On P List of Movie Reviews
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Portrait of Jennie (1948)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
2/16
2/16:
I think, at least for David O. Selznick, the purpose of Portrait of Jennie was to show off his
soon-to-be wife Jennifer Jones to the audience as the most beautiful woman in the world.
Other than that, it's not much of a film, a certified box-office flop which was re-released under a different
title resulting in another box-office flop. The people knew better each time.
Reminding me of Vertigo and Rebecca, the
story is silly. It initially holds up well while trying hard to be supernaturally timeless. Then, the film goes
in a downward spiral by repeating the same plot device. Finally, the colorized ending has done it in once and
for all, justifying my rating of '4'.
Joseph Cotten is stiff as usual and doesn't have the goods to take on a romantic leading role. At the time, he
was perhaps a safe choice to curb David O. Selznick's jealousy. Jennifer Jones is Jennifer Jones, but I can't
get over the creepy fact that she pretended to be a child in order to woo a significantly old man. So, it means
Eben Adams was a pedophile to begin with, yes? On the other hand, Jennifer Jones' portraits as Jennie look
ordinary. At least, the movie does a good job when it comes to the definition of a "muse."
All in all, Portrait of Jennie would be better if the direction was slightly tweaked and Joseph Cotten
showed some flexibility.