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Based on the novel Washington Square by Henry James, The Heiress centers around Catherine (Olivia de Havilland), a shy, socially inept young woman who gets swept off her feet by a dashing young destitute (Montgomery Clift). When her father (Ralph Richardson) accuses the man of preying on his daughter's inheritance, he threatens to cut her off. Putting all her faith in her first love, Catherine ends up brutally betrayed by both men -- and begins to trade her naivete and timidity for spite and cruelty.

De Havilland won her second Academy Award for The Heiress. It’s a juicy role with all the dramatic range an actress could ever hope for. Clift is handsome and effective as the ne’er-do-well, but I wish his part were a little more ambiguously drawn. As played, I never had any doubts that he was after Catherine’s money. Ralph Richardson is cool and calculating as the patriarch. The scene in which he pronounces Catherine’s mundaneness to her is a pretty devastating one. “I’ve known you all your life and I’ve yet to see you learn anything,” he says. “With one exception, dear. You embroider neatly.” After an hour and a half of Catherine’s prolonged turmoil, the last twenty minutes of The Heiress are especially enjoyable. Don’t expect a cozy ending when a woman has been this scorned.

In addition to De Havilland’s Oscar, the film also picked up trophies for art direction, costume design, and music. The film was nominated for best picture, as well as best supporting actor (Richardson), director (William Wyler), and black & white cinematography.