I read an article shortly before Joan passed which stated that She & Olivia had repaired their fractured relationship as much as they could. The rivalry was deliberate and I believe it began in their childhood & I believe promoted by the mother... That woman did NOT realize Both Girls were destined for greatness
This critic appears not to have watched some of the movies. Greer Garson was amazing and walter was the perfect partner, and was loved by many women wishing he was their husband. I find the film clips wonderful but the commentary is ridiculous. 😢👎
Fontaine was an excellent actress but Oscars notwithstanding, Olivia de Havilland had a depth and breadth to her skills that her sister never quite equaled.
Robert Osborne remembered on his visit to the home of Barbara Stanwyck when she saw him to the door and left him with these final words, " Always remember I'm still just Ruby Stevens from Brooklyn".
I can't remember if she was ever given an Oscar for her entire body of work before she passed... She deserved so much more than she was denied. I grew up watching her on TV in Her later ages.. I cried when she passed.. she WORKED so hard and endured so much. I felt like she was an auntie I could watch as she guided her family in the Big Valley...
Love Joan Fontaine so much. Her acting is always poignant and ethereal. I can’t take my eyes off her. Any dismissal of her talents shows a lack of awareness of her great subtlety. She should have won for Rebecca but I’m very happy for the Suspicion win. People forget that she won the New York Films Critics Circle Award. The most prestigious award outside the Oscars at the time. So it wasn’t an unexpected win.
I agree with everything you said (that her win wasn't unexpected etc) and I do appreciate her talent in other roles very much. Suspicion, however, is for me, just a weak performance
I love to watch Joan's work ...just wish she did more films. I only discovered she and DeHaviland were sisters a few years ago and find it so unsettling that they competitive to the point they loathed each other which probably resulted in their own children being estranged as well. What a shame.
You are rather hard on Joan Fontaine. In fact harder than just about any Actress you have reviewed. "Suspicion" may have had its' issues as a motion picture, but Joan Fontaine isn't the only one.
I like both DeHavilland sisters equally, but l LOVE the way Joan smiles so sweetly whilst making yet another barbed comment about Olivia. She was the perfect example of "the iron fist in the velvet glove"! I think most people would agree that her Oscar for Suspicion was undeserved, but she should absolutely have won the previous year for Rebecca.
It's fascinating how much she talked about Olivia while Olivia kept almost completely quiet. And Joan could be so charming and entertaining when she threw some shade
Katharine Hepburn had my vote for The Philadelphia Story for 1940. Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for the wrong film. The Lady Eve has her finest performance. I believe that it is more diffcult to play comedy. Viviene Leigh said as much when she claimed that it was more difficult to make people laugh than to make them cry. Doris Day, who was an expert at playing comedy, made it look so easy and as a result, she qas most underrated.
I think she deserved an Oscar for both films... I hated the rivalry the mother promoted was picked up by the studios... I think a film with Both Sisters would have been unforgettable
Personally I believe Joan Crawford should've been nominated for A Woman's Face instead of Greer for Blossoms in the Dust. Joan had been at the studio for so many years and more than paid her dues and particularly since two of her contemporaries at MGM (Shearer and Garbo), had already received nominations (with Shearer winning on one). But as it was Greer was the hot new talent on the block so all the attention went to her.
I haven’t seen A Woman’s Face yet but just from what I’ve heard it seems a bit more interesting than blossoms in the dust. I wonder if maybe at the time, mgm may have wanted to push BITD more because it was a super positive movie while a woman’s face was more dramatic
I agree wholeheartedly! Stanwyck should have won that year but perhaps even more deserving was her u forgettable performance in “Double Indemnity”. She was the most versatile of all actresses and was excellent in every movie she appeared in, whether the movie was good nor not. She simply brought things up to her level when the movie was sub par. And she never had an acting lesson either!
I agree since Barbara Stanwyck made almost 100 movies since she was a teenager and nominated for 5 - still I felt she was the most capable and could in her 80s hold the attentions of those around her assistants and movie staff - to listen to her on her incredible performance from "The Thorn Birds." Amazing and incredible at her age but in any age too.
That’s a wonderful tid bit to hear, I really really hope it’s the truth, because I do like Barbara Stanwick. Many people feel that unfairly to the banquet is left out of the great actress category when she really should be included
Barbara Stanwyck is one of the greatest actress never to win an oscar. Double Indemnity, Stella Dallas and as Sugarpuss O'shea in Ball of Fire all were worthy. I adored her as Victoria Barkley in the Big Valley which finally earned here her first major acting award. But as Sugarpuss, I fell in love.
Stanwyck was the most realistic, believable, utterly flawless actress that ever came out of Hollyweird. She's genuine, real, true in every single role from the word 'go.' How she managed it should be examined and analyzed and taught to the arrogant bums who call themselves "actors" today.
Stanwyck's final performance in The Thornbirds rounded out a dynamic career. Her character Mary Carson's passionate plea to Father DeBricassart was absolute perfection!
Amazing video, thank you. Personal top 10, in order (more or less): 1. Bette Davis - The Little Foxes 2. Mary Astor - The Maltese Falcon 3. Barbara Stanwyck - The Lady Eve 4. Irene Dunne - Penny Serenade 5. Joan Fontaine - Suspicion 6. Barbara Stanwyck - Ball of Fire 7. Olivia de Havilland - Hold Back the Dawn 8. Bette Davis - The Great Lie 9. Greer Garson - Blossoms in the Dust 10. Barbara Stanwyck - Meet John Doe
People forget or either don't realize that the mother of Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland was an Actress herself and quite successful in Hollywood.
Barbara Stanwyck should have won an Academy Award for each and every of her performances. Her versatility was out of the charts. Drama or comedy... she would nail it. She mastered the art of acting. She gave so much, she was so professional, talented, and committed to her work, just like Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. They all gave such an intense life to their characters.
In my opinion, once in awhile in the acting field you get to see greatness & out of the ones up for the Oscar that year I would have picked Davis. Amongst my all time favorites are Stanwyck & Davis, they have a few that were worthy of Oscar's & others in that era. Thank you for being informative in years long time passed, good thing we will have them for generations to come on film if they take proper care of them.
Thank you for this fabulous documentary! I was born in 1948, post WW2 and grew up watching all the great films from the Golden Age of Hollywood on TV! Many of them are true masterpieces like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with the late greats Charles Laughton and an 18 year old beautiful Maureen O'Hara! 1939 was a banner year for great films! It all influenced my career choice as a NYC fashion illustrator and I have some wonderful books on Hollywood's glamourous costumes and many bios and auto-bios from the stars themselves, O'Hara's being one of the best! Love Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis, Garbo and Harlow and of course, Barbara Stanwyck one of my all time favorites! May they all rest in peace on the Other Side!
In my opinion she was also the better performer. Had she been the inferior actress, she wouldn't have trailed her sister then surpassed her in a matter of a few years. Plus she was an interior designer, fisherwoman, golfer, balloonist, pilot, gourmet chef. Acting was not her sole ambition.
