Beauty vs Beast: I Ain't Sayin' He's a Gold Digger
Jason Adams of MNPP here with another round of "Beauty vs Beast" silliness, wherein we ask you to lay claim to your loyalties with regards to a pair of typically warring movie characters, naughty and nice or sometimes something a bit grayer -- this week we're wishing a happy 103 years young to the great Olivia de Havilland, turning our eyes to her Oscar-winning role in William Wyler's 1949 film The Heiress. Olivia plays "Catherine," a spinster-type who falls for "Morris"... who is played by Montgomery Clift so it's quite easy to know right off the bat why she falls for him. But is he only in it for the ruby buttons?
PREVIOUSLY Pride Month is kaput and with it our fourth and final LGBT-related poll, which had you choosing between gay Meryls -- Clarissa from The Hours managed to both buy the flowers and storm the poll, taking 71% of your vote. Said Biggs:
"Clarissa partnered up with Allison Janney; Jill with Woody Allen. Clarissa wins."
Reader Comments (12)
Morris is a beauty and perhaps Catherine is too naive but that's her father's fault not hers. Morris is a low down gutter snake that gets exactly what he deserves and seeing Catherine serve it up to him is sweetness itself. \
Olivia de Havilland gave several great performances but this is the cherry on top of the cake! Wishing her all the best as an awesome 103 year old and as long as her health holds may she see many more birthdays!
Olivia de Havilland in "The Heiress" gives one of the most fully realized performances ever put on film. Absolutely breathtaking. And a very Happy 103rd Birthday to the trailblaizing 2-time Oscar winner !
This is a masterpiece I watch at least once a year!
I was just thinking about this movie the other day! I saw the Carol Burnett spoof "The Lady Heir" and tried to find the movie.
You can almost believe Morris is a good guy. But Catherine is the one we are rooting for. Her ascent up the staircase in the final scene is spellbinding.
The end scene of the Heiress absolutely guys me!!! It’s so vicious and dark and I’m here for every second it... team Catherine all the way!!!
I loved this movie. deHavilland was brilliant in it... of course Glenn Close would be better!!! LOL. ( I had to get that in. )
morris is more than welcome to come a third time...
[to my house, pervs]
@par No pretty face is worth the pain of a broken heart.
How not vote on Monty? I like Olivia, but Clift in this period is perfection personified. Each take of him is by itself a work of art within a work of art that is this film. Like Barbara Stanwick in her films, he is always precise with emotion and technique unlike those two of his other Actors Studio colleagues. And what a short career with so many gems in the filmography! And think he turned down Sunset Boulevard that Billy Wilder wrote keeping him in mind! (By the way, I think William Holden is wonderful in that movie).
Olivia de Havilland in "The Heiress" is one of those rare Best Actress years, when a 1) a great performance, 2) that has aged PERFECTLY is the actual winner; this is so rare! Think about it
I love both the performance and movie and also agree that the final scene is extraordinary.
One of the true masterpieces of American cinema- that final fade out is chilling and unforgetable
No Team Richardson? One of the great screen villains, in part because he's only wrong once (and fatally).