Joan Fontaine's Oscar

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What I liked about Suspicion was Fontaine played the character Lina exactly like the character "Lina" in the novel.

Anyone know which country Suspicion was filmed in please?

I agree that Suspicion is the better of the two, although I also enjoyed her performance in Rebecca.

Fontaine impressed me in Suspicion with her flawless portrayals of Lina, first as an awkward spinster, and then made a dignified transition into overjoyed newlywed, and shortly thereafter, the lady of the house who has found her footing both as a "grown woman" and "wife" (in terms of the time period), and then to the last third of the film, where her nerves begin tearing her apart and she becomes morbidly relenting, at times, to what she believes to be the inevitability of her death.

Fontaine played all of these aspect of Lina wonderfully!

You also make an excellent point about the appeal of her character: Suspicion is even more intriguing in that it deals with the insecurities of an adult woman in a very mature way.

^^ I have to agree. I much preferred Joan's performance in Rebecca and found her poses and delivery in Suspicion to be obvious and forced at times, especially in the earlier half of the film. After seeing Little Foxes recently as well, I prefer Davis that year. Perhaps this was the first of the academy's long trend towards rewarding a later performance for someone's better earlier performance which we have seen quite often. (Al Pacino, Jessica Lange)

Add to the list of nominees, Olivia deHavilland for Hold Back The Dawn. Fontaine's win caused a rift between the two that has lasted a lifetime.
If Fontaine had rightfully won in 1940 for Rebecca, and deHavilland had won in 1941 for Hold Back The Dawn, would that rift have been averted? Who knows.
And on the subject, HOW did Ginger Rogers win over all the better performances that were given in 1940?

Given the close proximity that Suspicion followed Rebecca, and some obvious similarities between Lina and the second Mrs. de Winter (lack of self confidence in some general sense being one, but not in the specifics, but I digress), it is inevitable to compare the performances. But there are more differences than similarities.

Age is one. Despite being only a year older, the character portrayed so convincingly by Ms. Fontaine in this film seems more like a decade older. Joan does it without makeup, instead putting aside the somewhat girlish manner of the second Mrs. de Winter for a manner of one approaching 30 or so, with no hint of that girlishness. It is not as if she does it by portraying a more learned self confidence, either, since Lina to be sure has her self doubts. But those are more about her standing in the world as a spinster, than about whether she can control a social situation.

Another is in the portrayal of her character's anxieties. The second Mrs. de Winter certainly has her moments where the challenges she faces confuse her, but mostly she portrays her anxieties as inducing outward emotions, some crying, lashing out. Lina on the other hand directs her emotions more inwardly, hiding for example her reactions seeing the chairs in the window from Isobel, or even when outward in challenging people such as Beaky.

I could go on and on, but suffice to say there is no real merit to anyone's suggsting that Joan's portrayal here is some kind of rehash of her role in Rebecca.

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