I love these overviews that you do and so much work must go into the editing of them -- bravo to you! I do wonder how much the disappointment of having Fontaine be the only acting Oscar win for a Hitchcock movie colors your perception of her performance in Suspicion. It's a good performance and it's not her fault that, for example, Anthony Perkins wasn't nominated two decades later. The clips you included of her scenes w/Nigel Bruce are a little deceptive. I'd argue that his goofy comic moments are the ones which are out of place in the film -- which is mostly a moody drama -- more than Fontaine's acting. And we can all agree that Stanwyck should have won a competitive Oscar in her lifetime but I can't imagine who would vote for her, let alone nominate her, for the forgettable Ball of Fire. Have you seen it recently? One of Hawks's blandest films of the forties and her work in Lady Eve and Meet John Doe that same year is far more interesting. Anyway, a very comprehensive and thorough overview of the Fontaine/de Havilland relationship. It's very fair to say Olivia was the more talented actor of the two (hence why her career lasted longer and is more well remembered). And very fair to say Bette's acting was the best of this bunch!
Thanks a lot for your nice words. I don't think that my general disappointment clouds my judgement of Joan's work - I just wanted to give a general overview of Hitchcock's actors at the Oscars as this was the only opportunity. I think her work is simply lacking in every aspect. I personally love Barbara in Ball of Fire and also enjoy the movie very much but yes, The Lady Eve should have been her nomination that year
Joan Fontaine was underrated, underappreciated for the superb artist she was. She built a career from the ashes at a time when it was virtually impossible.
Lillian Fontaine, the mother ofJoan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland was an Actress of note herself being involved in many Stage plays and movies. Her name can be seen in the credits of many films. She also, taught acting classes. It is not unusual for siblings not to get along. The family members were very intellectually oriented but in the long run "got along" reasonably well. Differences can occur between them also, regardless of their professions. But in the acting profession, much more is made of such trivial disagreements.
I saw this video as a suggestion and could not believe it was two hours long. I couldn’t imagine how this topic could be stretched out for two hours, especially considering the obvious and simple reason why Joan unjustly won for Suspicion - the fact that she had unjustly lost the year before for Rebeca. But you did it- 2 very engaging hours. It was brilliantly done, especially the dramatic, almost frightening music for “1941,” the “Joan Fontaine in Suspicion Emotional Chart,” and having Norma Desmond and Joe Gillis watch your choices towards the end- with her gripping his arm when you got to #1. 🤣🤣🤣 I had always been neutral in the feud between Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland, but after watching all the segments of her interviews in this video, I am now definitely team Joan. She seems so natural, spunky, and funny in her interviews, with a great sense of humor about herself and her past. Olivia deHavilland, on the other hand, has always come across as a phony to me in her interviews. So affected, so much la grande dame.
Thanks a lot for your kind words, I am glad you enjoyed it. I would say that Joan is a person I'd rather hang out with privately but I give Olivia the edge when it comes to acting
Lillian Hellman disliked Tallulah. So much for that! Bette didn't "allow" overshadow by Mary Astor but WROTE with Mary the expanded role that won Mary's Oscar. Mary tells of it.
Bette knew they had a dog of a picture, and in order to save it, conspired with Mary Astor to rewrite much of it, from a woman’s point of view. I’m guessing they were responsible for the desert pregnancy scenes, where Mary goes batsh1t crazy and flips over a table, and Bette slaps her.
Thank you for this video. Very interesting review. It so happened that Joan, Olivia, Barbara are my fave actresses. I also watched movies of Bette Davis and Greer Garson. Joan should have won the Oscars in Rebecca. Olivia's performance in Hold Back the Dawn is memorable.
Olivia de Havilland had one of the best memories of just about any Actress in Hollywood and made a point to write down those many circumstances in her very long life. Because of that, I would tend to believe just about any of her remembrances. I think the most honest title of any book written by those in Hollywood was Jean Negulesco, "The Things I Did, and the Things I Think I Did". If Olivia de Havilland couldn't remember a particular situation thoroughly, she would engage in extensive research with the help of others to make sure her remembrances were correct.
I always felt Tallulah Bankhead would have been the best choice for the lead role in "The Little Foxes". Primarily because of her success in the stage play of "The Little Faxes" and she simply would have played the role better than was the case with Bette Davis both with looks and acting ability. But, we don't have a film version of the stage play as we do with the movies, only the reviews.
Olivia de Havilland remembered the magnificent work of Max Reinhardt to be the most exceptional, above just about anyone, and sadly the most forgotten these days.
I just found this at 1:49 am & I am BLOWN away by the 100% on point assessment of the various actresses... TCM introduced me to the films of 1941 & I confess that year is one of my all time choices to watch & rewatch... I just subscribed because your opinions are not a snarky litany of know it all BS. Informative & very accurate... I want to watch more of your vids because you remind me of Robert Osborne he was an unlimited source of knowledge about all aspects of the motion picture industry.. I Hope you can become as much a valued voice about this form of entertainment. I feel that actors of today lack the range of Actors during the Golden Age of Films.. Applause 👏 to you! THANK you for giving me another perception & opinion to consider when I rewatch the films again in the future❤️
Oh wow, thank you so much for your kind words! I'm very happy that you enjoy my videos. I'm still learning how to make them and what to say so this feedback is very apprecciated!
Thank you! Loved the deep dive into the studio and Oscar workings, and especially the relationships of these iconic actors. Completely fascinating and soooo very interesting. I appreciate the photos, interviews and written documentation that support your excellent documentary. Note: Joan and Olivia are two of my all time favorites; but I have to give my personal vote to Joan, by a nose. Favorite Joan movie: Letter from an Unknown Woman. Heart wrenchingly good.
I would love to see you do a video on the 1956 and 1957 Best Actor races, in which James Dean received two posthumous nominations for East of Eden and Giant. Maybe explore the public's reaction to this and if he had a true shot at winning.
What would Hitchcock have been 200 yrs ago? I can't imagine his gift used for anything but making movies. The interview clips are historical now and very meaningful today. Maybe someday a piece on Myrna Loy? Thanks again, Fritz!
I personally much prefer Bette Davis' performance in 'The Letter' than in 'The Little Foxes', I think it was a much less mannered and more subtle performance of a character who is equally evil as Regina, or even more so. I also feel the latter movie was hobbled by its need to fit the production code, a handicap which did not apply to the theater. The production code also changed the ending of 'The Letter', but it didn't affect the motif or the over-all quality of the narrative as I feel it did in 'The Little Foxes'.
Greer Garson got to "cut loose" with hilarious guest spots on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," and "Laugh-In." If I remember correctly, she was in the latter's first ever Farkle Family sketch.
18:54 for The Great Lie, selfless Bette called Mary Astor in ("being fired?" thought Mary) and they *rewrote her part* into the Supporting Actress Oscar-win role it turned put to be.
Neither Bette nor Olivia were nominated for films made by their 'home' studio Warner Brothers - the studios who produced their films would not have had any long-term benefit from their win and Warner Brothers would have been unlikely to promote films made by other studios, especially as they had treated Olivia especially with a certain level of disdain.
