February 22 movie: The Heiress. The month before the Oscars is always slim pickings on TCM, at least for my tastes. Every movie is either super depressing, way too recent to be on TCM, or I've already seen it a dozen times.
This one is in the "super depressing" category. I didn't know beforehand that it was based on a Henry James novel (Washington Square) but that explained a lot. Olivia de Havilland plays a homely, awkward young woman who lives under the thumb of her cold, distant, rich father. She meets and falls in love with Montgomery Clift, whom her father suspects of being a fortune hunter. Does true love win out? Remember this is Henry James and you'll figure it out.
De Havilland is amazing. Her transformation -- first a lonely wallflower, then daring to love, finally having all warmth and compassion crushed out of her -- was magnificent, if not easy to watch. Not many actresses were willing to be so unglamorous. The father is excellent as well, giving sympathy to a part that could have been a cardboard villain. I read that there's a recent version of Washington Square that's truer to the book and goes into more depth with the father. I might get it from Netflix. Then again, maybe I should rent something cheerful instead.
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