine's true self was actually far more clever and bright than she presented to anyone other than her aunt, I think it's possible he may have fallen genuinely in love with her after the fact.
@@mckeldin1961 You're a gullible sucker if you'd fall for his smooth patter! He's the scoundrel looking for easy pickings and she's his "mark". He can't eventually fall in love later with the rich sap he's been bleeding dry because he'd have no respect for her weak-minded ways.
I think that little flicker of hope really marinates the sadness because I don’t think Morris really could’ve been a good husband to Catherine, I think once the game was up he’s not genuinely good enough to be appreciative of what Catherine has to offer once he’s gotten what he wants out of the exchange. If he was the 10 thousand a year would’ve been good enough.
it is so interesting that all of the issues the studio had with all 3 actors, and the issues the actors had with each other-all 3 of them-are the very issues that make this film come together in the brilliant way that it does. the 3 different acting styles and approaches all bang up against each other in this film, and make the conflict and the whole central idea of the film come alive in such an electric way. It is so great that Wyler knew what he was doing to such a degree that he left all of these issues alone and let the conflicts play out through the film itself. Wyler is marvelous. THE LITTLE FOXES is a great film also based on a brilliant broadway play. Another great period piece as well. If you haven't done THE LITTLE FOXES, you are in for a treat! the acting, the direction, the script, it all comes together in that film brilliantly like in this film. THE WOMEN is a great classic film. amazing performances. I am excited to see what you think about it. so glad to enjoy your channel again! thanks for posting!.
Thank you, absolutely loved this film and your reaction and review. I would love to see your review on the 1943 film "The Song of Bernadette," with Academy Award winner for that year Jennifer Jones.
Mia, I love that you enjoy the ending of this movie, where Catherine grows into her strength and self-reliance, over the "romantic happy ending" (written in the 1950's) of My Fair Lady with Eliza returning to Henry Higgins, despite his being pretty much a jerk to her. I don't know if you know this, but that is not the ending written by George Bernard Shaw in Pygmalion in 1912. Shaw provides in an afterword that Colonel Pickering (not Professor Higgins) sets Eliza up in a flower shop, Eliza marries - and supports - Freddie (a spoiled upper class twit who has never learned a skill or trade and is unable to take care of anyone else), and Professor Higgins remains the unrepentant bachelor/misogynist he is during the play. In a lot of ways both James and Shaw view of strong women resonate more with our times than the mid-20th Century!
This was an astounding film with incredible performances but ultimately it’s a very sad story. If you would like to see a rather different Olivia deHavilland romantic movie, one that’s a bit more upbeat but still very interesting, I strongly recommend HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), with Charles Boyer and Paulette Goddard. It’s a movie that really stays with you long after you’ve seen it.
At last!!!!!!! Been dying for you to see this since I first discovered your channel....years ago! I've brought this movie up so many times! Super psyched! PS: Olivia D'Havilland followed this up with an even greater performance: "The Snake Pit"! That's most definitely the next Olivia movie you should watch, just to appreciate the career high she was on: The Heiress and The Snake Pit. What an actress! Ok.....watching THIS reaction now!!!! THANKS, MIA! At last!!!!! The Heiress! I never thought I'd see this posted!!!!
Please please please The Light in the Piazza another great Olivia film that was also adapted into a massive Broadway hit. It’s beautiful and one of my absolute favourites
OMG! If the Red Shoes is in the background, is that coming up soon? I've been waiting for you to do a Powell and Pressburger movie! You'll love them! This is one of those movies you can watch multiple times and see different things. BTW, go watch Carol Burnett's skit of this movie. I won't give away any spoilers, but it is the best!
OMYGOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!! i've been waiting FOREVER for you to review this movie. I had almost lost hope!! I LOVE this movie. I'm about to watch your review!!
Catherine was in a though spot. Let down by her father, who was disappointed she didn't possess her mother's beauty or grace. Abandoned by her lover when he found out Catherine would lose her inheritance. I guess the only path left for her was revenge.