I agree with a lot of what is said here, but Olivia was by far and away the best actress of the two. Even in her scenes in the comedy The Women, Joan was just not convincing. Perhaps because she was surrounded by other performers with so much talent and skill, but as you can see watching Olivia in films like Gone With The Wind where she had to perform opposite such monumental talents as Vivian and Clark. As for 'giving' someone an Oscar simply because of their number of noms and loses, I do not agree with that at all. The Oscar should be about Merit and nothing else. Today the awards have been reduced to nothing more than PARTICIPATION awards, and they are given out for any reason other than merit.
Greer Garson once appeared as a co-host of The Mike Douglas Show circa 1978. A courtroom scene from Blossoms in the Dust was shown, and a scowling Greer appeared right after. She thought she had chewed the scenery and should have toned it down.
I agree with your analysis 100% Fontaine won that year only because she was deserving the year before for Rebecca. The academy f-up royally. Fontaine was outstanding in Rebecca. Suspicion was an ok movie nothing great. Fontaine was robotic and looked bored. Her lackluster performance was not Oscar worthy at all. The Oscar should have went to Davis
basically you have joan saying it herself; the academy is thinking about a whole range of considerations when casting their ballots.. . no doubt industry insiders know what happens 'behind the scenes' on any given picture (both good and bad) and it's no secret they'll award the oscar simply to make good when they feel an actor has been unfairly shafted (davis for 'dangerous' after being overlooked for 'human bondage'; cher for 'moonstruck after being overlooked for 'mask', etc).. . the other element just comes down to personal taste: personally i've never connected with stanwyck's performances.. . i know she was a big star in her time and she still has fans to this day, but she's just not someone i'd rank above other stars of her era.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I love "Ball of Fire", it's one of the items in my gallery of favorite movies. "Lady Eve" may be a better movie, and it probably is, but I confess I enjoy "Ball of Fire" a little more - I love the showcase it gives to the supporting actors who play the other professors; I love the tightness of the script which still allows for tons of fun (I'm looking at you, you wonderful Dan Duryea); I love Richard Haydn's monologue in the motel; and the vulnerability that's present in Sugar Puss from the very start. And I love watching Dana Andrews in a rather unusual role. For me, there's a touch of cynicism to "Lady Eve" that puts me at a bit of a distance to it. Probably, if she should have been nominated for any movie that year, "Meet John Doe" actually shows us the most of what she can do .... but ..... I confess that I don't enjoy it as much as I enjoy the other two in a sort of Capra trinity: "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". I tend to group these three together. So, perhaps, of the three, "Ball of Fire" is the "least". But not for me.
People tended to be bitterly envious of Joan, especially her mother and her sister. She truly earned her stripes, though. Having gone from not having her RKO player's contract renewed when it expired, she staged one of the biggest Hollywood comebacks at the time to gain top billing in Rebecca, for which is she should've won her first Oscar for her outstanding performance. Suspicion wasn't her best work but still, it was good. She should've won the following year as well, for Jane Eyre. I think she also should've been nominated for Letting From an Unknown Woman and Island in the Sun. She's one of the most underrated, underappreciated actresses of the 20th century. Olivia enjoyed a mostly smooth career aside from the years immediately after her lawsuit against the Hollywood studios contract system.
@@FritzandtheOscars Not my fav of hers, but it wasn't bad or one note the way you portrayed it. 🤷♀️ She WAS in a different movie/reality as Cary Grant's character. That was kind of the point! ♥️
Boy, this dude really doesn't like Joan Fontaine, does he? Personally, I have always thought her performance in Suspicion was simply magnificent. She never forces, everything comes up from inside naturally. How can that performance have been any better? I can't imagine anyone else in the part.
This video is too dismissive of Suspicion as a film. It’s one of Hitchcock’s perfect movies and Joan Fontaine is prefect in her role as Lena. I shall die on this hill.
Totally agree. Davis should have gotten it. If they HAD to pick someone else, because Davis already had 2 Oscars, then for God sakes give it to Stanwyck who had never gotten one and DID do a great job in her movie but to go all the way down to the worst performance out of the 5 and give it to her? They say Stanwyck had a harder time winning an Oscar since was an independent that any given studio she was working for at the moment would be more inclined to push another actress connected with THEIR studio that year. And on a side note, every time Joan is talking in interviews about her issues with her sister, she's smiling. It's so strange. I'm on team Olivia as far as their "fued" goes. Something's a little off about Joan and her constantly having to talk about it over the years. Joan was never a great actress anyway. Yes she was perfect for the Rebecca role but I've heard that Rebecca was one of the rare Hitchcock movies where the lead actress was actually worked with quite a lot to get a performance OUT of her. I suspect that had a lot to do with Selznick and forcing Hitchcock to stay more on top of Joan's performance.
Fontaine performance was atypical for on Oscar for sure, but I really don't think it was weak. She showed a slow mental breakdown and inner soulbreaking dissonance very well and I could not take my eyes off of her, she had incredibly strong presence. Little bit similar to 3 years later -Ingrid Bergman's performance but that was more dramatic and a stronger one and had a big scene at the end. Grant was weak in the movie though and I have seen miles better works by Hitchcock, too.
I read that BARBARA STANWYCK agreeded to do "Ball Of Fire" only when the part was offered to LUCILLE BALL , whom wanted to do the part then BS changed her mind. Most likely GINGER RODGERS whom was offered "BOF" first and turned it down the part then was offered to LUCILLE BALL whom wanted it but BS changed her mind and wanted the part.
I could understand you not liking Joan Fontaine’s performance but I think you were unduly harsh on her. Even if her performance was one note it could still be successful (for example Judith Anderson’s one note performance in Rebecca). She would not have won the NY Film Critics Award if everyone thought so poorly of her. I never found her lacking in chemistry with Cary Grant so a lot of it is subjective.
I love Joan Fontaine, I think she was a great actress with a lot of range. She could lose herself in a role. Whereas, with Olivia you were always aware it was Olivia de Havilland, playing ... the role
I think Olivia had more range and was willing to play parts of the unattractive heroine as in The Heiress and The Snake Pit. I'm biased Olivia is my favorite actress..as well as Ingrid Bergman, Jean Arthur, Cludette Colbert!
1:55etc: I'm much taken with a lot of your work, but *surely you know what Directors do!* Owing Hitch for success & fame, Joan *must* have been obeying his orders re acting!
I mean, obviously many people liked what Joan did or she would not have won all those awards and people today are enjoy her work in Suspicion - I just personally don't, which shows that everyone reacts differently to performances.
Their mother encouraged their contempt for each other, frequently switching her loyalty and affection from one child to the other. Primogeniture ruled in British families, so Olivia was supposed to have the successful career while Joan was expected to marry and settle into contented domesticity. During the time they were nominated for the Oscar in the same year, Olivia was working constantly while Joan was doing only a few select pictures per year, angering Olivia.
Olivia was a stunning beauty, Joan had an innocent charm but much more plain in looks that's why she was picked to play in Jane Eyre. I liked them both.❤
I've been binging your episodes. Interesting if overly critical. However, I find your flip assessment of Fontaine so off base that I have no desire to venture further.
