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The Heiress (1949)

APPROVED  115 min  -  Drama | Romance   -  10 February 1950 (Sweden)
8.2
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Ratings: 8.2/10 from 5,566 users  
Reviews: 100 user | 25 critic

A young naive woman falls for a handsome young man who her emotionally abusive father suspects is a fortune hunter.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Ruth Goetz (written for the screen by), Augustus Goetz (written for the screen by), and 3 more credits »
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Won 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Olivia de Havilland ...
Montgomery Clift ...
Ralph Richardson Ralph Richardson ...
Miriam Hopkins ...
Vanessa Brown Vanessa Brown ...
Betty Linley Betty Linley ...
Ray Collins Ray Collins ...
Mona Freeman Mona Freeman ...
Selena Royle Selena Royle ...
Paul Lees Paul Lees ...
Harry Antrim Harry Antrim ...
Mr. Abeel
Russ Conway Russ Conway ...
Quintus
David Thursby David Thursby ...
Geier
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Storyline

In the mid-1800's, the wealthy Sloper family - widowed surgeon Dr. Austin Sloper, his adult daughter Catherine Sloper (Dr. Sloper's only surviving child), and Dr. Sloper's recently widowed sister Lavinia Penniman - live in an opulent house at 16 Washington Square, New York City. They have accrued their wealth largely through Dr. Sloper's hard work. Despite the lessons that Dr. Sloper has paid for in all the social graces for her, Catherine is a plain, simple, awkward and extremely shy woman who spends all her free time alone doing embroidery when she is not doting on her father. Catherine's lack of social charm and beauty - unlike her deceased mother - is obvious to Dr. Sloper, who hopes that Lavinia will act as her guardian in becoming more of a social person, and ultimately as chaperon if Catherine were ever to meet the right man. The first man ever to show Catherine any attention is the handsome Morris Townsend... Written by Huggo  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Money | Fortune | Fortune Hunter | Inheritance | Wealth  | See more »

Taglines:

Greatness in a motion picture (insert) See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French (only a few words)

Release Date:

(Sweden) See more »

Also Known As:

Die Erbin See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$2,600,000 (estimated)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Betty Linley reprised her role of "Mrs. Montgomery" from the original Broadway production. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: When Morris first asks Kathryn to dance at the party, she is seated with her dance card in her hand. Her fan is hanging from a string around her wrist on the same arm. Cut to a wider shot as Kathryn stands to join Morris, and suddenly her fan is in her hand, and her dance card is hanging from her wrist. See more »

Quotes

Jefferson Almond: Well, Austin, who's sick? Who died? Who've you been cutting up lately?
Austin Sloper: Yes, I can see you're in good shape. When your gout's troubling you, you're more respectful to me.
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Connections

Referenced in Edith Head: The Paramount Years (2002) See more »

Soundtracks

"Plaisir d'amour (The Joys of Love)"
Written by Johann Martini (uncredited) and Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian (uncredited)
Performed by Montgomery Clift See more »