The book this movie (and first play) is really good as well - Washington Square. Some changes (whether they can be called big changes or not is a matter of opinion) but it's good in a. different way (as it's not performed for an audience it doesn't need the dramatic end).
I love this movie, so glad you watched it. If you get the chance, please review “In This Our Life” (1942) with Olivia de Havilland, Bette Davis, Hattie McDaniel and directed by John Huston. It’s a wild movie for its time. Implied incest, psychopathy, racism! I MUST watch it every time it comes up on TCM!
I love this movie. When she locks the door and walks up the stairs at the end, I get goose bumps every time. Catherine also could never forgive her father for taking away her one chance for a life away from her father. Even if Monty was a cad, at least she would have some chance for love for a time. Her father crushed her all her life because she wasn't a copy of her mother and took away her only chance.
One of the greatest endings in movies.
@cathyallsup7731 She would've had no chance for love because her husband wouldn't have loved her.
@@crose7412 Neither did her father.
@@happybkwrm He was willing to bequeath to her though rather than to an animal charity. She hadn't noticed for most of her life that he didn't love her so ignorance was bliss.
@@crose7412 Oh, please. If he'd disinherited her, people would have gossiped about him. He didn't want that. He didn't want her to have anything BUT money. Besides, he was too shocked that she actually called him out.
It's a fantastic movie. And Olivia was so brilliant in this.
......and then she follows it the next year with "The Snake Pit"! 🤯
Finally! You got to this movie😄
I showed my boyfriend (Who hasn't seen much from the era) this film, one of my very favorites, in increments over about a week and we spent hours discussing it. There's so much to dissect it's almost overwhelming. Take for example Catherine's quips about "You led me to believe you and he lived on love alone" and "That depends on where he is, aunt", which both demonstrate she didn't *become* a worthwhile person. It was in her all along, but relentless abuse and dismissal buried it. And as a film with only as much depth as it has can do, you're left with a host of mixed feelings. She has her triumphant ending, but at what cost? She's cold in a way not dissimilar from Dr. Sloper. She can't believe Mariah's compliment, she's damaged from this in a way she's likely to be all her life. Heartbreakingly, she returns "Yes Morris, that is true" when he suggests she'll always care for him. But it was too late. He came to the wrong house. 10/10, BRILLIANT.
well said!
@@sarahwestmusic Thank you! 😄
@@bespectacledheroine7292 You're so welcome!! You summed it up so beautifully! I LOVE that you and your boyfriend enjoying it slowly and talking about it as you watched the segments. so cool!! Lots of JOY to you!!
Yes, when she's comfortable with someone, she's not shy.
Her father had her so crushed mentally and emotionally that he turned INTO a shy thing who wasn't comfortable "in company" and didn't have all the desirable social graces, and so she is "unmarriageable." The fact he has no other children makes me think Catherine's mother died giving birth to her, and I'd bet that when it comes down to it, her father resents her for "killing her mother." Bad enough that he lost evidently the only woman who ever found him to be an acceptable husband (made clear by the fact he didn't manage to remarry), but on top of that she isn't a boy, a son to carry on his name. He resents her. "Your dress is so lovely dear...too bad YOU can't pull it off because you aren't pretty and fair enough." He made her insecure and lonely, turning her into the perfect target for any predatory man, and then he has the nerve to put her down for being the perfect target.
And of course Morris IS a predatory man. MAYBE he would have actually loved her, and maybe she'd have come out of her shell more if she thought she was with a man who loved her. But he doesn't show up when he thinks she won't get the money, and dad calls her an idiot for ever believing in Morris, and the life gets crushed right out of her. It's so bad that when Maria pays her a compliment because she's in a pretty dress that, for that time, was the HEIGHT of fashion and that any young maid would have envied, Catherine can't accept it and thinks she's just buttering her up before making a request.
