IMDb >
Portrait of Jennie (1948)
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsPortrait of Jennie (1948) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 11 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
22 April 1949 (USA)
more
Plot:
A mysterious girl inspires a struggling artist. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 1 win
&
2 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Jennifer Jones, 1919 - 2009
(From The Auteurs. 18 December 2009, 5:00 AM, PST)
Actress Jennifer Jones Dies at 90
(From IMDb News. 17 December 2009, 10:42 AM, PST)
(From The Auteurs. 18 December 2009, 5:00 AM, PST)
Actress Jennifer Jones Dies at 90
(From IMDb News. 17 December 2009, 10:42 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Very interesting, very hard to forget
more (89 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Jennifer Jones | ... | Jennie Appleton | |
| Joseph Cotten | ... | Eben Adams | |
| Ethel Barrymore | ... | Miss Spinney | |
| Lillian Gish | ... | Mother Mary of Mercy | |
| Cecil Kellaway | ... | Matthews | |
| David Wayne | ... | Gus O'Toole | |
| Albert Sharpe | ... | Moore (as Albert Sharp) | |
| Henry Hull | ... | Eke | |
| Florence Bates | ... | Mrs. Jekes (landlady) | |
| Felix Bressart | ... | Pete | |
| Clem Bevans | ... | Capt. Cobb | |
| Maude Simmons | ... | Clara Morgan |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
86 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Black and White |
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
David Wayne and Albert Sharpe, who both have supporting roles in this film, were the stars of the original stage production of Finian's Rainbow. That play opened on Broadway the year before this film was released and was playing there at the same time this film was being made.
more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Although the movie opens in the winter of 1934, in the scene where Eben first meets Jennie in the park, several 1940s cars can be seen passing in the background.
more
Quotes:
Jennie Appleton:
[singing] Where I come from nobody knows and where I am going everything goes. The wind blows, the sea flows, nobody knows. And where I am going, nobody knows.
more
Movie Connections:
Features The Whoopee Party (1932)
more
Soundtrack:
Nuages
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (89 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Portrait of Jennie (1948) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Gone with the Wind | Vertigo | Stardust | Under the Tuscan Sun |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |


This movie has quite a lot going for it.
First of all, it is beautifully photographed - at times it looks as though you are watching a portrait moving. The acting is all terrific - Joseph Cotten is perfect as a down-on-his-luck artist who begins by selling a print to Cecil Kellaway and Ethel Barrymore. They encourage him to draw people rather than the still life pictures he'd been doing. He eventually runs into Jennie in Central Park and she intrigues him, to say the least. She mentions places and times that have long passed and sings a song that he cannot forget. The next time he runs into her she's grown up a little, then every time they see one another she'd matured more and more. They normally see each other in Central Park but he does her portrait and its a masterpiece.
Movie is very unconventional for its time - there are no opening credits, the end credits are listed as "The actors are Jennifer Jones, etc., The Supporting Actors are Ethel Barrymore, etc."; a black woman is used as an actual character rather than some sort of domestic; and its not all wrapped up in a pretty bow at the end. It might seem wordy and silly to some, but I really loved it.
I've admired Jennifer Jones since seeing "The Song of Bernadette" as a kid. Aside from that movie and "Beat the Devil", unfortunately I haven't seen a lot of her movies that seemed up to her talent. In this, she is exceptionally good and its not just a showcase for her talents put on screen by David O. Selznick - in reality, she's in it far less than Cotten.
I understand the movie won an Oscar for the special effects, which are good but I didn't need them to love the movie. 9/10.