Classic Film Review: From This Day Forward (1946)

Utilising flashbacks, From This Day Forward tells the story of Susan (Joan Fontaine) and Bill's (Mark Stevens) marriage and the difficulties their face both before the war and in the present with Bill waiting in line at the employment office. It's a slice-of-life domestic drama which also features Rosemary DeCamp as Susan's sister Martha and Harry Morgan as her husband Hank.

Although this film gets it right in places, it's a bit of an unshapely mess designed to promote the work the US Employment Office was doing post-war. We start with Bill filling in forms and he doesn't want to do it for whatever reason so we get flashbacks to his engagement and early married life. The problem is that there's no real urgency in the narrative. We don't find out Bill's 'fear' about why he won't get a job for quite some time and, by then, it's ceased to matter. There's no real on-going thread beyond the marriage and that gets stale. Something else which irritated me was the representation of Hank. I appreciated his layabout nature in the majority of the film - it contrasted neatly with Bill's work ethic and gave a more negative portrayal of a marriage with Harry Morgan once again proving his worth as an excellent supporting actor. However, by the end of the film he seems to be a reformed character with no explanation of why.

The performances overall are good, however. Joan Fontaine might be a little miscast as a New York housewife but she's stunning in every scene and that more than makes up for it in my opinion. I feel as though the role of Bill could've been played by anyone but Mark Stevens makes a good job of it. In their early scenes, though, Rosemary DeCamp and Harry Morgan are just brilliant and it's their representation of married life which lingers more potently for me.

Overall, this film feels a little laboured but has some good moments. It would've been better had it not been a blatant piece of propaganda for a government office with a plot tacked on but Fontaine still sparkles.

Classic Film Review: Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)

Letter from an Unknown Woman stars Louis Jourdan as Stefan Brand, a former concert pianist who travels home one night having been challenged to a duel. He intends to leave town to avoid it but a letter has been delivered that captures his attention. It's from Lisa Berndle (Joan Fontaine) and begins with the proclamation that she may be dead by the time he reads it. She had fallen in love with him at first sight many years earlier and much of the film is comprised of flashbacks to show how their relationship developed and how it came to be that the intimate letter was from an 'unknown woman'.

I've heard it said that this film is Joan Fontaine's finest and I'm happy to concur. She is outstanding, as much of a presence here as she was in Rebecca eight years earlier (reviewed here). It was impossible for me to look away from her face in any given scene, though sometimes I wanted to due to the strength of emotion she was portraying. A couple of scenes stand out in this regard. The scene where she flees her mother and stepfather and returns to see Stefan is heartbreaking, as is the scene later in the film where she realises that he doesn't remember her at all. Fontaine's ability to convey so much in one look is what makes her one of my favourite actresses and this film showcases that tremendously.

Jourdan is well-cast as Stefan, particularly in the present-day scenes as he struggles with what he's reading. He portrays his charming selfishness perfectly until it eventually cracks under his realisation. The rest of the cast is good but mostly in the background. This film belongs to Fontaine and Jourdan - and more Fontaine than Jourdan. However, a word must be given to the exquisite direction, especially in the scenes where Lisa is watching Stefan. These scenes are works of art and the film as a whole is put together so lovingly.

I can't think of a bad thing to say about Letter from an Unknown Woman. It left me feeling as though my heart had been ripped out but the ending did the story justice. I think perhaps this is Fontaine's finest film, but I'll have to continue my journey through her filmography to confirm that.

Classic Film Review: Suspicion (1941)

Suspicion stars Joan Fontaine as Lina, a woman living with her parents who, rather unkindly, label her a spinster within her hearing. She has encountered Johnnie Aysgarth (Cary Grant) on a train and he pursues her. They swiftly elope and have an excellent honeymoon but when they return to Britain Lina has to confront the fact that Johnnie a chancer, a gambler who is adept at manipulating people. Her worries deepen when she suspects he means to kill his friend Beaky (Nigel Bruce) to procure money but is she correct about his intentions?