I wish I could say she had changed into a self-assured and confident woman, but it feels more like she has become hard and cold and cruel. It feels like she can never find love now because she will never believe that it's real; any man who likes talking to her or is GENUINELY happy sitting home at night reading while his wife expertly embroiders is never going to have a chance with her because she is always going to doubt that anyone can find her interesting or pretty. 😢
I love it when you watch these old black-and-white films from the classic Hollywood era. It reminds me of when I had my mom living with me in her declining years so I could take care of her. She loved these films. I would hear the sound of these old films coming from her room every night and the glow of the TV illuminating from the half-open door. She would always fall asleep during the movie. She grew up watching these films. She was born in 1924 and lived to be 87. She watched her brothers and high school friends go to war in 1942. She had five children. The oldest passed away at just 39 years old. Her mom was killed by a drunk driver. He husband (my father) died at a young age leaving her to raise five children. She had a successful career as an interior designer and fought heart disease. These films gave her comfort. Thank you for watching these great films.
I just loved when Olivia Dehavilland turned cold.
Finally! One of my most beloved films. I’ve read the novel and watched this version soooo many times.❤❤❤❤❤
I LOVE Olivia & Monty Clift so much. But I always appreciate Ralph Richardson (father) and Miriam Hopkins's (aunt) performances in this too. Such a wonderful group of actors in this masterpiece 💜
Masterclass all the way around.
Completely agree! And what I love is that they are completely different acting styles! Ralph Richardson, one of the great Shakespearean actors, Clift literally showing off the method for practically the first time onscreen, and Olivia, a total Hollywood movie star, going back to the mid 30s. (That said: she came to the movies through the stage production of "Midsummer Night's Dream", and is incredible in THAT film, so she definitely has Shakespeare chops as well).
Nobody who is looking out for his daughter would constantly put her down the way he does.
100% agree. he is looking out for himself.
Very true. He would have seen to it that she met eligible young men.
Right? By starving her of affection he made her all the more vulnerable to male manipulation
@@dorothywillis1 Her father or aunt said that she is "un-marriageable" therefore there are no men for her, eligible or otherwise.
@@crose7412 That is why I found the movie so depressing. Because her very strange father and her nitwitted aunt say something she assumes it must be so. I know you will say she has never been told she is worth anything so she accepts it must be so. I prefer my heroines to have a backbone.
Olivia was some actress . My favorite film with her was the snake pit that scared the daylights out of me as a kid . She lived to be 104 years old !
This (The Heiress) is one of her great triumphs because Hollywood has always liked these dramas, but I think Olivia is better playing happy people. Unforgettable with Flynn. My favorite Olivia movie is "Strawberry Blonde", a simple, unpretentious comedy where she is charming, well accompanied by Cagney, Rita, Carson and Hale. How good it is to see someone who understands what she sees and helps us understand it. Thank you.
Nice to see someone watch the old classics. Some people won't even watch a film if it's
in black and white
I haven’t watched this in about 50 years, even though Wyler is my second-favorite director (after Capra), the leads are all tremendous (especially de Havilland), and the cinematography is spectacular. Although the ending is satisfying as a victory over a fraud, the story is so desperately tragic that I have never wanted to see it again. Dr. Sloper ruins his daughter’s life by his controlling and emotionally unsupportive treatment of her. It reminds me of Bette Davis’s “Now, Voyager,” except that Davis rebuilds her life in a more positive way.
Thank you for your excellent presentation and fine insights into the psychology of events in the film.
Bolt the door, Mariah! A brilliant film from 1949 directed the great William Wyler.
I mean - on the one hand, the ending could e read as her cutting her life and her heart off from any chances of love.
But on the other hand she said the embroidery she was doing was the last one, so maybe when she's cut away her old life she's giving herself new chances. In the book she's described as sitting down to her embroidery like she was settled for life. And that can also mean that she's resigned herself to a loveless life of spinsterhood and solitude.
But on the other hand, in the play, movie and original book - she has her own money, and her own house, and her own life. She's become more outspoken because she hasn't centred her life around pleasing others like she used to. She has more than enough to live comfortably and with whichever luxuries she might like without being in any financial worry. She goes out when she wants to go out, and she stays in when she wants to stay in. She visits those she likes and accepts visits from those she likes. She has her relatives and she does have some friends, we know that. She has her own interests that she may take up or drop whenever she likes. And what's wrong with any of that? Maybe, just maybe, she's actually happy with her life, without any need of a husband.
