Customer Ratings & Reviews

A classic movie with a captivating storyline. Wonderful interaction between characters.

Delightful and insightful movie..wonderful performances by wonderful actors..glad to be

Jennifer Jones (The Song of Bernadette) and Joseph Cotten star in Portrait of Jennie, a 1948 film that revolved around a painter's obsession with a beautiful, mysterious girl who seems to live more in the past than the present. Eben Adams (Cotten) is a washed-up painter on hard times and lacks inspiration until he meets Jennie (Jones) in a New York park. Jennie has an unusual way of speaking about past events as though they are current (referring to Germany's kaiser, and to theaters that had been demolished). Her fresh-faced beauty appeals to Adams, and Jennie makes the wish that he wait for her to grow up so that they can be together. Jennie's sporadic appearances allow time for Eben to work on other commissions, and to research Jennie more carefully by interviewing people who had worked with her parents (famous high-wire circus performers). Inevitably, dark truths are uncovered that disturb Eben's "painting-perfect" romance with the soft-spoken, beautiful Jennie. His portrait of her is a testament to his love and brings him artistic fame. Eben is also introduced to Miss Spinney (Ethel Barrymore), a headstrong old maid who deals in paintings and who wants to see Eben produce something more spiritual. Other notable names include Lillian Gish as Mother Mary of Mercy, Cecil Kellaway as Matthews, and a young Nancy Davis Reagan in the art gallery. Joseph Cotten is an engaging narrator, and his growing dependence on Jennie and his depression over Jennie's long absences is utterly believable (if a bit melodramatic). Jennifer Jones has more to work with here than in her first Oscar-winning role as Bernadette, although seeing a well-proportioned twentysomething trying to portray prepubescent innocence was a little bit creepy (see: Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz). Her character ages rapidly both physically and psychologically, so Jones was able to display a range of emotions, from a childhood crush to deeper musings on the nature of love and faith. Some of the secondary characters suffer from disappearing Irish accents; others shamelessly (sometimes woodenly) overact. The film follows several conventions of its time, and appears dated. The "special effects" are pretty standard; several scale models are used and a green tint is used for the final scenes. There are some beautifully dreamy shots of New York City, and the fabulous effect of having shots appear as though they were painted on canvas. The DVD transfer features some artifacts and print flaws. There are no extras to speak of. However, fans of time-travel romances The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Somewhere in Time will enjoy Portrait of Jennie, although the strongest film of this genre is undoubtedly The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Despite its shortcomings, Portrait of Jennie is a pretty decent love story.

Jones & Cotton; a dynamic duo. I just love the old classics!!!