Portrait of Jennie a Classic Romantic Thriller

Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotton as Star Crossed Lovers

Aug 16, 2009 Christine Nyholm

Portrait of Jennie, a romantic thriller about star crossed lovers starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotton is a haunting film produced by David O. Selznick in 1948.

Portrait of Jennie, made in 1948, is a romantic thriller starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotton, in a mysterious love story of lovers caught in different times. The love story with a haunting supernatural tone reminiscent of The Enchanted Cottage (1945) and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947). Later movies it could be compared to include Ghost (1990) and Somewhere in Time (1980). Portrait of Jennie was produced by Jones' real life husband, David O. Selznick.

Portrait of Jennie stars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotton

Jennifer Jones, a leading star of the 1940’s and 1950’s, was directed by her husband David O. Selznick in this intriguing drama about an artist Eben Adams(Joseph Cotton) who falls in love with a beautiful girl from another era. The two meet in Central Park when she is a girl and he an adult. She appears to him sporadically to entreat Eben to wait for her to grow up.

Eben Adams (Joseph Cotton) is a struggling landscape painter in Depression era New York. A gallery owner, Miss Spinney (Ethyl Barrymore) takes an interest in the young man and encourages him in his art.

Cotton is infatuated with Jennie and paints a portrait of the beautiful girl. In painting her portrait his work comes to life. Miss Spinney takes Eben under her protective wing and is intrigued with his tale of the lovely but mysterious Jennie.

Jennie is a Mystery

Jennie sings lyrics to a haunting refrain: “Where I come from nobody knows,And where I’m going everything goes The wind blows, the sea flows, And nobody knows.”

Jennie tells Eben stories, which he begins to understand, are from another age. When he goes on a fact finding visit to a convent that Jennie mentioned, he learns from the school’s mother superior (Lillian Gish) that the beautiful girl had died tragically years before.

Jennie is haunted by his painting of the New England Sea, where the movie comes to a stunning and dramatic conclusion.

Portrait of Jennie is a haunting and complex romantic story, intriguing enough to view multiple times. The movie is filmed in black and white, with a tinted color segment and one color scene for a dramatic special effect. The entire film has an artistic, dreamlike quality, which suits the storyline of the movie.

Cast of Portrait of Jennie

• Joseph Cotton as Eben Adams
• Jennifer Jones as Jennie Appleton
• Ethel Barrymore as Miss Spinney
• Cecil Kellaway as Matthews
• Lillian Gish as Mother Mary of Mercy
• David Wayne as Gus O’Toole
• Florence Bates as Mrs. Jekes (landlady)
• Henry Hull as Eke
• Albert Sharpe as Moore
• Director: William Dierterle
• Producer: David O. Selznick

Portrait of Jennie can sometimes be seen on TCM (Turner Movie Classics) or is available on DVD.

Resources: TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and IMbd

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The copyright of the article Portrait of Jennie a Classic Romantic Thriller in Classic Films is owned by Christine Nyholm. Permission to republish Portrait of Jennie a Classic Romantic Thriller in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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