GREAT movie! I've always said that how a viewer interprets the ending of this film (bittersweet? Tragic? Triumphant?) is such a cypher for your perspective on the world, autonomy, relationships, etc. I'm with you -- I love the ending. (I've seen other reviewers here on YT think it was a sad ending but NO! not to me!)
Very well put!! I agree with you, too about perspective!
Your outtakes at the end crack me up.
The Women is a fantastic movie. It has very subtle suggestions about a taboo topic back then…
OMG I am so glad you are watching this movie! Mia I knew you would be loving the transformation of Catherine. Olivia de Havilland OWNED this role. Monty Clift was amazing as well! He has a way of playing the tormented male, I mean all the guy has to do is stand outside and pound on a door and the lines of crap he fed her he done it so well. If you haven't seen him in A Place in the Sun I HIGHLY recommend it. I am SO stoked to see a The Women movie poster in the background and OMG you just said you are watching it next! GIRL KEEP ROCKING THESE CLASSICS OUT! Thanks for these!
One of my favorite movies i first saw as a young girl in the 60's is "a place in the sun 1951" with Montgomery, Elizabeth Taylor & Shelley Winters. Liz fell in love with Monty during the filming but he was gay, they became lifelong friends though. It was based on the novel "an american tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser.l which was based on a true story.
two things: I LOVE this film. and you look fantastic!
Oh, so glad I've found you. Thank you giving credit to the classics. The Heiress is a much watch. Better with each viewing.
So glad to see someone reacting to this film! It’s my favorite and to my mind the closest thing to a perfect movie
It's wonderful how you appreciate the subtleties, something especially important in a Henry James story, where the subtleties of individual behavior and of society are everything. Seeing this again with you made me realize how amazing this movie is, how Wyler, the screenwriters, and the cast didn't flatten or oversimplify things, which would have destroyed it.
When I first saw this, the performance that stayed with me most was Ralph Richardson's. Richardson was one of the great Shakespearean actors of his generation, ranked with his contemporaries and frequent collaborators Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. He does have that way of seeming to command every scene he's in. But when I saw it again recently I realized how great DeHavilland is, completely believable in both the before and after aspects of Catherine, and convincing you of the transformation.
I remember enjoying the novel, Washington Square. I read it so long ago, but I believe Henry James wrote Catherine's character with care and empathy and, as a reader, I felt quite protective and proud of her.
Yay 🎉🎉🎉🎉 The Women is excellent the witty banter is almost as good as Stage Door
One of my favorite performances ever. Olivia DeHavilland is top rate.
Olivia was right - canny old Richardson knew how to fill in the gaps, while the Hollywood actors had to wait for "big moments", but to be fair, they came through with their moments, especially de Havilland. I should mention that this story was filmed again at least once: "Washington Square", back in the 90s. It was quite fine, honestly. Albert Finney as the doubting Austin, and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Catherine. It's not as good as this one, but it's not an embarrassment.
Yes, with Jennifer Jason Leigh.
I am so glad you are back Mia missed you so much you look so beautiful you should definitely Robert Mitchum’s two classic films Out of the past and Night of the Hunter they are amazing love you Mia
One of my favourite films - Olivia's character development is amazing and I love the staircase motif
She turned into her father.
someone else once made a comparison between her and her father - if as a doctor he's been a surgeon, then we can see that skills in her needlework.
@@agenttheater5 nice observations
That is a good point that the sensible aunt who wasn't Lavinia pointed out - even if he is only marrying her for her money she's still in love with him, she could still be happy. And he could still be a good husband for her.
Such a pity that $10,000 a year was considered too small for him. I mean - it's never been a sum to sneer at, not in Jane Austen's time, not when this story was set (1850s am I right?) not when this movie as made and not even today (I mean today you'd probably have to get a job as well but have 10,000 a year for being alive, that has to make things a lot easier, I mean it's probably groceries sorted for a year at least).
