| Portrait of Jennie | |
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 Movie poster. |
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| Directed by | William Dieterle |
| Produced by | David O. Selznick David Hempstead |
| Written by | Paul Osborn Peter Berneis (screenplay) Leonardo Bercovici (adaptation) Robert Nathan (novel) |
| Starring | Jennifer Jones Joseph Cotten |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Cinematography | Joseph H. August |
| Editing by | William Morgan |
| Distributed by | Selznick Releasing/MGM |
| Release date(s) | December 25, 1948 |
| Running time | 86 min. William Dieterle ( July 15[[ 893]] – December 9[[ 972]] was a German Actor and Film director David O Selznick, born David Selznick ( May 10, 1902 &ndash June 22, 1965) was one of the iconic Hollywood producers Paul Osborn ( September 4, 1901 - May 12, 1988) was a Playwright and Screenwriter most well known for writing the screen For the British Intelligence Officer see Robert Nathan (Indian civil servant. Jennifer Jones may refer to Jennifer Jones (actor (born 1919 eponym of Jennifer Robin Jones is an Academy Award-winning American actress Joseph Cheshire Cotten ( May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American Actor of stage and Film Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (Дмитрий Зиновьевич Тёмкин Dmitrij Zinov'evič Tëmkin, sometimes translated as Dmitri Tiomkin) ( May Joseph H August ( 26 April 1890 - 25 September 1947) was an American Cinematographer and co-founder of the American See Morgan for a discussion of the Morgan name. William Morgan is the name of William Morgan (abolitionist Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. |
| Country | US |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Portrait of Jennie is a 1948 fantasy film based on the novella by Robert Nathan. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The year 1948 in film involved some significant events Events Laurence Olivier 's Hamlet becomes the Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes usually involving magic, Supernatural events make-believe creatures or exotic Fantasy worlds For the British Intelligence Officer see Robert Nathan (Indian civil servant.
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Synopsis
The film tells the story of an impoverished painter in New York City, who meets a fey little girl in Central Park wearing old-fashioned clothing. The City of New York Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually He makes a lovely sketch of her from memory which involves him with an art dealer who is impressed with his work. This inspires him to paint a portrait of her - the "Portrait Of Jennie. " He later falls in love with her, when she soon transforms into a mysterious young woman, as she has seemed to age a few years each time he meets her. It was directed by William Dieterle and produced by David O. Selznick. William Dieterle ( July 15[[ 893]] – December 9[[ 972]] was a German Actor and Film director David O Selznick, born David Selznick ( May 10, 1902 &ndash June 22, 1965) was one of the iconic Hollywood producers
Cast
- Jennifer Jones as Jennie Appleton
- Joseph Cotten as Eben Adams
- Ethel Barrymore as Miss Spinney
- Lillian Gish as Mother Mary of Mercy
- Cecil Kellaway as Matthews
- David Wayne as Gus O'Toole
- Albert Sharpe as Moore
- Henry Hull as Eke
- Florence Bates as Mrs. Jennifer Jones may refer to Jennifer Jones (actor (born 1919 eponym of Jennifer Robin Jones is an Academy Award-winning American actress Joseph Cheshire Cotten ( May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American Actor of stage and Film Ethel Barrymore ( August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning American actress and a member of Lillian Diana Gish ( October 14 1893 – February 27 1993) was an American stage screen and television actress whose Cecil Kellaway ( August 22, 1893 &ndash February 28, 1973) born in Cape Town, South Africa, was an Academy Award David Wayne ( January 30 1914 - February 9 1995) was a Tony Award -winning American Actor with a career spanning Henry Hull ( October 3, 1890 – March 8, 1977) was an American character actor with a unique voice most noted for playing the lead in the first Florence Bates ( April 15, 1888 - January 31, 1954) was an American Character actress who frequently portrayed a Grande Jekes
- Clem Bevans as Capt. Clem Bevans ( October 16 1879, Cozzadale Ohio - August 11 1963, Woodland Hills California) was a character actor best Cobb
Production
The book, on which the film was based, first attracted the attention of David O. Selznick, who immediately purchased it as a vehicle for rising star Jennifer Jones. Filming began in early 1947 in New York City and Boston, Massachusetts, but Selznick was unhappy with the results and scheduled re-shoots as well as hiring and firing five different writers before the film was completed in October of 1948. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York The New York shooting enabled Selznick to use Albert Sharpe and David Wayne who were both appearing on stage in Finian's Rainbow, giving an Irish flair to characters and the painting in the bar that wasn't in Nathan's novel. David Wayne ( January 30 1914 - February 9 1995) was a Tony Award -winning American Actor with a career spanning Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by EY Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg and music by Burton Lane.
