Customer Reviews

Portrait of Jennie (1948) / Movie [VHS]

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Haunting, exquisite, dreamlike film, which brought out my hidden-deep-inside emotions, myself not being a very emotional or demonstrative person, making it a definitely one-of-a-kind experience for me, just like "I'll Never Forget You" (1951), a remake of Leslie Howard's "Berkeley Square" (1933), starring Tyrone Power and Ann Blyth, made a likewise impression when I was just a child. Although, it must be said, "Portrait of Jennie" is a superior film.

There's something with these people-meeting-from-different-times-theme-based films, that have this special, strange & weird effect on me, being this movie (in my opinion) the definite masterpiece of its kind. For those who are interested, besides the mentioned above, you can try both versions of "Smilin' Through" (1932 & 1941), "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" (1947), "Somewhere in Time" (1980), and although not strictly of the kind, "Peter Ibbetson" (1935).

Jennifer Jones does a very fine job in the difficult part of the ethereal Jennie, giving credibility at the character's different stages of her life. Joseph Cotten, a very fine actor, is absolutely believable as the obsessed artist, who learns (unknowingly) that until one really loves somebody, one hasn't really lived.

Ethel Barrymore, grand dame of the American Theater and an occasional character film actress, gives a great performance in a part worthy of her talent, as the owner of an Art Gallery who befriends Cotten, becoming sort of her mentor. Others in the exceptional supporting cast: Cecil Kellaway (as Barrymore's partner), sweet grand lady of the silent screen, the legendary Lillian Gish (as a Nun) and funny and very human David Wayne (as Cotten's pal).

Trust me, if you're a sensitive person, this movie will linger in your mind for several days after watching it, and it won't end there, you will want to "experience" it again and again. Since I bought this dvd, and I've got a big video and dvd collection, I have watched it at least four times, not counting all the times I had previously seen it on TV's late night showings.

The dvd edition quality is very good and it gives one the special opportunity of watching the film in the original way it was intended to be seen, most of it in black and white, then switching to green shading (for the storm sequence), then to sepia tone and the final shot in full Technicolor, a special treat.

The dvd has no bonuses, except for the film's original trailer and, believe me, this picture does not need anything else!!

Jennifer Jones & Joseph Cotten starred in three other excellent pictures prior to this final pairing: "Since You Went Away" (1944), "Love Letters" (1945) and "Duel in the Sun", all of them produced by David O. Selznick, Jones' second husband.

"Portrait of Jennie" is the embodiment of ethereal supernatural melodrama at its very best. The film stars Joseph Cotton as disgruntled artist, Eben Adams. Disgusted at his inability to make inroads into the artistic community, Adams artistic sensibilities are castrated by gallery owner, Miss Spinney (Ethel Barrymore) who points out that there is no passion in his work. Disillusioned once more, Adams is all set to toss his fledgling career in the ash can when he suddenly comes in contact with the sprite, Jennie (Jennifer Jones). Though she too doesn't have much to say about Adams work, he suddenly becomes inspired by her and begins to sketch her portrait in Central Park. However, before he can finish, Jennie vanishes into thin air. Taken with the experience, Adams persists to draw Jennie from memory and consequently finds his muse. Throughout the film, Adams will repeatedly come in contact with the ghostly Jennie; each time she grows older than during their previous meetings. Not until Adams confronts an old nun, Mother Mary of Mercy (Lillian Gish) is the secret of Jennie finally revealed.
By 1948 David O. Selznick was fighting a losing war on a double front. His dreams of transforming his wife, Jennifer Jones into an actress, the stature of Garbo, had been met with increasing critical disdain. He was also by this point in his professional career well into a period of economic decline from which he and his studio would never recover. That "Portrait of Jennie" failed to find its audience at the box office suggests more of a post war cynicism for films with embellished romantic subplots - all of which had been highly successful and in great demand during Selznick's 30s tenure. However, at the time of its release it did nothing to alleviate Selznick's fiscal crisis.
MGM's DVD is rather impressive. The B&W picture exhibits a very nicely balanced gray scale with smooth, solid blacks and very clean whites. Age related artifacts are present throughout but do not distract. Some minor edge enhancement crops up but pixelization is kept to a minimum. Overall the picture will surely not disappoint. The audio is mono but more than adequate for a film of this vintage. There are no extras.

Joseph Cotten stars as a struggling artist trying to find the passion and inspiration to bring his art to life. A chance encounter in a park with a young girl named Jennie begins to spark his work, and their infrequent meetings afterwards fuel his creativity and feelings. Oddly, she seems to come from an earlier time and each occasion he meets her, she ages more than the time that has passed. He slowly pieces together the mystery of who she really is.