This is an excellent film, winning Joan Fontaine a much-deserved Oscar for her performance. The development of Lina from a bright but in-love heroine to a fearful wife who is petrified about the potential ruthlessness of the man she has married. Fontaine's a very subtle actress, sometimes the slight lift of an eyebrow is all that distinguishes an emotion, but she's very effective. A combination of an excellent script and her wonderful control of the role created a heroine who wasn't weak but didn't know exactly what to do with her suspicions either. The consistent use of her glasses throughout not only worked as a metaphor but added to the overall tension. Cary Grant works very well in a darker role than he is known for. The flashes of anger that punctuate the film create a sense of unease, encouraging the viewer to share Lina's beliefs rather than trust in Johnnie. There are some excellent scenes, showing Hitchcock's matchless talent for creating tension, for example, the long-shot of Johnnie delivering an odd-looking drink to his sick wife.

Ultimately, though, as gripping as the rest of the film was, I feel that the ending let it down. It wasn't true to the characters, nor very satisfying for the audience. I understand that the ending of the book was altogether different and this is yet another instance of executives interfering with story-telling. Nevertheless, Suspicion is an excellent film, worth watching for the Oscar-winning performance from Fontaine alone.

RIP Joan Fontaine

With all the discussion of Peter O'Toole's death, announced yesterday, it would be easy for the death of another Hollywood star to go unnoticed. The wonderful Joan Fontaine died yesterday aged 96, a brilliant age, perhaps, but why did I still get the feeling she'd been taken too soon? The Hollywood stars of the 40s and 50s that I adore are so fresh in my memory that it's still a shock when one of them dies and Joan has become one of my favourites.

The first film I saw her in was A Damsel in Distress (1937) with Fred Astaire. It was an odd film with a screen play by PG Wodehouse and songs by the Gershwins but, while Astaire's charm and dancing ability was ever present, I was more interested in his beautiful colleague. Although not Astaire's usual kind of co-star, there was something about her that pulled me in: maybe the eyes, maybe the smile, maybe just the sense that I was to see her in better things - which I did.

I've since reviewed three of her films on here: Rebecca (1940), Jane Eyre (1943) and Born to Be Bad (1950). In the last of these, she plays a manipulative woman determined to outsmart those around her to get what she wants. It wasn't the kind of role I'd come to associate with her but she pulled it off remarkably well, revealing another layer to an excellent actress. However, she's at her absolute best in Rebecca, engaging throughout and a brilliant co-star to the titan Laurence Olivier. If there's one film I think she'll be remembered for, it's Rebecca, and rightly so.

There are many more Fontaine films out there for me to discover and enjoy. Hours of pleasure from an actress I don't think has been properly appreciated in recent years. Maybe her death'll change that. RIP Joan and thanks for the wonderful legacy.

Classic Film Review: Born to Be Bad (1950)

Born to Be Bad stars Joan Fontaine as Christabel Caine. After living with her poor Aunt Clara (Virginia Farmer) for most of her life, she moves to train as a clerk for her rich Uncle John (Harold Vermilyea). His current assistant Donna (Joan Leslie) is giving up work to marry the philanthropist Curtis Carey (Zachary Scott). When Christabel arrives she is physically attracted to novelist Nick Bradley (Robert Ryan) but also Curtis's money. Her kind, unobtrusive exterior masks a calculating young woman who is determined to get the kind of life she wants.

I was interested to see Fontaine as something of a villain. My previous experiences with her have been in inherently 'good' roles in films such as Rebecca (1940) and Jane Eyre (1943). However, the role suited her very well. Christabel is a complex character, saying one thing and wanting another, and Fontaine managed to pull this off with subtlety, particularly in the second half of the film. She was a manipulative character who, nevertheless, I half-wanted to see succeed but, ultimately, she can't be happy if she is sacrificing half of herself to fuel the other half.

