Best Picture nominees:
All This, and Heaven Too
Foreign Correspondent
The Grapes of Wrath
The Great Dictator
Kitty Foyle
The Letter
The Long Voyage Home
Our Town
The Philadelphia Story
Rebecca
What won: Rebecca
For the second year in a row, independent producer David O. Selznick, with his defining hands-on approach and Oscar campaigning, helmed the film that won Best Picture. As mentioned before, this was Hitchcock's first foray into the Hollywood system, although he was aided by notable British actor Laurence Olivier. This was the only film in the Master of Suspense's filmography to take home the top prize and looking ahead shows that Oscar wasn't too kind to him. There were two Best Picture nominees for 1940 but we will only see two more in this Project. Although it won only one other Oscar, it did have the highest amount of nominations of the night with eleven. It was also box office success with some sources claiming it was the top-grossing film of 1940. If you're noticing that I am not mentioning details about the film itself, that may be because it is the topic of the next section of this culminating post...
What should have won: Rebecca
For the first time since the 4th Academy Awards, I agree with Oscar. Hitchcock will soon be snubbed by the Academy, but they couldn't deny his touch in his debut year in Hollywood. Although Olivier is the most revered actor involved in the picture, it's the two featured women who shine. Joan Fontaine plays an insecure, tense, and timid second wife to Olivier as her character directly correlates to how we should be perceiving the dread of Manderley. Most of that dread comes through the performance that I think should have won Best Supporting Actress in Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers, one of the all-time movie villains. Her dry and backhanded cruel tone along with her expressionless face is complimented by the exquisite cinematography that so appropriately shrouds the cavernous and cold home that Fontaine has to endure. I'm glad Oscar and I can finally agree after so much time, especially considering the film is directed by somebody I consider one of the greatest of all-time. I briefly considered Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940) but the performances, set design, cinematography, and captivating story were too much to overlook, particularly with the actual Best Picture win.
My Best Picture nominee rankings:
1. Rebecca (8/10)
2. The Great Dictator (8/10)
3. The Letter (8/10)
4. The Philadelphia Story (8/10)
5. The Grapes of Wrath (8/10)
6. The Long Voyage Home (7/10)
7. Foreign Correspondent (7/10)
8. Kitty Foyle (7/10)
9. All This, and Heaven Too (7/10)
10. Our Town (6/10)