The Heiress DVD

William Wyler directs Hollywood legend Olivia de Havilland (Gone With The Wind) and an all-star cast in this 1949 screen classic that won four Academy Awards including Best Actress. Based on the stage version of Henry James' celebrated novel Washington Square, this stunning film features de Havilland in one of her finest roles as wealthy spinster Catherine Sloper. Catherine is the only heir to her stern father's (Ralph Richardson) vast estate. When a dashing fortune hunter named Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift) wants her to elope, she is threatened by disinheritance. On the eve of their marriage Townsend deserts her. Seven years later, he returns, and a wiser Catherine plots her revenge. Outstanding performances from Richardson, Clift and Miriam Hopkins and Wyler's sensitive, brooding direction intensify this turn-of-the-century drama that won Oscars for Costumes Design, Art Direction and Aaron Copland's haunting score.