In late 1948, producer David O. Selznick released Portrait of Jennie, a romantic fantasy that defied the conventions and, not surprisingly, died at the box-office. Audiences were asked to accept a “serious” romance between a man and a female ghost in a time-curving story in which the past and the present come together. It’s easy to see why ticket buyers resisted its ahead-of-its-time metaphysics: there’s nothing comic about the way its fairy-tale elements intermingle with its reality; the film retains an aura of mystery, choosing not to go out of its way to explain its necessarily inexplicable plot, including its ending. Nowadays, we’re overly familiar with all manner of time-travel stories and nothing in Portrait of Jennie should confuse a modern moviegoer. Call it a mood piece, a film that communicates with an emphasis on visual inventiveness, the key to its enthralling power. (How many other Hollywood films of the era could conceivably be described as mood pieces?) It’s an exquisite, meticulously wrought production, a haunting, cosmic tale of the quests for true love and artistic inspiration beyond the boundaries of time.
excerpted from John DiLeo’s
Screen Savers: 40 Remarkable Movies Awaiting Rediscovery
© 2008 Hansen Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Cheryl // Jun 17, 2008 at 10:07 am
Dear John,
My husband, David, and I love PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, too. We agree with your assessment. In addition to being eerie and romantic, it’s also about the creative muse, about the inexplicable something in the psyche that gives an artist the passion to create.
Another Brinkley favorite is a film with Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea wherein he plays a hotshot Holywood director and she’s a down-and-out starlet and somehow they end up journeying as hoboes on a train to experience the real America of the Depression. I remember it as surprising, humorous, romantic and, ultimately quite touching/inspiring. Lake is so fun as a gamine and the 2 of them really spark off of one another. McCrea learns huge life lessons and turns from frivolous to serious. We’d love to see this one again. Do you know the name of it and if it’s out on DVD yet?
Thanks! Glad to have you as a resource.
–CMB
2 John DiLeo // Jun 20, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Hi Cheryl,
For those of us who love PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, it’s disappointing to learn that it was such a spectacular flop when it first came out. It was the end of David O. Selznick’s reign as a top producer. Too bad Selznick isn’t around to see that JENNIE is developing quite a loyal following, which appears to be increasing all the time. I often meet people who tell me that they love this film. It truly was ahead of its time, and I’m so pleased that Robert Osborne will be kicking off his 5-film SCREEN SAVERS evening (Sep. 22nd) with an 8pm screening of JENNIE. It’s bound to get even more fans from this prime-time exposure. Its star, Jennifer Jones, now 89, lives in California. Hope she’ll be watching!
The Joel McCrea film you can’t think of is SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS (1941), written and directed by the great Preston Sturges. You’ve hit on another of my all-time favorites! I completely agree with your assessment of it. McCrea just happens to be my favorite screen actor of the Golden Age. He wasn’t Hollywood’s most accomplished actor, but his winning mix of humor, good looks, intelligence, and a very modern acting style of underplaying makes him my all-around favorite. Plus he’s so underrated and underappreciated that I take advantage of every opportunity to praise him. Seek out other superb McCrea performances in THESE THREE, PRIMROSE PATH, THE PALM BEACH STORY (another great Sturges comedy), STARS IN MY CROWN, DEAD END, and RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY.
Yes, isn’t Veronica Lake luminous? She had few chances as good as SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS to show what she could do. The film, which is available on DVD, is a lasting tribute to her potential and obvious talent.
You must see other Sturges classic comedies, especially THE LADY EVE and HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO. Paging Netflix!
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