also awesome: double posting >:)

Another movie:

19. Washington Square, 1997
About a month ago I watched The Heiress, and loved it unashamedly. Washington Square is a more recent adaptation of the same story, and, says Wikipedia, the more faithful to the novel. Well I say pah to faithfulness, because The Heiress was so much better. And not even because of my adoration of Olivia de Havilland! In my opinion, The Heiress had a much smoother and clearer story arc and an amazing ending. The Washington Square ending was this really pathetic whimper, as if the writers got bored of the story and just wanted to finish it as quickly as possible. Maggie Smith was in it, though! She was definitely a highlight.

One difference between these two movies that I found really interesting was the portrayal of Catherine, the main character. Basically, Catherine is the daughter of a wealthy doctor, and she's so untalented and so awkward in social situations that when a man begins courting her, her father cannot believe the man could possibly be interested in anything other than the money Catherine is set to inherit. So Catherine can't be the best character ever, otherwise the story wouldn't make sense. But even so, Catherine in The Heiress is so much more likeable than she is in Washington Square. I think the main reason for this is that in The Heiress, Catherine is able to have fairly normal conversations with her aunt and her father, but in Washington Square, she can't talk to anyone without clamming up. Which is fine in that it suits her personality, but not fine in that the audience is going to be very frustrated that this is their main character. :P

In conclusion, go watch The Heiress! It is awesome!! xD