Exactly. Joan Fontaine was a natural pro at her craft. Most of her earlier roles called for demure, meek, timid women, which was the total opposite of her real personality and she performed those roles well. Even as she matured, she came through in her roles with strength, poise, and professionalism. She is highly underrated and underappreciated. Her work as a Cordon Bleu chef, a hot air balloon racer, in addition to being a talented golfer, fisher woman, author, fostering dogs, and pilot, highlight her as a well-rounded person.
Tallulah Bankhead would have been better. Davis is so sour. Bankhead would have brought some sly humor. She would have done it with a wink, as if to tell the audience, "Aren't I bad? Don't you hate me?"
I disagree. Barbara Stanwyck, while fun to watch, plays a variation of herself. Bette Davis gives a Medusa stare as Regina and is rigid and hence mannered (the very quality Pauline Kael used to rap Streep on the knuckles for). Greer Garson's performance is saccharine (and if it manages not to be cloying it's because of her intelligence and charm). And Olivia de Havilland's is too goody two shoes but affecting, yes. Joan Fontaine is also (it should be noted) nothing like the introverted wives she played in Rebecca and Suspicion. Both characters are shy but the woman in Suspicion is also rather intellectual (the kind of woman at the time men found to be a turn off), and is, as such, dismissed by others as someone who has been left on the shelf. Hence Fontaine's restraint. This is not a young woman, like the second Mrs de Winter was, but someone who believes herself to be undesirable (unmarriageable), and that insecurity is preyed on by Cary Grant's character. What we see (through Fontaine's hesitant posture) is her unsureness building up into suspicion. It's just a vague intuition; something she feels subliminally. She can't quite articulate why her husband makes her feel uncomfortable. So, she doesn't quite give much of herself to him. She hesitates. She recoils. She becomes fearful. Something just isn't right. She feels it inside of herself but can't verbalise what it is that makes her at first doubt him, and then as time goes on, suspect him of things, which are just too awful for her to be able to admit. He's her husband after all. No, it can't be so; it makes the character numb, paralysed; stuck. She has been swept up by events and is caught. But can't stop questioning what he does and from there who he is (or what he is --in her mind a murderer). Far from being a weak performance, it is a psychological one--Lina's growing uneasiness is what Fontaine suggests superbly. She's what keeps the tension going through her subtle expressions. She forgives him and is soothed but then we see again her unease, her suspicion, her doubt. But she can't voice it. So she tries to repress her feelings until she lets out that scream at the end.
Thanks for your detailed comment and you words on joan Fontaine! I wish I could appreciate her work like you do but while I agree with the basics of the role, I feel Joan's actual acting is far too articial to make her story believable. But, to each his/her own :)
Forget abut bette and joan the REAL feud is between sisters. It doesnt cut after the movie and keeps on going and goes way way back with a cast of manipulative parents
If anyone ever feels Joan Fontaine is bland, her Untouchable Heartbreaking and Unforgettable performance in , 'Letter from an Unknown Woman,' will silence any/all critics. She was and will long be regarded as One of the GREAT Leading Ladies.
Regina Giddons was evil incarnate and Davis played her to a fare thee well! Definitely should have gotten the Oscar for it. For me , Fontaine was a bit insipid in her performances … never a favorite of mine . Beautiful but insubstantial.
I heartily disagree with the choice of Bette Davis as the best actress in 'Foxes', she was wrong for the part and her hair and costumes were ridiculous. She always overacted. She was too young to be Wright's mother, when Irene Dunne or Myrna Loy would have been better choices and fit the part much better. Other older actresses with talent were Claudette Colbert, Gloria Swanson, Norma Shearer and Helen Hayes. Wyler also dumbed down the play for movie audiences. Bette Davis was a curiosity at best, something of a freak-show attraction whose best role was Maggie in 'The Man Who Came to Dinner', which she accepted when she thought John Barrymore was to be in it..,
Both Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine were exceptionally charming women who lived very, very long and productive lives.
I read an article shortly before Joan passed which stated that She & Olivia had repaired their fractured relationship as much as they could. The rivalry was deliberate and I believe it began in their childhood & I believe promoted by the mother... That woman did NOT realize Both Girls were destined for greatness
Bette was amazing in "little foxes " as she was in everything she played. 👍❤❤❤
This critic appears not to have watched some of the movies. Greer Garson was amazing and walter was the perfect partner, and was loved by many women wishing he was their husband. I find the film clips wonderful but the commentary is ridiculous. 😢👎
Fontaine was an excellent actress but Oscars notwithstanding, Olivia de Havilland had a depth and breadth to her skills that her sister never quite equaled.
Robert Osborne remembered on his visit to the home of Barbara Stanwyck when she saw him to the door and left him with these final words,
" Always remember I'm still just Ruby Stevens from Brooklyn".
The best actress who never won an Oscar - Barbara Stanwyck. Her performance in Double Indemnity is the epitome of a femme fatale. Simply brilliant.
I can't remember if she was ever given an Oscar for her entire body of work before she passed... She deserved so much more than she was denied. I grew up watching her on TV in Her later ages.. I cried when she passed.. she WORKED so hard and endured so much.
I felt like she was an auntie I could watch as she guided her family in the Big Valley...
@@reazon2bangie she got an Honorary award in 1981/2.
Love Joan Fontaine so much. Her acting is always poignant and ethereal. I can’t take my eyes off her. Any dismissal of her talents shows a lack of awareness of her great subtlety. She should have won for Rebecca but I’m very happy for the Suspicion win. People forget that she won the New York Films Critics Circle Award. The most prestigious award outside the Oscars at the time. So it wasn’t an unexpected win.
I agree with everything you said (that her win wasn't unexpected etc) and I do appreciate her talent in other roles very much. Suspicion, however, is for me, just a weak performance
I love to watch Joan's work ...just wish she did more films. I only discovered she and DeHaviland were sisters a few years ago and find it so unsettling that they competitive to the point they loathed each other which probably resulted in their own children being estranged as well. What a shame.
You are rather hard on Joan Fontaine. In fact harder than just about any Actress you have reviewed.
"Suspicion" may have had its' issues as a motion picture, but Joan Fontaine isn't the only one.
I like both DeHavilland sisters equally, but l LOVE the way Joan smiles so sweetly whilst making yet another barbed comment about Olivia. She was the perfect example of "the iron fist in the velvet glove"! I think most people would agree that her Oscar for Suspicion was undeserved, but she should absolutely have won the previous year for Rebecca.
It's fascinating how much she talked about Olivia while Olivia kept almost completely quiet. And Joan could be so charming and entertaining when she threw some shade
Disagree with respect
Katharine Hepburn had my vote for The Philadelphia Story for 1940. Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for the wrong film. The Lady Eve has her finest performance. I believe that it is more diffcult to play comedy. Viviene Leigh said as much when she claimed that it was more difficult to make people laugh than to make them cry. Doris Day, who was an expert at playing comedy, made it look so easy and as a result, she qas most underrated.
I think she deserved an Oscar for both films... I hated the rivalry the mother promoted was picked up by the studios...