$10,000 a year, in 1849, is approximately $403,000 a year in 2024. Because Morris abandoned her, at that level of guaranteed income, we learn that his financial needs will always be insatiable.
Mia went from falling for him to nope you moving too fast. Red flag!
Her switch up when she got her hurt broken was sad because it led her to distance herself more and more from her father. Her father should have treated her better and stopped comparing her to her mother, but I feel one day she will regret not trying to reconcile with him.
Edited to add: I don't know if you have ever seen Dark Victory with Bette Davis, but I think you would enjoy it.
Glad to see you will be watching The Women.
Watching this movie for the first time it was so sad, and heart breaking to have someone who you thinks loves you and doesn't and it makes not trust and lose faith in anyone.
The Heiress is one of my favorite Victorian dramas. Her father's shrewd passive aggressiveness of at first speaking to her as though she was a beautiful lady of quality but in the same breath letting her know he thought she was plain and dumb, kept Cathy confused and her self-esteem very low. He left her wide open to be taken advantage of by a man like Morris who was handsome, Xy, and charming but who could have easily been spotted for the self-serving golddigger he was hadn't her father kept telling her how inferior she was to her mother and other women. Though she learned about Morris and got her revenge, Cathy lost her ability to trust and to love and be loved. At the end of the movie, she seems transformed into a much older bitter woman probably to live her life alone.
She'll always be cool aunt Cathy to her aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews, at least, which is a positive =) Livinia was a friend, even if her judgment was clouded by romance, and I think Catherine will one day take them up on their offer and join them on holiday.
The ending. It's not an "I see dead people" surprise-type ending, but there is a "wow" factor to her leaving him pounding on the front door and ascending that staircase.
This is a classic and wonderful movie! Olivia De Haviland deserved her Oscar. Montgomery Clift was drop dead handsome!!
Yes, I loved this movie and I'm glad you did too!
If you wanna add a tv show to your lineup, I’d highly Highly HIGHLY recommend The Gilded Age. I have a feeling you’d absolutely love it!
Another movie recommendation is Leave Her to Heaven, if you loved Rebecca and are a Gone Girl fan, it's a must see!
Thanks so much Mia .. I love watching movies with you !
OMG!!! You are about to be blown away with The Women!! L'Amour, lamour....toujours lamour!"
Absolutely superb commentary! I have known for years how much you'd love this film and this reaction did not disappoint! Olivia, what a queen! Loved what you said about Ralph Richardson and Clift as well! So happy you knew the backstory of how the three acting styles were totally different, yet meshed perfectly onscreen!!! I used to suggest this movie every single week to you, lol. And I know I submitted it to your website, and that other form that you used to use years ago. A long time coming, I never thought I'd see the day!!!! THANK YOU!!!! Well worth the wait, holy smokes, what a reaction!
Thank you for recommending this to me! Yes! I have been wanting to watch it for a while and now am so glad I had the chance to!
Richardson was a superb stage star and with Olivier and Gielgud composed “the Triumvirate” of great British actors of the time. I loved him in Dr Zhivago.
This is truly a great film with a career-best performance by De Havilland. Glad you covered this one.
.....and she followed it with another career-best performance: "The Snake Pit"! Bam, bam! 1948, 1949, she owned those two years!!! What an actress!
I’m glad you’re reacting to movies like this. Two great actors. Sad, sad story but of course so well done!
So many stories we can apply those lines to:
"Can you be so cruel?"
"Yes, I can be very cruel. I have been taught by masters."
Though perhaps ironically enough this revenge or "cruelty" we see from her is the mildest out of all the situations - which is why it hits so perfectly. It's nothing overdone, just a few words of "bolt the door".
Scorsese showed this to DiCaprio and Lily Collins before filming Killers of the Flower Moon since there are similarities to the couples in both films
Really? So cool that Scorsese appreciated the film enough to recommend it like that. I've always thought this film was a classic!
