The Father was RIGHT

Many on here go right into digging into the father's cold hearted nature, but fail to see WHY he is that way and how he was PROTECTING both her, and HIS fortune.

1. Catherine falls in love with a man she met ONCE at a party. She is so slow with communication, that when Morris's sister visits, Catherine is mute. "She is very shy", says the sister. "Yes- as I said, why would your brother be interested in her?" Even the sister is slyly cruel, smirking and saying "He's poor. But that's what is great about Morris. He is honest." The father wisely points out Morris didn't even help his own sister out when he had his inheritance. "Tell me your brother is not after her money", the father pleas. "I must go now." The sister responds, guilty as she knows Morris to be a scoundrel.

2. The MOMENT Catherine tells Morris she doesn't care about her father's inheritance, his look changes to disappointment. He dumps her that night. He could have lived off $10,000 a year but was so greedy, he left anyways. Even the Aunt tells Catherine she was stupid for telling Morris about her discussion with the father.

3. Morris doesn't have a job. If you want to marry my daughter, you need to have some sort of income. The father was correct in knowing that Clift's character was only after her wealth- and his house. When Morris confesses to the aunt that he cheats during a card game, it's clear he is a douchebag. Yet Catherine, even after visiting Europe and seeing other worldly areas, loves him. A dolt if there ever was one.

4. After Catherine has "transformed" and become cold and distant like her father was, she dismisses her kind family when they ask why she can't visit them in New York. "I like the Square", she says. What a selfish fool. You have $30,000 a year now in the 1800s and you can't even visit relatives that actually CARED about you? I would have scolded Catherine right there and told her she was a dumb naif.

5. "Of course I came back home. I live here." These are the examples of the conversation Catherine has with Morris and others. She has no personality. Only with her aunt is there a hint of winsome integrity. But Catherine acts like a mentally challenged dork when she hangs around everyone else. Her father was correct on his prognosis and she was just butt hurt that Sloper was right about Morris.

6. All Catherine wants to do every day is embroider "Neatly". Ugh- what a boring, dull and disgusting creature! Her father sent her to the finest schools and yet that's all she wants to do. Sew all day. Of course her Dad thinks she's a disappointment. He held his tongue for years about her ignorance and dull prospects because he DID care about her. Notice how he DOES NOT DISINHERIT HER. He looks sad when she snaps off like a crocodile at him. Looking insane as she blames HIM for Morris deserting her. Girl you only have yourself to blame for believing anyone would fall in love with you because you wore a cheery red dress to a wedding reception.

7. She calls her aunt a fool. Wow. What a bitch. Her aunt was always there for Catherine, even if she knew Catherine was riding on the short bus. Catherine had every right to be upset with Morris. But not her aunt. And certainly not her father, who was not about to let some bounty hunter come in and squander everything he had worked for all his life. He was a doctor. He was bringing in the bread. Catherine was doing nothing but buying fish and then "Going back to do some more embroidery." YAWN.

8. The ONLY time her father was wrong was when he insulted her in her dress. "But Catherine - your mother was fair. SHE DOMINATED the color." That was harsh, I admit. But other then that, her father only has his daughter's best interests in mind- and his own property. Morris would have ruined both of them had he come into the family.

Despite Catherine being a moron, Olivia de Havilland delivers her best performance ever and it's one of the best female acting roles of all time. Ralph Richardson should have WON best supporting actor over the dude from Twelve O'Clock High. He was brilliant. Just compelling and spellbinding to watch and listen to. And Montgomery Clift was also great at playing Morris as a charming man, one sexy enough to make the audience find it hard to see what his intentions were. But again, watch his expression drop to cruel disappointment when Catherine admits she doesn't care if her father drops her out of the will. He was using her. She was just too dumb to listen to everyone giving her warnings. Many naive people marry for the wrong reasons, and she was at least smart enough at the end to dump him.

Also, to not see your own father on his deathbed is beyond cruel. It's sick. Without him, she would not have all that money let alone shelter. In the 1800s I believe being homeless meant you would be dead by the end of the weekend. They didn't' have homeless shelters like they do now. You were out with the horses and rats.

FINAL GRADE: B