I think a film with Both Sisters would have been unforgettable
Women can be so subversive....Joan Fontaine was no Joan Crawford! 😂
Personally I believe Joan Crawford should've been nominated for A Woman's Face instead of Greer for Blossoms in the Dust. Joan had been at the studio for so many years and more than paid her dues and particularly since two of her contemporaries at MGM (Shearer and Garbo), had already received nominations (with Shearer winning on one). But as it was Greer was the hot new talent on the block so all the attention went to her.
Yes, it's strange that it took Joan so long to get attention
Joan Crawford's performance in Mildred Pierce was perfection!
I haven’t seen A Woman’s Face yet but just from what I’ve heard it seems a bit more interesting than blossoms in the dust. I wonder if maybe at the time, mgm may have wanted to push BITD more because it was a super positive movie while a woman’s face was more dramatic
Yes I agree I've seen A Woman's Face several times and Joan Crawford always excelled she should've been nominated at least!
Joan's first nomination should have been in Rain or The Women
I agree wholeheartedly! Stanwyck should have won that year but perhaps even more deserving was her u forgettable performance in “Double Indemnity”. She was the most versatile of all actresses and was excellent in every movie she appeared in, whether the movie was good nor not. She simply brought things up to her level when the movie was sub par. And she never had an acting lesson either!
I agree since Barbara Stanwyck made almost 100 movies since she was a teenager and nominated for 5 - still I felt she was the most capable and could in her 80s hold the attentions of those around her assistants and movie staff - to listen to her on her incredible performance from "The Thorn Birds." Amazing and incredible at her age but in any age too.
She was also very nice. She was so kind to her fellow actors on the set and therefore she had many friends.
That’s a wonderful tid bit to hear, I really really hope it’s the truth, because I do like Barbara Stanwick. Many people feel that unfairly to the banquet is left out of the great actress category when she really should be included
Barbara Stanwyck...class act!!
Barbara Stanwyck is one of the greatest actress never to win an oscar. Double Indemnity, Stella Dallas and as Sugarpuss O'shea in Ball of Fire all were worthy. I adored her as Victoria Barkley in the Big Valley which finally earned here her first major acting award. But as Sugarpuss, I fell in love.
Fabulous. Can't imagine how long it took to put this together, but your videos are obviously labours of love and are much appreciated.
Loved Barbara Stanwyck in everything she was in!!
Stanwyck was the most realistic, believable, utterly flawless actress that ever came out of Hollyweird. She's genuine, real, true in every single role from the word 'go.' How she managed it should be examined and analyzed and taught to the arrogant bums who call themselves "actors" today.
She is one of the most natural and versatile performers, no doubt about that
Stanwyck's final performance in The Thornbirds rounded out a dynamic career. Her character Mary Carson's passionate plea to Father DeBricassart was absolute perfection!
very well said
@@JayCantrell-vs5gp veilen Dank!
Bette Davis was amazing in Little Foxes! Very Oscar worthy!
Yes it was!
Amazing video, thank you. Personal top 10, in order (more or less):
1. Bette Davis - The Little Foxes
2. Mary Astor - The Maltese Falcon
3. Barbara Stanwyck - The Lady Eve
4. Irene Dunne - Penny Serenade
5. Joan Fontaine - Suspicion
6. Barbara Stanwyck - Ball of Fire
7. Olivia de Havilland - Hold Back the Dawn
8. Bette Davis - The Great Lie
9. Greer Garson - Blossoms in the Dust
10. Barbara Stanwyck - Meet John Doe
Thanks so much, wonderful ranking
Barbara Stanwyck in "Stella Dallas" was a tear-jerker, a memorable film. I really felt she should have won an Oscar.
People forget or either don't realize that the mother of Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland was an Actress herself and quite successful in Hollywood.
Bette in the little foxes is ine of my favorite performances
Ditto. She is superb.
Bette had only one personality trait in this movie - nasty. I think the narrow range of emotions is why she didn't win for this role.
Barbara Stanwyck should have won an Academy Award for each and every of her performances. Her versatility was out of the charts. Drama or comedy... she would nail it. She mastered the art of acting. She gave so much, she was so professional, talented, and committed to her work, just like Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. They all gave such an intense life to their characters.
one of the years that would have stan twitter in shambles if it existed back then, not as much as 1950 but still!
In my opinion, once in awhile in the acting field you get to see greatness & out of the ones up for the Oscar that year I would have picked Davis. Amongst my all time favorites are Stanwyck & Davis, they have a few that were worthy of Oscar's & others in that era. Thank you for being informative in years long time passed, good thing we will have them for generations to come on film if they take proper care of them.
Thank you for this fabulous documentary! I was born in 1948, post WW2 and grew up watching all the great films from the Golden Age of Hollywood on TV! Many of them are true masterpieces like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with the late greats Charles Laughton and an 18 year old beautiful Maureen O'Hara! 1939 was a banner year for great films! It all influenced my career choice as a NYC fashion illustrator and I have some wonderful books on Hollywood's glamourous costumes and many bios and auto-bios from the stars themselves, O'Hara's being one of the best! Love Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis, Garbo and Harlow and of course, Barbara Stanwyck one of my all time favorites! May they all rest in peace on the Other Side!
Thanks so much for your comment!
Joan was warm and gracious
In my opinion she was also the better performer. Had she been the inferior actress, she wouldn't have trailed her sister then surpassed her in a matter of a few years. Plus she was an interior designer, fisherwoman, golfer, balloonist, pilot, gourmet chef. Acting was not her sole ambition.
I love these overviews that you do and so much work must go into the editing of them -- bravo to you! I do wonder how much the disappointment of having Fontaine be the only acting Oscar win for a Hitchcock movie colors your perception of her performance in Suspicion. It's a good performance and it's not her fault that, for example, Anthony Perkins wasn't nominated two decades later. The clips you included of her scenes w/Nigel Bruce are a little deceptive. I'd argue that his goofy comic moments are the ones which are out of place in the film -- which is mostly a moody drama -- more than Fontaine's acting.
And we can all agree that Stanwyck should have won a competitive Oscar in her lifetime but I can't imagine who would vote for her, let alone nominate her, for the forgettable Ball of Fire. Have you seen it recently? One of Hawks's blandest films of the forties and her work in Lady Eve and Meet John Doe that same year is far more interesting.
Anyway, a very comprehensive and thorough overview of the Fontaine/de Havilland relationship. It's very fair to say Olivia was the more talented actor of the two (hence why her career lasted longer and is more well remembered). And very fair to say Bette's acting was the best of this bunch!
Thanks a lot for your nice words.
I don't think that my general disappointment clouds my judgement of Joan's work - I just wanted to give a general overview of Hitchcock's actors at the Oscars as this was the only opportunity. I think her work is simply lacking in every aspect.
I personally love Barbara in Ball of Fire and also enjoy the movie very much but yes, The Lady Eve should have been her nomination that year
Joan Fontaine was underrated, underappreciated for the superb artist she was. She built a career from the ashes at a time when it was virtually impossible.
