1941 – Joan Fontaine
Suspicion
Clearly, Alfred Hitchcock had his favorites, and when it came to Joan Fontaine, the reason why was obvious. Not only was she absolutely gorgeous, but she knew how to act, as well. She was first nominated for an Academy Award in 1940 for Rebecca. I liked her performance there, but I liked her even more here. The character she played seemed to be more realistic, more relatable. In Rebecca, the second Mrs. DeWinter was a little one-note in her terminal shyness.
In Suspicion, she played Lina McLaidlaw, a sheltered young woman who was on course to be a spinster, when she meets and falls madly in love with Johnnie Aysgarth. Very soon after they meet, they are married, and when they arrive home from their honeymoon, she learns that her new husband is a penniless playboy who has never worked a day in his life. After learning she has been lied to, and that her man has already put them into financial distress, she would naturally begin to doubt all his motives and intentions. He continues to lie to her as the marriage progresses, mostly about money and gambling.
This is where Fontaine shined. Her consistent disappointments, and the ever-present lack of communication that was a staple of 1940s movie romances, all combined to make her doubt his every word. Fontaine really understood her character, never allowing herself to go over the top with her reactions. Her facial expressions and her body language was all perfectly timed. In other words, she sold the character, lending complete credence to the film’s title, even to the point of suspecting Johnnie of murdering his best friend for his money.
Fontaine was wonderful as she drew her audience into her character’s suspicions, making us doubt her husband as much as she did. That is the mark of both a great script and a great actress. I mean, Cary Grant played Cary Grant (again), but Fontaine played a nuanced character with a wide range of emotions. I really loved how she played every moment when she learned of Johnnie’s shortcomings. She had worry, disappointment, fear, and everything in between, but she clearly never lost her love for her man. After all, it was still 1941.