The Heiress

New York, 1849. Catherine Sloper, the daughter of a wealthy doctor, is shy and plain. When the handsome and penniless Morris Townsend takes an interest, her father decides he is after the money and threatens to disinherit her. On the night of the elopement Morris does not come. William Wyler directed, from Henry James's novel Washington Square by way of a 1947 stage play. Olivia de Havilland plays Catherine, Montgomery Clift plays Morris and Ralph Richardson plays her father. Aaron Copland wrote the score. The film's force is in the reversal at the end: Catherine is wealthy now and standing on her own, and when Morris returns to make peace she locks the door in his face. It lost money, taking 2.3 million dollars against a 2.6 million budget. It still drew eight nominations at the 22nd Academy Awards and won four, including Best Actress for de Havilland. It entered the National Film Registry in 1996. Martin Scorsese cited it as an inspiration for Killers of the Flower Moon. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Hollywood melodrama and period adaptation. Who it is not for: anyone hoping for forgiveness. The film offers no softening in its last scene, and that is exactly why it is remembered.