Lillian Fontaine, the mother ofJoan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland was an Actress of note herself being involved in many Stage plays and movies. Her name can be seen in the credits of many films. She also, taught acting classes.
It is not unusual for siblings not to get along. The family members were very intellectually oriented but in the long run "got along" reasonably well. Differences can occur between them also, regardless of their professions. But in the acting profession, much more is made of such trivial disagreements.
I saw this video as a suggestion and could not believe it was two hours long. I couldn’t imagine how this topic could be stretched out for two hours, especially considering the obvious and simple reason why Joan unjustly won for Suspicion - the fact that she had unjustly lost the year before for Rebeca. But you did it- 2 very engaging hours. It was brilliantly done, especially the dramatic, almost frightening music for “1941,” the “Joan Fontaine in Suspicion Emotional Chart,” and having Norma Desmond and Joe Gillis watch your choices towards the end- with her gripping his arm when you got to #1. 🤣🤣🤣
I had always been neutral in the feud between Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland, but after watching all the segments of her interviews in this video, I am now definitely team Joan. She seems so natural, spunky, and funny in her interviews, with a great sense of humor about herself and her past. Olivia deHavilland, on the other hand, has always come across as a phony to me in her interviews. So affected, so much la grande dame.
Thanks a lot for your kind words, I am glad you enjoyed it. I would say that Joan is a person I'd rather hang out with privately but I give Olivia the edge when it comes to acting
Agree 100%!
Love your videos , so entertaining and informative. I just subscribed
Lillian Hellman disliked Tallulah. So much for that! Bette didn't "allow" overshadow by Mary Astor but WROTE with Mary the expanded role that won Mary's Oscar. Mary tells of it.
Bette knew they had a dog of a picture, and in order to save it, conspired with Mary Astor to rewrite much of it, from a woman’s point of view. I’m guessing they were responsible for the desert pregnancy scenes, where Mary goes batsh1t crazy and flips over a table, and Bette slaps her.
Fritz this is an amazing video essay. Thank you 💗
Thank you! 😀
Thank you for this video. Very interesting review. It so happened that Joan, Olivia, Barbara are my fave actresses. I also watched movies of Bette Davis and Greer Garson. Joan should have won the Oscars in Rebecca. Olivia's performance in Hold Back the Dawn is memorable.
Olivia de Havilland had one of the best memories of just about any Actress in Hollywood and made a point to write down those many circumstances in her very long life.
Because of that, I would tend to believe just about any of her remembrances.
I think the most honest title of any book written by those in Hollywood was Jean Negulesco, "The Things I Did, and the Things I Think I Did".
If Olivia de Havilland couldn't remember a particular situation thoroughly, she would engage in extensive research with the help of others to make sure her remembrances were correct.
I always felt Tallulah Bankhead would have been the best choice for the lead role in "The Little Foxes".
Primarily because of her success in the stage play of "The Little Faxes" and she simply would have played the role better than was the case with Bette Davis both with looks and acting ability.
But, we don't have a film version of the stage play as we do with the movies, only the reviews.
I’m so excited to have discovered this channel!
I'm very happy that you are here, too 😊
Olivia de Havilland remembered the magnificent work of Max Reinhardt to be the most exceptional, above just about anyone, and sadly the most forgotten these days.
I just found this at 1:49 am & I am BLOWN away by the 100% on point assessment of the various actresses... TCM introduced me to the films of 1941 & I confess that year is one of my all time choices to watch & rewatch...
I just subscribed because your opinions are not a snarky litany of know it all BS.
Informative & very accurate... I want to watch more of your vids because you remind me of Robert Osborne he was an unlimited source of knowledge about all aspects of the motion picture industry..
I Hope you can become as much a valued voice about this form of entertainment. I feel that actors of today lack the range of Actors during the Golden Age of Films..
Applause 👏 to you! THANK you for giving me another perception & opinion to consider when I rewatch the films again in the future❤️
Oh wow, thank you so much for your kind words! I'm very happy that you enjoy my videos. I'm still learning how to make them and what to say so this feedback is very apprecciated!
Thank you! Loved the deep dive into the studio and Oscar workings, and especially the relationships of these iconic actors. Completely fascinating and soooo very interesting. I appreciate the photos, interviews and written documentation that support your excellent documentary. Note: Joan and Olivia are two of my all time favorites; but I have to give my personal vote to Joan, by a nose. Favorite Joan movie: Letter from an Unknown Woman. Heart wrenchingly good.
Thank you for watching and I'm glad you liked it! I don't think I can pick a favorite between them
I would love to see you do a video on the 1956 and 1957 Best Actor races, in which James Dean received two posthumous nominations for East of Eden and Giant. Maybe explore the public's reaction to this and if he had a true shot at winning.
Cannot promise anything at the moment but I'll keep it in mind
What would Hitchcock have been 200 yrs ago? I can't imagine his gift used for anything but making movies. The interview clips are historical now and very meaningful today. Maybe someday a piece on Myrna Loy? Thanks again, Fritz!
Thanks for watching! :) I can highly recommend bkr's Video on Myrna Loy: th-cam.com/video/hY3B_sTrqeg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RrShpV7Mh5KqW03X
I personally much prefer Bette Davis' performance in 'The Letter' than in 'The Little Foxes', I think it was a much less mannered and more subtle performance of a character who is equally evil as Regina, or even more so. I also feel the latter movie was hobbled by its need to fit the production code, a handicap which did not apply to the theater. The production code also changed the ending of 'The Letter', but it didn't affect the motif or the over-all quality of the narrative as I feel it did in 'The Little Foxes'.
Haven't seen The Letter in a while but I think I prefer The Little Foxes. But both are great
Yayyyy!!! Love your videos 💛
Thank you!
Greer Garson got to "cut loose" with hilarious guest spots on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," and "Laugh-In." If I remember correctly, she was in the latter's first ever Farkle Family sketch.
Thank you so much for the brilliant presentation... For me, the Best was Bette Davis, then and after... BETTE DAVIS PRIMADONNA ASSOLUTA!
18:54 for The Great Lie, selfless Bette called Mary Astor in ("being fired?" thought Mary) and they *rewrote her part* into the Supporting Actress Oscar-win role it turned put to be.
that scene when she's hungry and all she wants is to eat is one of my favourite scenes in all of Classic Hollywood!
Neither Bette nor Olivia were nominated for films made by their 'home' studio Warner Brothers - the studios who produced their films would not have had any long-term benefit from their win and Warner Brothers would have been unlikely to promote films made by other studios, especially as they had treated Olivia especially with a certain level of disdain.
Fantastic !
Great analysis - thank you for your brilliant work!🌿🎭⭐
Thanks so much!
This was a great ducumentry/ biography! The sisters are both beautiful... but l think the underdog was more appealing and prettier...Joan Fontaine !
I agree with that one. I think, especially as they aged, Joan wound up prettier. I never cared that much for Olivia…too grande dame.
