valvolina402 Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 I was just wondering, out of these talented sisters, which one do you like best? I like both almost equally, but since Joan Fontaine was in the first two old movies, (two of my favorites) i ever saw, Jane Eyre and Rebecca, I'll have to give her my vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 It's Olivia de Havilland hands down for me. I enjoyed much more her performances especially in "Gone with the Wind", "Hold Back the Dawn", "The Dark Mirror" "Strawberry Blonde", "To Each His Own", "The Snake Pit", "The Heiress", "Not As a Stranger", "Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte", "Lady in a Cage" etc. Joan Fontaine, although good, always comes across the same as she did in "Rebecca" and "Suspicion". She is not as versatile as her sister. Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinemetal Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Though I like Fontaine very much (even in Kiss the Blood Off My Hands! Any takers?), Olivia is one of my absolute favorite actresses and loveliest faces in classic Hollywood history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellabluegrl Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 I'm with you Mongo. Joan Fontaine was wonderful in "Rebecca" & "Suspicion" just to name a few, but I feel she always seemed to play the same type of character (quiet, shy, reserved). Olivia De Havilland, on the other hand, played the part of Melanie in GWTW as a quite, sweet, retiring & demure wife and then turned around in the movie "The Heiress" to play a part that was at times ruthless, coldy vicious, and heartless. Her range of acting did indeed surpass her sister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymirabelle45 Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Definitely Olivia. Look at how good she was in The Snake Pit, and The Heiress. In my opinion Joan never came close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valvolina402 Posted March 12, 2004 Author Share Posted March 12, 2004 I can totally understand why you guys have picked Olivia over Joan. You have to understand the reason I like Joan so well is because i am shy, quiet, and somewhat reserved, so i can always relate to her characters. I do think Olivia is a better actress, but didn't play the roles i related to as much. I'm probably the only one who enjoys when actresses are type-casted. Weird, I know, but i can't enjoy a movie as much if I can't relate to its female lead, and I could always count on Joan to play my favorite type of character! I relize most woman/men enjoy or admire the strong, determined, independent women in movies, but I'm quite the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 valvolina there is nothing wrong with your choice of Joan Fontaine. She is an Oscar winning actress and was nominated for other films. She was a favorite in her time and is a beautiful woman. She is your choice and you have every right to be proud of it. Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Could we at least agree that Olivia De Havilland had the better-sounding name of the two? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 *has*, not "had"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littletramplover Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 "*has*, not "had"... " Thank God, Antar, for a minute there I was terrified that there was some bad news about Ms deHavilland. I simply adore Joan, but Olivia is my favorite as well. She's Melly!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgm80s Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Hey Mongo you forgot "The Adventures of Robin Hood" I LOVE that movie, lots of fun to watch. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellabluegrl Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Pete--"The Adventures of Robin Hood" is an awesome movie!! That's one of the first classics I ever saw and I love it today as much as I did when I was a kid. Valvolina402--Your preference of Joan over Olivia is completely up to you. We all have different opinions and I totally respect yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgm80s Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Stella if you don't have it on DVD get the spacial editon, it has great extras on it with outtakes and a blooper reel, even Mr Osborne appears on the extras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgm80s Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 *spacial* oops special , but you know what I meant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stellabluegrl Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I like *spacial* better anyway Pete Thanks for lettin' me know about the DVD version. I have an old copy that I taped off TCM. I would love to see the bloopers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgm80s Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 The Bloopers are Great! Its actually a reel called Breakdowns of 1938 and has many of the Warner actors messing up and its pretty good, you get to see a lot of the stars swearing. Such as Errol Flynn and Bette Davis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinemetal Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Though I mentioned earlier that I prefer Olivia D, I have to throw down some love for my girl Joan F., particularly her nuanced, heartbreaking performance in Letter to an Unknown Woman (1948, Ophuls), which should have won her the Oscar instead of Suspicion. Indeed, there is a poignance and resonance in the best of Fontaine's performances which surpassed even that of my homegirl Olivia in their delicacy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaneboop Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I have to say Olivia because she was given better roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orson4ever Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I guess I'm a bit like valvolina402, in that my earliest exposure to the sisters involved Joan's movies (I'm especially fond of Jane Eyre, which I hope Fox will release on DVD sometime this century!). No doubt about it, Olivia got the better and more versatile roles, but for some reason I remained more fascinated with Jane's introspective parts. I guess Olivia's roles somehow seemed more soap opera-ish to me (plus I've never been a GWTW fan), but I admit I haven't seen all of her movies, so that may be a misconception on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moviejoe79 Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I have to say Joan Fontaine. I have always enjoyed her more. Like Orson4ever said, Olivia's roles were always very soap-operaish, and even though she was a superb actress, sometimes she was a little TOO dramatic. I think Joan's subtlety worked in her favor, she got the point across without being a ham. And "Rebecca" is one of my all time favorites - I think her performance is amazing, and can easily hold up against any of Olivia's performances. I also feel that Olivia was given more of an opportunity. Like someone else said, she simply got better roles. Joan was forced to do a lot of crap movies once the fifties rolled around (just look at "Serenade" - yawn). And even in the 30's and 40's Olivia had more starring roles, and more roles in memorable movies - which is why she has always been considered a "bigger" star, even today. In fact I think Olivia's status as a bigger star has been one of the reasons why they don't speak to one another. But, thankfully they're both still around, and Olivia's in the process of writing her autobiography, which will hopefully shed some light on the famous feud of these two living legends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valvolina402 Posted March 12, 2004 Author Share Posted March 12, 2004 I agree that Olivia was given better and different roles so she seemed more versitle that Joan because Joan was always given the same roles. Therefore, she didn't have a chance to be versitle, so we'll probably never know how great Joan really could have been. I also can't wait for Olivia's book to come out. I hope it'll help me understand why they fueded so much. I know Joan has a biography out too, made awhile ago, much i have never read it. If anyone has read it, how is it, and does it shed any light on the sisters' fueding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valvolina402 Posted March 12, 2004 Author Share Posted March 12, 2004 I just realized I spelt versatile wrong twice, oops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 I've really enjoyed reading through this thread. Even those whose opinions differ, the reasons why seem well thought-out. I'm also one who will have to go with Olivia, but it's only because of what others have already mentioned...she was given a wide range of excellent movies and roles, and she was up to each of them. Although I liked her very much in movies like "The Snake Pit", and "The Heiress", it's as Melanie Wilkes in "Gone With The Wind" that I'll always remember her with the most fondness. She was Melanie, and how could anyone not adore her? In fairness to Joan, I've not seen her best films yet, so I really can't say that she wasn't as equally a fine actress as Olivia. ML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valvolina402 Posted March 13, 2004 Author Share Posted March 13, 2004 Classicsfan I'm glad you enjoy this thread. It's been very interesting listening to all of the responses. Searching through the message boards it seemed like no one talked about Joan Fontaine (one of my faves)and always mentioned Olivia De Havilland, so i posted this to figure why everyone like Olivia so much, and to see if i wasn't alone in my preference towards Joan. I can now see why most people enjoy Olivia over Joan. But I still have to give my vote to Joan. For some reason, she has a quality, i don't know what, that makes me want to watch her on the screen everytime i watch one of her movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicsfan1119 Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 This is always how it works for everyone here...we all have our personal tastes or reasons for whom we like, or what we like about them. And, it is always nice to see what other people think or see about the same person. I've frequently been made aware of something that I never saw before in an actor, and then I became more interested in paying closer attention the next time I saw that actor. ML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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