A film that entranced me as a child, I was so pleased to recently buy the DVD and settle down to watch it again some 30 years on. I knew it wouldn't disappoint and I was right. I adore fantasy films of this type, usually involving some slip in time, besides the obvious "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Matter of Life and Death", there's even "The Bishop's Wife" and "Heaven Can Wait" waiting in line.
"Portrait Of Jennie" is lesser known than all of these and most unfairly so in my estimation. Over its short running time, it manages to involve the viewer (well, this one at least) in its fantastical plot and build up to a brilliantly rendered special effects climax. The leads are excellent, Cotten convincing in conveying what must have seemed on paper a ridiculous premise, whilst Jennifer Jones is radiant in the title role, hurrying up to grow up until she reaches adulthood and her day of destiny with Cotton. The heavyweight support of stalwarts Lilian Gish and Ethel Barrymore gives some needed gravitas to the fable to stop it flying off to cartoon-land whilst the artistic direction is beautiful to behold - lovely to see late 40's New York so well - rendered.
The special effects are slightly mixed in quality with some too obvious process shots in the first half but these are forgotten by the time of the storm-scene climax, announced spectacularly by bursts of Technicolour toning. I think the ending is wrong though, surely Eben should have died with Jennie in the storm like Troilus and Cressida or Romeo and Juliet but that's nit-picking; this movie effortlessly draws you into its dream-world and deposits you at the end exhilarated and satisfied.
I sometime wonder what happened to the portrait of Jones herself as it certainly is a lovely painting...
"Portrait Of Jennie" is lesser known than all of these and most unfairly so in my estimation. Over its short running time, it manages to involve the viewer (well, this one at least) in its fantastical plot and build up to a brilliantly rendered special effects climax. The leads are excellent, Cotten convincing in conveying what must have seemed on paper a ridiculous premise, whilst Jennifer Jones is radiant in the title role, hurrying up to grow up until she reaches adulthood and her day of destiny with Cotton. The heavyweight support of stalwarts Lilian Gish and Ethel Barrymore gives some needed gravitas to the fable to stop it flying off to cartoon-land whilst the artistic direction is beautiful to behold - lovely to see late 40's New York so well - rendered.
The special effects are slightly mixed in quality with some too obvious process shots in the first half but these are forgotten by the time of the storm-scene climax, announced spectacularly by bursts of Technicolour toning. I think the ending is wrong though, surely Eben should have died with Jennie in the storm like Troilus and Cressida or Romeo and Juliet but that's nit-picking; this movie effortlessly draws you into its dream-world and deposits you at the end exhilarated and satisfied.
I sometime wonder what happened to the portrait of Jones herself as it certainly is a lovely painting...