As Portrait of Jennie was a fantasy, Selznick insisted on filming on actual Massachusettes (The Graves Light) and New York City locations such as Central Park, The Cloisters, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art as opposed to studio sets that dramatically increased the films production costs. The Graves Light is a Lighthouse located on The Graves, the outermost island of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, and some 11 Miles The City of New York Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually The Cloisters is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of the European Middle Ages. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along what is known as Museum Mile in New York City, [1] The film's major overhaul came when Selznick added a tinted color sequence for the final scenes. Film tinting is the process of adding color to black and white film usually by means of soaking the film in dye and staining the film Emulsion The final shot of the painting, appearing just before the credits, is in full Technicolor. Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation
The movie is also unusual in that it may be the first sound film with actors not to have any opening credits, except for the Selznick logo. A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image as opposed to a Silent film. A logo ( Greek el λογότυπος = el-Latn logotypos is a graphical element ( Ideogram, Symbol, Emblem, Icon, Sign) All of the other credits appear at the end. Before the film proper begins, the title is announced by the narrator (after delivering a spoken prologue, he says, "And now, 'Portrait of Jennie'").
The portrait of Jennie (Jennifer Jones) was painted by artist Robert Brackman. Robert Brackman ( September 25, 1898 - July 1980 was an eminent Artist and Teacher of Germanic The painting became one of Selznick's prized possessions, and he displayed it in his home after he and Jones married in 1949. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The film is notable for Joseph August's remarkably atmospheric cinematography, capturing the lead character's almost drugged obsession with Jennie, amongst the environs of a wintry New York. August shoots many of the scenes through a canvas making the scenes look like actual paintings. August, who used many lenses from silent film days[2] shortly died after completing the film.
Also remarkable is Dimitri Tiomkin's masterful uses of themes by Claude Debussy, including Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Arabesque No 1, Arabesque No. Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (Дмитрий Зиновьевич Тёмкин Dmitrij Zinov'evič Tëmkin, sometimes translated as Dmitri Tiomkin) ( May Achille-Claude Debussy (aʃil klod dəbysi (August 22 1862 &ndash March 25 1918 was a French Composer. Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (commonly known by its original French title Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune) is a Musical composition 2, Nocturnes Nuages and Sirenes, and La fille aux cheveux de lin with the addition of Bernard Herrmann's "Jennie's Theme" to a song featured in Nathan's book ("Where I came from, nobody knows, and where I am going everyone goes"), utilizing an electronic musical instrument called a theremin, driving the film along. Nocturnes is an Orchestral composition in three movements by the French Composer Claude Debussy. August's and Tiomkin's contributions add greatly to the film's ethereal quality. Herrmann was the assigned the original composing duties to the film but left during its extended shooting schedule.
A scene that features in the original screenplay of Jennie and Adams having a picnic after witnessing the ceremony in the convent was filmed but deleted when it looked as if Jennie's hair was blending into a tree she was photographed in front of. The scene that featured Jennie doing a dance choreographed by Jerome Robbins took over 10 days to film. Jerome Robbins (11 October 1918 – 29 July 1998 was an American film director and Choreographer whose work has included everything from classical ballet to [3]
Differences between the novel and the screenplay
Though closely following Nathan's novella but set in 1934, there are several differences. A novella is a written, Fictional Prose Narrative longer than a Novelette but shorter than a Novel. In the novella, all the characters can see Jennie; in the film only Adams can. The character of Arne, a friend and fellow artist of Adams who appeared in both Nathan's work and an original draft of the screenplay is left out of the completed film. [4] The characters of Gus and the publican were made Irish to accommodate David Wayne and Albert Sharpe from the play of Finian's Rainbow. The mural that Adams painted in the book was one of a riverside picnic with someone noticing that Adams had subconsciously painted what looked like a drowned woman on the bank. The film provides a more thrilling climax where Adams attempts to save Jennie from the storm and tidal wave whilst the book has Jennie and Adams living simultaneously with Jennie being washed off an ocean liner as she returns from a trip to Europe.
Reception
When it was released in December of 1948, it was not a success, but today it is considered a classic in the genre.
The song, "A Portrait of Jennie", became a hit for Nat King Cole, though that song is never heard in the film. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17 1919 &ndash February 15 1965 known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician
Joseph Cotten's performance as Eben Adams won the International Prize for Best Actor at the 1949 Venice International Film Festival.
Radio program
A half-hour radio adaptation of the novel was presented in 1946 on CBS radio's misleadingly titled Academy Award Theater with Joan Fontaine and John Lund, two years before it was filmed. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Academy Award Theater (aka Academy Award) was a CBS radio anthology series which presented 30-minute adaptations of plays novels or films Joan Fontaine (born October 22, 1917) is an Academy Award -winning British Actress in American films John Lund ( 6 February 1913, Rochester New York - 10 May 1992, Los Angeles) was an American film actor of Norwegian [5]
External links
References
- ^ Cotton, Joseph Vanity Will Get You Somewhere iUniverse 2000
- ^ Thomson, David Showman: The Life of David O. Selznik Knopf 1992
- ^ Thomson
- ^ http://www.weeklyscript.com/Portrait%20Of%20Jennie%20(1948).txt
- ^ Terrace, Vincent [1999]. Radio Programs, 1924-1984:A Catalog of Over 1800 Shows. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0351-9.
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