MovieChat Forums > Suspicion (1941) Discussion > No Oscar for Hitch

No Oscar for Hitch

posted 17 years ago by tday-1
8 replies | jump to latest

Hi,one can never be too rich or have too many friends. One of the posters claimed Hitch won Oscar year before so it went to his head that he could do anything. Actually,David Selznick one it for best picture of l940,not Hitch.The only time Hitch won Oscar was an honorary one years later,although he certainly should have won a real one somewhere along the way. Censors and Cary Grant fans had fit making Grant a murderer so the script had to be changed,much to the movie's fault.Joan Fontaine complained Hitch wasn't riding her as hard as he did in Rebecca and the costume designer Edward Stevenson said she was getting thinner by the day,they had to use padding to match shots and Joan collapsed at one point from nervous exhaustion and malnutrition.

[–] rexshard93 17 years ago

I really liked the current ending of Suspicion (1941). The film is based on novel "Before the Fact" written by Francis Iles. I like the movie better than the novel, because of one major reason.

Here is the reason. The novel has one major flaw. There is no involvement of police. When the novel was released in 1932 for the first time, many critics noticed this flaw.

But in the film, we see the involvement of police. The movie is more of a psychological thriller. I really like the film with the current ending, because I had a hard time believing Cary Grant's character was a murderer.

Hitchcock never won an Honorary Oscar. He only won an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at 1968 Oscars.

Alfred Hitchcock enjoyed working with Joan Fontaine in Suspicion (1941). Both Hitchcock and Joan Fontaine were sick, while they were working together in Suspicion (1941). While working in Suspicion, Hitchcock had a fever for almost 2 weeks. And Joan Fontaine had the problems you mentioned. But they understood each other. So everything went fine in the end.

Hitchcock wanted Joan Fontaine for the role "Young Charlie" in Shadow of A Doubt (1943). But she was unavailable. So the role went to Teresa Wright. I thought Teresa Wright was perfect for the role "Young Charlie".

Best Picture Oscar should have gone to Alfred Hitchcock. But Selznick was the producer. So the Oscar went to him. Rebecca is a masterpiece, because of Alfred Hitchcock.

[–] tday-1 17 years ago

Hi,one can never be too rich or have too many friends. Hey,thanks for info about Hitch. I thought he won honorary Oscar,poor guy. Did u know at one point an executive cut all all references to Cary suspected of murder and had a 58 minute version of Susupicion? Needless to say, Selznick and Hitch were furious and made him restore it,lol.

[–] rexshard93 17 years ago

Selznick wasn't involved in Suspicion (1941). Hitchcock was loaned out to RKO. A Producer named Sol Lesser trimmed Suspicion (1941) into 58 minutes. RKO head George Schaefer (he was the producer of Suspicion) was furious and called Hitchcock immediately to restore the film.

[–] tday-1 17 years ago

Hi,one can never be too rich or have too many friends.Selznick didn't produce the film but he's the one Hitch complained to about the butchering of his film. Selznick complained to RKO.after all it was a major assignment and Hitch was on loan out from Selznick.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] rexshard93 17 years ago

I think Hitchcock should have won an Oscar for Suspicion (1941). I loved the ending.

[–] mrob26 17 years ago

“Joan Fontaine complained Hitch wasn't riding her as hard as he did in Rebecca and the costume designer Edward Stevenson said she was getting thinner by the day, they had to use padding to match shots and Joan collapsed at one point from nervous exhaustion and malnutrition.”

Now I know why she looked so frail and thin during much of Suspicion. Her weight seemed to fluctuate also during Rebecca; at times she appeared razor thin.

As for her winning the Oscar for Suspicion, I think it was much deserved regardless of her losing out for Rebecca. In the short span between films she showed much more maturity and command in every scene.

[–] rexshard93 17 years ago

Its true Joan Fontaine complained Hitch wasn't riding her as hard as he did in Rebecca. But she later understood that Hitchcock wasn't feeling well while shooting Suspicion. Hitchcock had a fever. Both Hitchcock and Joan Fontaine had health problems while working together on Suspicion.

But they enjoyed working together. That's why Joan Fontaine considers Hitchcock and George Cukor as her favorite directors.