I love your reaction to this because it’s so different from mine, making me think I should watch the movie again. When I first watched this film, I thought it was sad. That’s because Catherine believes herself to be unlovable. It made me think about Pauline Keel's comment about Gloria in “They Shoot Horses Don’t They.” She said Gloria was a woman who was so afraid of being gullible that she couldn't live, and that’s the way I saw Catherine at the end. I thought she would end up a spinster never realizing how lovely she is. But you saw her being triumphant. I like that. It made me look at the movie differently.
Wow this film and this reaction is everything ❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
I love this film.I read the novel too.
And which, in your opinion, was better? Book or movie?
The film. However, Henry James's novel "Washington Square" is highly enjoyable for its relentless epigrammatic style, which precedes his much denser, labyrinthine style of his later novels.
Interesting! I may have to read the novel now! Thank you for sharing!
Ralph Richardson was great friends with Lawrence Olivier and John Geilgud and was of the same quality. Most of his work when he was young but was taught stage technique by Geolgud and led the Old Vic company for years
Oliva De Havilland and Ronald Reagan formed a lifelong (non-sexual) friendship on the set of Santa Fe Trail (1940).
Red River was always my favorite Montgomery Clift movie. This one never hooked me but it has wonderful actors. Richardson had a great role in Exodus. Love his voice.
❤ this movie, I had no idea about the drama's backstage 😮 P.S. loving your new hairstyle 👍
great reaction and i love the hair.
Thank you :)
I've read the Henry James novel at least three times.. James is the master of super-subtle character work. The film's really pretty faithful to the book.
I absolutely love this film and the last scene is the best revenge EVER!!!!
One of my favorite movies being viewed by the best movie reactor!. Your analysis is always so good. You discuss the acting, plot, direction, cinematography, etc. You truly appreciate and understand movies. Thank you Mia. Olivia is anazing; youre right - she physically changes in this movie. Her reaction when her father tells her that no man could love her; how she tells Morris that they mustn't ever rely on her father, when she tells her father since he couldn't love her he should have let Morris try, AND when her father says he won't know what she'll do (after he dies): "thats right Father -you'll never know, will you?". Chilling line delivery. Love this movie. I like the use of the staircase to show her character - at the beginning she ungracefully hurries on it, not at all like a proper lady, then trudgimg up it when Morris abandons her and she is utterly hesrtbroken, disillusioned and defeated (I believe Wylet had weights put in her satchel), and finally triumphantly ascending the stairs like a queen. Great atuff.
The Heiress is a favorite! So glad you're doing this one!
The only film I've ever seen that takes place along Union Sq. Park (north top). 👍👌👍👌
Mia, I hope you see this ❤. I’m 14 years old and may I just say, you are a PHENOMENAL movie reviewer!! My favorite one, actually! You have a beautiful soul! You are so funny, iconic, and relatable! I love to watch your videos and you always cheer me up!! I just saw your ‘His Girl Friday’ video. I loved Rosalind Russell so much! Loved your reaction! Loved the character of Hildy! Loved the movie in general! With that said, I have a movie suggestion for you! It’s called ‘The Women”! It’s got the greats; Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, and other notable actresses!! Interestingly there are no male actors, only women! That’s what I love about this film! It’s a great one! I hope you like it as much as I did!! If you’re looking for another strong minded, intelligent, and fast-talking woman, please, please, please, look into the character of Torchy Blane, her most iconic film, Smart Blonde. If you would also check out the Nancy Drew films with Bonita Granville, that would be greatly appreciated! There are four and they should be available online!! Much love!! 🩷🩷
Hi 👋🏽 thank you so much for watching and I am so happy that you are enjoying the videos! The Women is actually our next reaction! It was such an amazing film! I can’t wait to share the reaction with everyone! I really appreciate your comment, it made my day 😁 thank you so much!
@@MoviesWithMia Of course! I just love you so much I can’t get enough of your energy!! 😄😄
14:56 In the book the sister did actually point out to the doctor that it's in her best interests that her brother marry someone with money - because then he won't ask her for any.
