Portrait of Jennie

1948

1h 26m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

115

YOUR RATING

Rate

POPULARITY

Play trailer

2 Videos

50 Images

Drama

Romance

Fantasy

Mystery

A mysterious girl inspires a struggling artist.

Directors

William Dieterle

Writers

Robert Nathan(novel by)

Leonardo Bercovici(adaptation by)

Paul Osborn(screenplay by)

Stars

Jennifer Jones

Joseph Cotten

Ethel Barrymore

See production, box office & company info

Videos2

Trailer
Watch Portrait of Jennie (1948) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
Featurette
Watch Joe Dante on PORTRAIT OF JENNIE

Top cast

Jennie Appleton

Eben Adams

Miss Spinney

Mother Mary of Mercy

Matthews

Gus O'Toole

Mrs. Jekes

Moore

Eke

Pete

Capt. Cobb

Clara Morgan

Teenager In Art Gallery

Nancy Reagan

Teenager in Art Gallery

Nancy Olson

Teenager in Art Gallery

Directors

William Dieterle

Writers

Robert Nathan(novel by)

Leonardo Bercovici(adaptation by)

Paul Osborn(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Eerie, magnetic and just incredibly lovely. Eben Adams is a struggling artist who feels his work has no real substance, but one day as he mopes around Central Park, a beautiful young girl by the name of Jennie Appleton meets his acquaintance. Totally enchanting, Jennie engages Eben in a conversation that doesn't sit quite right with the time, then after singing him a haunting little tune she vanishes as quickly as she had appeared. From this point on, Eben's life will never be the same, both artistically and emotionally. Portrait Of Jennie can be bracketed in the multi genre department, part mystery, part romance and certainly fantastical, it's a wonderfully put together picture that is ready made to lift the gloom on a dark winters night. It's the sort of picture that I personally believe you are better going into without any real sense of plot preparation, there are plenty of great reviews for this picture readily available, and all are justified, I can but merely concur with the many positives this delightful picture has garnered. Directed with a very astute awareness of the theme by William Dieterele, the picture benefits from excellent technical aspects across the board. Joseph Cotten gives perhaps one of his greatest performances as Eben Adams, while the classically beautiful Jennifer Jones (Jennie Appleton) lights up the screen as each scene with her in becomes hauntingly emotional. Wonderful support comes from Ethel Barrymore & Cecil Kellaway, whilst Lillian Gish pops up for a crucial, and impacting piece of work. Joseph August's cinematography is simply brilliant, nominated for an academy award, the way he uses ethereal hues to influence the story is easy on the eye and fully forms the atmosphere. Dimitri Tiomkin takes up scoring duties, appealingly influenced by Claude Debussy, Tiomkin lays down a memorable score that has much to savour. And the final pat on the back goes to the special effects team who picked up the academy award for their excellent efforts. Technically brilliant and with a story to match, Portrait Of Jennie is highly recommended viewing to those who want to be taken far away to some place rather nice, see it with someone you care about and give them a hug as the ending plays out. 8.5/10

John Chard02 Aug, 2019