I agree with a lot of what is said here, but Olivia was by far and away the best actress of the two. Even in her scenes in the comedy The Women, Joan was just not convincing. Perhaps because she was surrounded by other performers with so much talent and skill, but as you can see watching Olivia in films like Gone With The Wind where she had to perform opposite such monumental talents as Vivian and Clark. As for 'giving' someone an Oscar simply because of their number of noms and loses, I do not agree with that at all. The Oscar should be about Merit and nothing else. Today the awards have been reduced to nothing more than PARTICIPATION awards, and they are given out for any reason other than merit.
Greer Garson once appeared as a co-host of The Mike Douglas Show circa 1978. A courtroom scene from Blossoms in the Dust was shown, and a scowling Greer appeared right after. She thought she had chewed the scenery and should have toned it down.
You just never disappoint.
I agree with your analysis 100% Fontaine won that year only because she was deserving the year before for Rebecca. The academy f-up royally. Fontaine was outstanding in Rebecca. Suspicion was an ok movie nothing great. Fontaine was robotic and looked bored. Her lackluster performance was not Oscar worthy at all. The Oscar should have went to Davis
Very nice video!❤
Thank you! :)
basically you have joan saying it herself; the academy is thinking about a whole range of considerations when casting their ballots.. . no doubt industry insiders know what happens 'behind the scenes' on any given picture (both good and bad) and it's no secret they'll award the oscar simply to make good when they feel an actor has been unfairly shafted (davis for 'dangerous' after being overlooked for 'human bondage'; cher for 'moonstruck after being overlooked for 'mask', etc).. . the other element just comes down to personal taste: personally i've never connected with stanwyck's performances.. . i know she was a big star in her time and she still has fans to this day, but she's just not someone i'd rank above other stars of her era.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
you are totally right, at the end it comes down to your personal taste
Barbara should have won hands down. That is a masterclass performance of comedy.
What a wow line up of star power.
Barbara getting passed over CONSTANTLY is so infuriating.
I was wondering who that picture was when before showing Vivian Leigh in a streetcar named desire and I realised it was Jessica Tandy.
I love "Ball of Fire", it's one of the items in my gallery of favorite movies. "Lady Eve" may be a better movie, and it probably is, but I confess I enjoy "Ball of Fire" a little more - I love the showcase it gives to the supporting actors who play the other professors; I love the tightness of the script which still allows for tons of fun (I'm looking at you, you wonderful Dan Duryea); I love Richard Haydn's monologue in the motel; and the vulnerability that's present in Sugar Puss from the very start. And I love watching Dana Andrews in a rather unusual role. For me, there's a touch of cynicism to "Lady Eve" that puts me at a bit of a distance to it. Probably, if she should have been nominated for any movie that year, "Meet John Doe" actually shows us the most of what she can do .... but ..... I confess that I don't enjoy it as much as I enjoy the other two in a sort of Capra trinity: "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". I tend to group these three together. So, perhaps, of the three, "Ball of Fire" is the "least". But not for me.
Jeeze. Why so mean to Joan? Although I'd have been happy to see Stanwyck win!
Her performance is not my cup of tea but I'm glad if you like her
People tended to be bitterly envious of Joan, especially her mother and her sister. She truly earned her stripes, though. Having gone from not having her RKO player's contract renewed when it expired, she staged one of the biggest Hollywood comebacks at the time to gain top billing in Rebecca, for which is she should've won her first Oscar for her outstanding performance. Suspicion wasn't her best work but still, it was good. She should've won the following year as well, for Jane Eyre. I think she also should've been nominated for Letting From an Unknown Woman and Island in the Sun. She's one of the most underrated, underappreciated actresses of the 20th century. Olivia enjoyed a mostly smooth career aside from the years immediately after her lawsuit against the Hollywood studios contract system.
@@FritzandtheOscars Not my fav of hers, but it wasn't bad or one note the way you portrayed it. 🤷♀️ She WAS in a different movie/reality as Cary Grant's character. That was kind of the point! ♥️
@@texan903 She's SO FRICKING GOOD in Letter from an Unknown Woman. Have you ever seen Born to Be Bad? She was awesome as an "evil" character too!
Bravo! Now I’m a subscriber.
Thanks so much
Boy, this dude really doesn't like Joan Fontaine, does he? Personally, I have always thought her performance in Suspicion was simply magnificent. She never forces, everything comes up from inside naturally. How can that performance have been any better? I can't imagine anyone else in the part.
This video is too dismissive of Suspicion as a film. It’s one of Hitchcock’s perfect movies and Joan Fontaine is prefect in her role as Lena. I shall die on this hill.
I think Oliva had competition from Paulette in "Hold Back the Dawn." Love her performance but not Olivia's!
Paulette was wonderful
Paulette was spunky! Loved her vivacious personality.
Totally agree. Davis should have gotten it. If they HAD to pick someone else, because Davis already had 2 Oscars, then for God sakes give it to Stanwyck who had never gotten one and DID do a great job in her movie but to go all the way down to the worst performance out of the 5 and give it to her? They say Stanwyck had a harder time winning an Oscar since was an independent that any given studio she was working for at the moment would be more inclined to push another actress connected with THEIR studio that year. And on a side note, every time Joan is talking in interviews about her issues with her sister, she's smiling. It's so strange. I'm on team Olivia as far as their "fued" goes. Something's a little off about Joan and her constantly having to talk about it over the years. Joan was never a great actress anyway. Yes she was perfect for the Rebecca role but I've heard that Rebecca was one of the rare Hitchcock movies where the lead actress was actually worked with quite a lot to get a performance OUT of her. I suspect that had a lot to do with Selznick and forcing Hitchcock to stay more on top of Joan's performance.
Fontaine performance was atypical for on Oscar for sure, but I really don't think it was weak. She showed a slow mental breakdown and inner soulbreaking dissonance very well and I could not take my eyes off of her, she had incredibly strong presence. Little bit similar to 3 years later -Ingrid Bergman's performance but that was more dramatic and a stronger one and had a big scene at the end. Grant was weak in the movie though and I have seen miles better works by Hitchcock, too.
I read that BARBARA STANWYCK agreeded to do "Ball Of Fire" only when the part was offered to LUCILLE BALL , whom wanted to do the part then BS changed her mind. Most likely GINGER RODGERS whom was offered "BOF" first and turned it down the part then was offered to LUCILLE BALL whom wanted it but BS changed her mind and wanted the part.
If I were Olivia, then I would not want Joan to be my sister.
I could understand you not liking Joan Fontaine’s performance but I think you were unduly harsh on her. Even if her performance was one note it could still be successful (for example Judith Anderson’s one note performance in Rebecca). She would not have won the NY Film Critics Award if everyone thought so poorly of her. I never found her lacking in chemistry with Cary Grant so a lot of it is subjective.
Of course it's subjective
I love Joan Fontaine, I think she was a great actress with a lot of range. She could lose herself in a role. Whereas, with Olivia you were always aware it was Olivia de Havilland, playing ... the role
I love Joan, too, but I'm just not a fan of this particular performance
I think Olivia had more range and was willing to play parts of the unattractive heroine as in The Heiress and The Snake Pit. I'm biased Olivia is my favorite actress..as well as Ingrid Bergman, Jean Arthur, Cludette Colbert!