Cotten gives one of his best performances in this ethereal story. He's very convincing as the artist whose muse and love may very well be some sort of ghost. Jennifer Jones stars as the title character, and despite being given some heavy-handed dialogue, makes the character of Jennie quite believable at all stages of her life. The supporting cast is excellent, with particular praise going to a well cast Ethel Barrymore as the gallery owner who takes Cotten under her wing. She brings a weary, sad quality that matches the film perfectly.

The photography of the film is remarkable, having the quality of a painting throughout, with the last ten minutes very effectively filmed in Technicolor. The music also adds the other-worldly quality that permeates the movie.

The opening "lecture" of the film, however, is awkwardly done, hurt by some of the overbaked writing that occasionally plagues the dialogue. But the rest of the film succeeds admirably, creating a mood and romantic feeling that sustains the unusual story. It's unlike any other film you will see from that era.

A wonderful, haunting film that can be seen many times. Jennifer Jones is fantastic as Jennie, a mysterious young lady who inspires artist Eben Adams, excellently played by Joseph Cotton. The score, comprised of music of DeBussy, perfectly fits the drama on the screen. A great cast of supporting players are also at their best here: Lillian Gish, Ethel Barrymore, David Wayne, and Cecil Kellaway. Jennifer Jones is delightful as Jennie, aging from a child to young woman. Joseph Cotton and Jennifer Jones were a wonderful screen team and were at their best in this film and also in Love Letters. Viewers of this film glimpse New York City of decades past and see Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in glorious black and white. The most haunting and dramatic sequence is the hurricane sequence at the Lighthouse. Another memorable image is the portrait itself, shown in brilliant technicolor.This is one of Selznick's best and is a truly classic movie. It convincingly conveys the message that love is eternal.

This film is a magical gem. Despite the heavy-handed opening titles which were in vogue in the 40s, this story is one of a timeless love, and artistic inspiration. Set in New York in the 1940s, Joseph Cotton is a struggling painter who finds artistic inspiration in a chance encounter with an engaging little girl. But the girl becomes a mystery, as everything she talks about is from a past generation, and she asks him to wait for her to grow up.
Their chance meetings increase, and the threads of the mystery start piecing together, as each time they meet, she is significantly older. She in this world, but not of this world, and the entire film is as enchanting to the viewer as Jennie (Jennifer Jones) is to Eben (Cotton). Ethyl Barrimore, another actress who always had an "other world" quality becomes Eben's mentor in the art world, and his mother-figure confidant. Through her caring eyes we see both how his friends love him and fear for how the world would think he is insane.
Beautifully shot in ways that are still astounding, to make the film look like a painter's canvas, and also to make Jennie look somehow far away, even when she is in Eben's arms, the film is mainly in black and white, but as we reach the stormy climax, color comes into the frame, until the final shot in full color is the full realization of the promise of the film. Rarely has any film so successfully had the filming itself be as magical as the story. This is the ultimate romantic fantasy, a story and film that love can not only transcend time, it is beyond time. Beautiful in every respect.

This delightfully unique movie would have been very, very easy to have marred. Fortunately, director William Dieterle maintained a light touch throughout, managing just the right mood for each segment of the film. What could have easily have been hokey instead is eerie and delightful.

PORTRAIT OF JENNIE is unique not just for its subject matter, but for being one of the very, very few films of the Hollywood studio era to have been filmed on location in New York. Almost always in the 1930s and 1940s, a film that was supposedly set in New York or Chicago would in fact be filmed on a Hollywood back lot. In this case, that would have been a serious blow to the atmosphere of the film, since the numerous scenes shot in Central Park, with the unique skyline framing the park, creates imagery unlike any other film of the time.

The cast overall is quite excellent. Jennifer Jones is not completely believable in her role, but, then, I am not sure many actresses could have been. She is asked to age too much during the course of the film, and no adult actress is going to be completely believable as small girl and as an adult. I always love seeing Joseph Cotton in anything, and this was one of his finest romantic roles. The cast is filled out with a bevy of notable character actresses and actors, such as David Wayne, Lillian Gish, Ethel Barrymore, Florence Bates, Cecil Kellaway, and Henry Hull.

The ending is a bit anticlimactic. The heart of the story is Eben Adams's (Joseph Cotton) meeting Jennie, and the way she changes at each meeting, until he is able to solve her mystery. The ending was much ballyhooed by Selznick, with the striking tinted waves, but ironically it pales next to the much quieter, but far more emotionally involving, story of a man and a woman.

David O. Selznick was obsessed with his second wife Jennifer Jones, and he found a lovely vehicle for her in "Portrait of Jennie", an otherworldly romance pairing her once again with Joseph Cotten. One wonders whether Selznick saw himself somehow in Cotten, since he and Jennifer Jones appeared so often together in his movies.