In the play she asked "do you want me to tell her that she's incapable of being loved?'
Mia, you're the coolest!
Love this movie
The movement of light to dark is amazing
I remember watching it when I was a child about 10-12 years old. Such a sad movie in so many ways!
What a film! She basically had never been loved, either by her fake fiance' or her heartless father...
Olivia De Havilland passed away at the Golden age of 104. She is the last of the Great actors of her era. She's well missed. Actress Joan Fontaine was Olivia's younger sister. 😉👍
Great movie and ex Ellenton Oscar win for DeHavilland. Also YOU are looking fabulous!! Love the tresses!!
I think the father is the clear villain of the piece. He’s belittled his daughter from the moment she was born. Morris wanted her money… and jilting her was unforgivable, but it is possible if the father hadn’t cruelly intervened (he tells his own daughter that she has nothing to offer Morris other than money… that’s a monstrous thing to say to your child), that Morris would have taken good care of Catherine and her money (as her Aunt Elizabeth says). We’ll never know, and it’s unlikely that Catherine will ever marry or leave the house. The final scene of her going up the staircase feels as though she’s willingly incarcerating herself. I find it very sad. That said her turning on first her father and then Morris is supremely satisfying!
@mckeldin1961 On what basis might he have taken good care of Catherine and her money?
@@crose7412 We don't know whether he would have or wouldn't. But if his desire was for a luxurious upper class life, a wife from a good family would have been part of that. We know he wasn't a complete monster based on what his sister had to say about him. As Catherine says we don't know that he would have starved her for affection any more than her father did. I'm not defending Morris's actions, I'm only saying I don't think he would have pulled a "Gaslight" on her... And since we know that Catherine's true self was actually far more clever and bright than she presented to anyone other than her aunt, I think it's possible he may have fallen genuinely in love with her after the fact.
@@mckeldin1961 You're a gullible sucker if you'd fall for his smooth patter! He's the scoundrel looking for easy pickings and she's his "mark". He can't eventually fall in love later with the rich sap he's been bleeding dry because he'd have no respect for her weak-minded ways.
I think that little flicker of hope really marinates the sadness because I don’t think Morris really could’ve been a good husband to Catherine, I think once the game was up he’s not genuinely good enough to be appreciative of what Catherine has to offer once he’s gotten what he wants out of the exchange. If he was the 10 thousand a year would’ve been good enough.
One of my favorite films :)
Superb review - now I must watch the entire movie.
I love this movie, So excited to watch it with you. (I haven’t seen anyone else react to this, thanks)
Yay! Thank you so much for watching :)
That leading man might be the bad guy, but by the end of the film that leading lady is scary. Good on her. Cool movie. Good reaction video.
Olivia De Haviland was a fantastic actress. If you liked her in this, you'll love her in "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" or "the Dark Mirror."
it is so interesting that all of the issues the studio had with all 3 actors, and the issues the actors had with each other-all 3 of them-are the very issues that make this film come together in the brilliant way that it does. the 3 different acting styles and approaches all bang up against each other in this film, and make the conflict and the whole central idea of the film come alive in such an electric way. It is so great that Wyler knew what he was doing to such a degree that he left all of these issues alone and let the conflicts play out through the film itself.
Wyler is marvelous. THE LITTLE FOXES is a great film also based on a brilliant broadway play. Another great period piece as well. If you haven't done THE LITTLE FOXES, you are in for a treat! the acting, the direction, the script, it all comes together in that film brilliantly like in this film. THE WOMEN is a great classic film. amazing performances. I am excited to see what you think about it. so glad to enjoy your channel again! thanks for posting!.
Thank you, absolutely loved this film and your reaction and review. I would love to see your review on the 1943 film "The Song of Bernadette," with Academy Award winner for that year Jennifer Jones.