I wasn't too sure about Robert Ryan as Nick. For me, he overplayed it in places. He was much more believable when he was being harsh and cutting. As soon as the character moved to expressing emotion, I lost a little interest in him. I also struggled with Zachary Scott as Curtis in places but this was due to the about-turn the character makes in the middle of the film with little warning and no real motivation. My favourite male character was probably painter Gobby (Mel Ferrer), a man who sees all and practically sees through Christabel from the start. He adds a little light humour to what could've been a heavy film. In addition, Joan Leslie as Donna was brilliant and I adored the scene where she confronts Christabel.

In places, this film is very clever and expertly put together. I don't think that Born to Be Bad is the best film any of those involved did but it unashamedly allows Christabel a decent ending, something I wasn't expecting. Overall, an enjoyable film.

Classic Film Review: Rebecca (1940)

Based on the book by Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca tells the story of the second Mrs de Winter (Joan Fontaine) who marries Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) after a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo and returns to England to his family home of Manderley. Once there, however, she finds the house, her husband and the servants - particularly housekeeper Mrs Danvers (Judith Anderson) - all preoccupied with his first wife, Rebecca. Mrs de Winter at first feels inferior but the truth has the potential to be much more damaging.

You can certainly tell this is a Hitchcock film. Even as an early one, it displays some of the techniques he employs to such effect in later films. For instance, the scene when Mrs de Winter ventures into Rebecca's chamber is atmospheric to the extreme, with camera angles and lighting being deployed to their full potential. Equally, the character of Mrs Danvers is represented as menacing at all times thanks to Hitchcock's direction. Mixed with excellent performances from the three main actors, along with those from George Sanders, Florence Bates, Edward Fielding and Leonard Carey, this is a truly remarkable film.

Joan Fontaine is outstanding as the anxious bride. In a few scenes she seemed to almost quiver out from the screen, especially in her pivotal scene in the bedroom with Mrs Danvers. Laurence Olivier is equally engaging in his pivotal scenes towards the end of the film. In fact, whether it's a small scene or a large one, Olivier commands attention. In his first few scenes with Fontaine I actually found it difficult to concentrate on her, so overwhelming was Olivier's presence.

This is truly a gripping film. Some elements were altered in the transition from book to film but they work cinematically and that's the most important thing. Judith Anderson's performance works completely and I came away this film deeply unsettled by the character of Mrs Danvers. For me, she was the one who lived on, despite the chilling finale.

Classic Film Review: Jane Eyre (1943)

I became interested in Joan Fontaine after watching her with Fred Astaire in A Damsel in Distress (1937). To put it bluntly, I was bewitched. When I saw that she was in Jane Eyre opposite Orson Welles I was fairly excited.

The film does have the melodramatic feel of the era but also manages to recreate some of the foreboding atmosphere of Lowood and Thornfield. Fontaine - despite her beauty - makes a very good plain Jane because they don't glamorise her as much as I feared they would. As for Welles as Mr Rochester... Well, that was just an excellent bit of casting. He's got the presence of Rochester, the humour lingering beneath the surface and I felt he had real chemistry with Fontaine. The supporting cast was pretty good as well: Margaret O'Brien's pre-Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) French accent as young Adele was much better than I expected, though I'm not a huge fan of her. Agnes Moorehead was the perfect Mrs Reed while Henry Daniell played the terrible Mr Brocklehurst to perfection. The plot is slimmed down from the book and misses out some interesting scenes (I'm assuming Orson Welles wasn't keen on dressing up like a gypsy). Nevertheless, this was a good adaptation and one that never pretended to be more than the entertainment it was.

If I had to pick one favourite scene it would probably be Rochester's horse being spooked by Jane on the moors. Wonderfully shot and a nice precursor to the movement of their relationship. All in all, thoroughly enjoyable and, yes, my obsession with Joan Fontaine is growing.