Remembrance of Jennie (-fer Jones)
Among the quirky films that have found the way to the top of my list of favorite movies is a little known (save to film buffs) 1948 picture, Portrait of Jennie, about Eben Adams (Joseph Cotten), a struggling artist, finding his muse, a woman (or is she just an image?) who helps him turn his raw talent into real accomplishment. Jennifer Jones, that muse, the subject of that portrait, died yesterday at her home in Malibu. She was 90.
Most obituaries mention the film only in passing (if at all). To be sure, her body of work was most impressive. She was nominated five times for an Academy Award, winning for her portrayal of Bernadette Soubirous in 1943′s The Song of Bernadette. But, I’ll always remember her portrayal of Jennie:
She plays the character with the same innocence she played Bernadette, but with an entirely different energy. There is something haunting about her appearance on screen, entirely appropriate because, if she is a real, she is a ghost, appearing only to the artist who will paint the portrait that will capture her beauty and secure his fame.
Those who warm to this movie find that her presence lingers long after the images have faded from the screen. Her presence is this movie is like a face in a painting that remains with you even when it (or a reproduction) is no longer in front of your eyes.
This is not to diminish the rest of her work, but only to draw to your attention to a too often neglected film. Hollywood has lost a legend this week. A truly talented actress has passed on, leaving us a number of great films and one particularly unusual one which really resonates for those of us fortunate enough to have seen it at turning points in our lives.
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agreed. classic actress and one of my fave movies of all time. I believe also a movie way ahead of its times. this and the 3rd man from the same era dont get enough attention. anything J Cotton and J Jones touched back then was & still is a pure classic.
may she RIP
Comment by lu-ee — December 18, 2009 @ 5:23 am - December 18, 2009
I loved this movie. And Song of Bernadette. She was great.
Comment by Ashpenaz — December 18, 2009 @ 11:50 am - December 18, 2009
Thanks, put it on my netflix list. I love discovering all those wonderful classic movies. Feel free to mention them more often.
Comment by Leah — December 18, 2009 @ 12:42 pm - December 18, 2009
wow…this looks really cool….glad you posted about it. That opening visual of the clouds and Manhattan was great, and the acting and content make me want to see this.
Comment by Patrick — December 18, 2009 @ 12:45 pm - December 18, 2009
“Portrait of Jennie” is one of my all-time favorites, and so few people know of this quirky, fabulous film. I have it on a homemade VHS tape, and ironically, my 19-year-old daughter watched it with me for the first time over the summer. She loved it, and she isn’t easy to please when it comes to B&W films. She thinks most from the “old era” are hokey, but was mesmerized by “Jennie.”
Comment by ClassicFilm — December 18, 2009 @ 4:32 pm - December 18, 2009
Dan, thanks for reminding me of this film. I first saw it on TV when I was a kid and it made an indelible impression on me. I keep checking TCM to see if they are ever going to show it, but so far, either they haven’t or I’ve missed it. Joseph Cotton has always been one of favorite actors too (Shadow of a Doubt).
Comment by John in Dublin CA — December 18, 2009 @ 4:38 pm - December 18, 2009
Actually, I found the entire movie on “you tube”, six segments but it is all inclusive; for anyone who wants to see it, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOxor54a_vQ
Comment by John in Dublin CA — December 18, 2009 @ 6:14 pm - December 18, 2009