Have you seen the Heiress
Aetna_-- The German accent is over the top here.
Agreed
I personally always thought Joan de Havilland and Olivia Fontaine sounded better lol.
1:55etc: I'm much taken with a lot of your work, but *surely you know what Directors do!* Owing Hitch for success & fame, Joan *must* have been obeying his orders re acting!
I mean, obviously many people liked what Joan did or she would not have won all those awards and people today are enjoy her work in Suspicion - I just personally don't, which shows that everyone reacts differently to performances.
Joan was ALWAYS the lady in this film keeping everything inside her. It would be out of character for her to emote too much.
Should have been Bette !
Vivienne and Olivia were both far to classy to be the narrator in Rebecca, it suited Joan perfectly.
Perhaps, Olivia was jealous of Joan’s beauty. Hmmm, one never knows…
Their mother encouraged their contempt for each other, frequently switching her loyalty and affection from one child to the other. Primogeniture ruled in British families, so Olivia was supposed to have the successful career while Joan was expected to marry and settle into contented domesticity.
During the time they were nominated for the Oscar in the same year, Olivia was working constantly while Joan was doing only a few select pictures per year, angering Olivia.
Olivia is much prettier though..
@@yvonneshanson1525 Joan was always the much prettier of the two to me.
@@yvonneshanson1525 While you're entitled to differ in opinion Joan is generally considered the prettier of the two and they likely both knew it...
Olivia was a stunning beauty, Joan had an innocent charm but much more plain in looks that's why she was picked to play in Jane Eyre. I liked them both.❤
I've been binging your episodes. Interesting if overly critical. However, I find your flip assessment of Fontaine so off base that I have no desire to venture further.
I get it...different opinions are hard
Exactly. Joan Fontaine was a natural pro at her craft. Most of her earlier roles called for demure, meek, timid women, which was the total opposite of her real personality and she performed those roles well. Even as she matured, she came through in her roles with strength, poise, and professionalism. She is highly underrated and underappreciated.
Her work as a Cordon Bleu chef, a hot air balloon racer, in addition to being a talented golfer, fisher woman, author, fostering dogs, and pilot, highlight her as a well-rounded person.
Your review of Joan Fontaine in “Suspicion” reveals how little you understand about acting. Geez.
@@joeluft8969 we can't all be smart
Joan Fontaine in Suspicion got to be one of the weakest nominee of the decade. Such a poor replicate of her fine performance in Rebecca. Sigh
the nano-second I heard FRITZ' narration, it went OFF @ :36! 😖
You're still watching my videos? Why are you doing this to yourself?
Tallulah Bankhead would have been better. Davis is so sour. Bankhead would have brought some sly humor. She would have done it with a wink, as if to tell the audience, "Aren't I bad? Don't you hate me?"
At 57:00, the word is pronounced 'hy-PER-bo- lee', not "HY-per-bowl".
Thank you. My English is certainly not perfect
Ah, the grammar police again! Sheesh!
I disagree. Barbara Stanwyck, while fun to watch, plays a variation of herself. Bette Davis gives a Medusa stare as Regina and is rigid and hence mannered (the very quality Pauline Kael used to rap Streep on the knuckles for). Greer Garson's performance is saccharine (and if it manages not to be cloying it's because of her intelligence and charm). And Olivia de Havilland's is too goody two shoes but affecting, yes.
Joan Fontaine is also (it should be noted) nothing like the introverted wives she played in Rebecca and Suspicion. Both characters are shy but the woman in Suspicion is also rather intellectual (the kind of woman at the time men found to be a turn off), and is, as such, dismissed by others as someone who has been left on the shelf. Hence Fontaine's restraint. This is not a young woman, like the second Mrs de Winter was, but someone who believes herself to be undesirable (unmarriageable), and that insecurity is preyed on by Cary Grant's character.
What we see (through Fontaine's hesitant posture) is her unsureness building up into suspicion. It's just a vague intuition; something she feels subliminally. She can't quite articulate why her husband makes her feel uncomfortable. So, she doesn't quite give much of herself to him. She hesitates. She recoils. She becomes fearful. Something just isn't right. She feels it inside of herself but can't verbalise what it is that makes her at first doubt him, and then as time goes on, suspect him of things, which are just too awful for her to be able to admit. He's her husband after all. No, it can't be so; it makes the character numb, paralysed; stuck. She has been swept up by events and is caught. But can't stop questioning what he does and from there who he is (or what he is --in her mind a murderer).
Far from being a weak performance, it is a psychological one--Lina's growing uneasiness is what Fontaine suggests superbly. She's what keeps the tension going through her subtle expressions. She forgives him and is soothed but then we see again her unease, her suspicion, her doubt. But she can't voice it. So she tries to repress her feelings until she lets out that scream at the end.
Thanks for your detailed comment and you words on joan Fontaine! I wish I could appreciate her work like you do but while I agree with the basics of the role, I feel Joan's actual acting is far too articial to make her story believable. But, to each his/her own :)
Forget abut bette and joan the REAL feud is between sisters. It doesnt cut after the movie and keeps on going and goes way way back with a cast of manipulative parents
Sister drama
Your critique on Joan Fontaine in Suspicion sucks.
Thanks for watching!
Boo! Fontaine is brilliant in Suspicion and it is NOT second-rate Hitchcock.
Glad you like her and the movie. Movies and performances are extremely subjectives, so I like it that everyone has different opinions
I agree with Orson Welles, Fontaine was bland, beautiful but bland.
If anyone ever feels Joan Fontaine is bland, her Untouchable Heartbreaking and Unforgettable performance in , 'Letter from an Unknown Woman,' will silence any/all critics. She was and will long be regarded as One of the GREAT Leading Ladies.
That was her greatest attribute, just as it was Grace Kelly's. Try to imagine either as Scarlet O'Hara!
Oh Bette should have won. Regina was a stunning performance.
Regina Giddons was evil incarnate and Davis played her to a fare thee well! Definitely should have gotten the Oscar for it. For me , Fontaine was a bit insipid in her performances … never a favorite of mine . Beautiful but insubstantial.
Bette was wonderful; I would also have been happy with a win for Barbara
I heartily disagree with the choice of Bette Davis as the best actress in 'Foxes', she was wrong for the part and her hair and costumes were ridiculous. She always overacted. She was too young to be Wright's mother, when Irene Dunne or Myrna Loy would have been better choices and fit the part much better. Other older actresses with talent were Claudette Colbert, Gloria Swanson, Norma Shearer and Helen Hayes. Wyler also dumbed down the play for movie audiences. Bette Davis was a curiosity at best, something of a freak-show attraction whose best role was Maggie in 'The Man Who Came to Dinner', which she accepted when she thought John Barrymore was to be in it..,
They where not sisters that was a rumor Olivia’s daughter told me she never had a sister
Oh please they sure looked like sisters.
This has been din thousands of times. Especially by an effeminate male narrator
Thanks for watching!
I think you need to learn how to pronounce "romance."
I'm aiming to pronounce words like Glenda Jackson but I fear this will always be just a dream
I hate Diane Keaton
I understand the feeling is mutual.