Cotten plays a disgruntled artist, Eben Adams, who can't make a sale because, as gallery owner Ethel Barrymore points out to him, there is no love in his work, and he must learn to love something. Right on cue, he encounters an elfin child in Central Park who tells him her name is Jennie. She too tells him his work is not good, but suggests he draw her before seeming to vanish. Taken with the experience, Adams does draw the child, and is on his way towards better work. The rest of the movie concerns itself with his continued sightings of the bewitching Jennie, who is always older than she was last time, even though only a few weeks have passed. She is at last the muse his artwork has needed, but like so many inspirations, she seems always to elude him. Not until Adams confronts a nun played by Lillian Gish does the secret of Jennie finally burst upon him, and the result is a climax with a standout special effect at Cape Cod.

Like this special effect at Cape Cod, there is some really interesting photography in "Portrait of Jennie". For one thing, whenever Cotten is about to meet Jones again, the scene is overlaid with something to make it appear like a painted canvas, which is very effective. The lighting on Jennifer Jones when Cotten paints her gives her an unearthly beauty as well.Jennifer Jones does a good job as Jennie: the early characterization reminds one of her Bernadette, while she matures into an alluring woman by the film's conclusion. It was also fun for a New Yorker like me to see how many scenes were filmed in Central Park, and how even the convent school where Jennie went to school turned out to be Fort Tryon's The Cloisters Museum. The last scene, the technicolor debut of the "Portrait of Jennie" is appropriately enough in the upstairs hall of the uncredited Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Drawbacks? Cut out David Wayne and his sham Irish brogue. His scenes are quite unnecessary. Both I and my sister-in-law felt something else was going to happen with the Ethel Barrymore character, since she got such prominent attention. She seems to be on the verge of disclosing a secret, but it comes to naught.

However, these are small complaints about a very good picture. If you are ever in the mood for a love story with supernatural elements, then "Portrait of Jennie" is right up your alley.

This is what happened with Portrait of Jennie. David O. Selznick was so obssessed with Jennifer Jones that his judgement was clouded when it comes to choosing film projects for her. In the case of "Portrait of Jennie", this movie ran over budgeted when Selznick decided to add in a pompous "epic finale" with wind, waves and green tint.

When it was released, Portrait of Jennie did not set the world on fire, and it wasn't a hit. But years later, it have gone on to become a classic.

Joseph Cotten played an artist who ran into a young girl named Jennie in Central Park. The strange part of it is that for each successive time he meets her again, she grew older. With information he got from talking to Jennie, he did some research and found out to his astonishment that the girl he has been talking to could be the ghost of a dead woman. When the anniversary of the death of her parents came, Cotten find her grieving in the park. Pretty soon, as Jennie grew into a beautiful mature woman, Cotten fell in love with her. And when the anniversary of her death approaches, Cotten was determined to change history by rescuing Jennie from her fate. Alas, that was not to be, but the love the two share inspired the portrait of the young woman, hence the name of the movie.

Jennifer Jones delivered another high caliber performance. She can actually convincingly played a young little girl and then slowly turning into a mature young woman. It is my belief that if David O. Selznick's obsession with Jennifer caused her to become one of the most underrated actresses from the old Hollywood studio system. Her performance in this movie is absolutely mesmerising.

Portrait of Jennie captures Jennifer Jones in all her glory. She is still with us today and I am glad that she lives to see this movie turn from a flop to a classic favorite.

First of all, the DVD transfer is excellent!! Glorious black and white and the technicolor sequences are enthralling!! No extras aside from subtitles are included.
Now, "Portrait of Jennie" is, indeed, something from another world largely due to Jones' excellent performance. Her ethereal beauty was never more evident than in this picture (including The Song of Bernadette). There is pure magic between her and Joseph Cotten, the poor, lonely artist who captures the magic on canvas. The ending shot of the portrait is haunting...as is the picture itself. Jones was perfect casting for Jennie and unlike many of her other portrayals, her facial expressions and contortions during the overly dramatic scenes are not evident here making this portrayal one of her best. This is a great picture to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. If you happen to live by the sea, you'll really get a taste of what this movie is about. Romantic love, timeless as the ages, and as real and eternal as the wind ever blowing! A classic!

I've loved this movie for over 30 years, it's one of my top romantic favorites, and I have both the VHS and the DVD. I must say I was very disappointed in this DVD print. The print I have on the VHS tape is vastly superior to the DVD. My advice is to keep or purchase the VHS tape instead. This DVD print has lines, little artifacts running through scenes, and poor color. Either that, or wait till it is run on Turner Classic Movies to see it in its perfect glory....their print is PERFECT.