Washington Square

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Though not completely faithful to the original, Holland's adaptation puts a feminist spin on James's classic, making it an engagingly fresh period drama that doesn't always seem such. Brisk pacing also sets it apart from other costume films, The Portrait of the Lady, for example. Wallflower heiress Catherine Sloper (Leigh), blamed by her father (Finney) for her mother's death in childbirth, is destined for spinsterhood until she meets the dashing but penniless Morris Townsend (Chaplin). Catherine blossoms under his attention but is crushed when her father insists Morris's interests lie only in her dowry. Will triumphs, though, and Catherine emerges as a strong, independent woman. Smith's matchmaking Aunt Lavinia Penniman runs away with nearly every scene.