Portrait of Jennie

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 ...

This is a wonderfully captivating story featuring Joseph Cotton as ("Eben") a struggling artist - he just cannot find inspiration. When he visits the gallery of Ethel Barrymore, she acquires one of his paintings - sympathy or shrewdness? Well, shortly afterwards he encounters the young "Jennie" (Jennifer Jones) and all of a sudden his outlook brightens, his life begins to take shape - but, is she what he thinks she is, needs her to be - is any of it? William Dieterle has assembled a super cast to support this gently bubbling and engaging story - Cecil Kellaway as Barrymore's sidekick in the gallery "Matthews" and a very brief cameo from Lilian Gish all contribute really potently to this classy story. It is well photographed and delicately d...