Why Joan Fontaine won the Oscar over her sister Olivia de Havilland

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Fritz and the Oscars

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 27

@slc2466 7 ай бұрын

I wish Stanwyck had won, but really for "The Lady Eve," and Joan had her Oscar for "Rebecca."

@quitequiet1 7 ай бұрын

I don’t know why Olivia thought she would be nominated for best actress in Gone With The Wind. To me, it was clearly a supporting role.

@texan903 15 күн бұрын

De Havilland had been a serious actress for several years by the time she played in GWTW. By the time she started making pictures, she became aggressively ambitious in her pursuit to become an acknowledged A-list actress, and GWTW was a major role that she felt would catapult her to that status. That's why she was disappointed with the 1940 result.

@darylchin53 7 ай бұрын

Love how you contextualize things, and explain what changes were to come. In 1941, Alfred Hitchcock was still a "prestige" director (in 1940, he was nominated as Best Director for REBECCA, and TWO of his movies made the list of Best Picture nominees, not just REBECCA but also FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT), so any of his projects would be "prestige" projects (and that's what happened to SUSPICION). But by 1944-45, his movies were being viewed, not as prestige projects, but as "mere" genre movies, and those were frowned upon. And people were turning down his offers to star in his films (Gary Cooper turned down FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, Barbara Stanwyck turned down SABOTEUR) because they considered his films "mere" genre (suspense/espionage/mystery) films. This little analysis was so incisive (and especially considering how you actually listed Bette Davis in THE LITTLE FOXES and Stanwyck in BALL OF FIRE as your top choices for this line-up).

@FritzandtheOscars 7 ай бұрын

Thank so much!

@DrDAP 7 ай бұрын

11:02 11:04

@derrionbrown3923 7 ай бұрын

I love the new perspectives of these recent videos. ❤

@kimclark5736 3 ай бұрын

Another excellent video. I marvel at your editing and ability to choose the perfect bit of dialogue or a "look" from the films to illustrate the points you are making.

@FritzandtheOscars 3 ай бұрын

Thanks so much, that's very nice of you to say!

@kellie-nd1yp 7 ай бұрын

Greer Garson makes such a great point about this .I think there are many things the academy memembers conisder and it's not always one or two simple things when making up their minds.

@jimc6054 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Fritz, another enjoyable video. I agree that Joan’s win was consolation for the “Rebecca” loss. I also really like her work 7 years later in “Letter From an Unknown Woman”, no nomination. Consolation Oscar is also mentioned for James Stewart when he lost for “Mr Smith Goes to Washington “ and won the next year for “Philadelphia Story”.

@DanielaVilu 7 ай бұрын

Fonda should have won that year. I love Stewart but I don't think he was as sophisticate an actor as Henry Fonda was.

@leonardmirone8215 6 ай бұрын

Another great show, Fitz, and thank you. My pick for best actress in 1941, having seen all the performances, is Bette Davis hands down. Her Regina is one of her finest hours, in my opinion. I’m not upset that Joan Fontaine ultimately triumphed, as she would have been my second choice. You point out that Hedda Hopper and Ginger Rogers, who surprisingly won the year before, favored Barbara Stanwyck because, I suspect ,they were all part of a very politically conservative movement within the Hollywood community. How Rogers beat Hepburn the year before for her Tracy in ‘The Philadelphia Story’ to me is one of Oscar’s biggest blunders. As we know, Olivia went on to win two Oscars during her amazing career to Joan’s one. Did that contribute to their long rivalry? Who knows? My choices for 1941 best Actress is Bette Davis, Joan Fontaine, Olivia DeHavilland, Greer Garson (who won the following year for ‘Mrs Miniver’) and last, Barbara Stanwyck in one of her lesser roles, imo.

@johnjones5424 7 ай бұрын

I think Stanwyck in "The Lady Eve" was the best performance of the year. That should have garnered her nomination and her win.

@outinsider 3 ай бұрын

Interesting video. I think you covered all the bases. Joan had a lot of things going for her. Rebecca (1940) elevated her to leading lady when she was considered a flash in the pan in un-noteworthy roles. I think there are distinct differences between Rebecca and Suspicion (1941), one of which Suspicion is more psychologically tense, and it took someone who could grasp dramatic tension well and still make strong choices of character, which, I think, was Fontaine's strong point as an actor. Fontaine shared making the awkward human with her sister Olivia, but I think Olivia's narrative that awards season was reminding the Oscar voters that she was a leading lady. Olivia did know how to be a celebrity in ways Joan did not. But, Joan also second fiddled herself a bit too much, I think. Thank you for mentioning that Hitchcock made Joan a star, and Joan must have gotten along well within the industry to have her peerage vote for her, even by two votes. I think the origin story of the De Havilland/Fontaine feud merits its own video, but tbh, this is another one of the Academy history wins that is marred by a feud and not because people pay attention to the deservingly winning performance. I don't even think its a consolation. Fontaine knew a good thing to take it up again. De Havilland rested on laurels without much reward, and she eventually got her Oscars after putting in more work towards that reward.

@FritzandtheOscars 3 ай бұрын

@@outinsider thanks a lot for commenting! If you check out 1941 videos, there is one that goes into more detail regarding their feud

@outinsider 3 ай бұрын

@@FritzandtheOscars I will check it out

@texan903 15 күн бұрын

Fontaine performed well working with Hitchcock because many players on the set of Suspicion had wanted Vivien Leigh to get the role over Fontaine. Hitchcock used this to his advantage, pressuring Fontaine to excel in her part because she was determined not to be fired. I think she positioned herself to succeed by continuing to work with Hitchcock after getting her footing working with him in a few roles. She was strategic, determined, and professional, and it ultimately got her the accolades. I know that de Havilland ultimately won two Oscars out of five nominations, but Joan was nominated three times in total before Olivia won her first Oscar.

@sweetbutterbaby 3 ай бұрын

Glad that Joan, the underdog sister, won the Oscar first haha!

@anthonyanderson2405 7 ай бұрын

Great Hollywood history as always.

@DanielaVilu 7 ай бұрын

Fontaine's win for Suspicion is probably my least favourite Oscar win of all time. That film and performance didn't stand the test of time for me. Whereas The Little Foxes and Ball of Fire.. I would watch them any day of the week and sometimes do. Barbara Stanwyck made it all look so easy! I think that's why she never won an Oscar (also the fact that she was a freelancer so she never had a studio's backing when it came to lobbying)