Mia, I love that you enjoy the ending of this movie, where Catherine grows into her strength and self-reliance, over the "romantic happy ending" (written in the 1950's) of My Fair Lady with Eliza returning to Henry Higgins, despite his being pretty much a jerk to her. I don't know if you know this, but that is not the ending written by George Bernard Shaw in Pygmalion in 1912. Shaw provides in an afterword that Colonel Pickering (not Professor Higgins) sets Eliza up in a flower shop, Eliza marries - and supports - Freddie (a spoiled upper class twit who has never learned a skill or trade and is unable to take care of anyone else), and Professor Higgins remains the unrepentant bachelor/misogynist he is during the play. In a lot of ways both James and Shaw view of strong women resonate more with our times than the mid-20th Century!
Love classic movies, and this is a favorite. It is based on the novel Washington Square, by Henry James. A great book.
This was an astounding film with incredible performances but ultimately it’s a very sad story. If you would like to see a rather different Olivia deHavilland romantic movie, one that’s a bit more upbeat but still very interesting, I strongly recommend HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), with Charles Boyer and Paulette Goddard. It’s a movie that really stays with you long after you’ve seen it.
At last!!!!!!! Been dying for you to see this since I first discovered your channel....years ago! I've brought this movie up so many times! Super psyched! PS: Olivia D'Havilland followed this up with an even greater performance: "The Snake Pit"! That's most definitely the next Olivia movie you should watch, just to appreciate the career high she was on: The Heiress and The Snake Pit. What an actress! Ok.....watching THIS reaction now!!!! THANKS, MIA! At last!!!!! The Heiress! I never thought I'd see this posted!!!!
For some light relief, i recommend Born Yesterday with Judy Holliday and William Holden. I think you'll like Judy Holliday.
Montgomery was so beautiful❤
Agreed… his smile is enough to melt hearts 💕
For another view of Miriam Hopkins, see _Trouble in Paradise,_ directed by Ernst Lubitsch.
OMG! Sexiest movie of all time!
@@etherealtb6021 I put it on the suggestion list awhile back, but I thought it couldn't hurt to plug it here.
Omg, yes! One of my favorites!
Her performance playing twins in "The Dark Mirror" is one of the greatest I've ever seen.
Please please please The Light in the Piazza another great Olivia film that was also adapted into a massive Broadway hit. It’s beautiful and one of my absolute favourites
Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine were sisters. They disliked each other immensely and never reconciled.
OMG! If the Red Shoes is in the background, is that coming up soon? I've been waiting for you to do a Powell and Pressburger movie! You'll love them!
This is one of those movies you can watch multiple times and see different things.
BTW, go watch Carol Burnett's skit of this movie. I won't give away any spoilers, but it is the best!
OMYGOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!! i've been waiting FOREVER for you to review this movie. I had almost lost hope!! I LOVE this movie. I'm about to watch your review!!
best line: yes, i can be very cruel. i have been taught by masters.
Catherine was in a though spot. Let down by her father, who was disappointed she didn't possess her mother's beauty or grace. Abandoned by her lover when he found out Catherine would lose her inheritance. I guess the only path left for her was revenge.
13:09 I like Ralph Richardson in "Dragonslayer," 1981. Very good Disney movie.
Please react to "Now Voyager" and "Little Foxes" both starring the Great Bette Davis.
The book this movie (and first play) is really good as well - Washington Square. Some changes (whether they can be called big changes or not is a matter of opinion) but it's good in a. different way (as it's not performed for an audience it doesn't need the dramatic end).
It's my second favorite movie of Olivia De Havilland's movies.
Mia! They redid this movie in the 90s with Albert Finney (daddy warbucks) called Washington Square (which is the name of the novel)-- check it out!
I love this movie, so glad you watched it. If you get the chance, please review “In This Our Life” (1942) with Olivia de Havilland, Bette Davis, Hattie McDaniel and directed by John Huston. It’s a wild movie for its time. Implied incest, psychopathy, racism! I MUST watch it every time it comes up on TCM!
I love this movie ❤. All the performances are absolutely stellar. Might be my favorite classic . Great reaction !
You have excellent taste in film!
Thank you kindly!
Love your hair
Thank you so much 😊