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Last week's Movie Quiz winners

Filed under: Imported

I think Leonard Maltin and Co. have last week's quiz movie Portrait of Jennie pretty well summed up: "David O. Selznick craftsmanship and a fine cast work wonders with foolish story based on the Robert Nathan novella." I'd also add, though, that the silliness of the plot-- a painter meets and loves a ghost girl who grows older every time he sees her-- is easy to overlook thanks to that cast (Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones as the young lovers, with old pros like Ethel Barrymore and Lillian Gish) and that lavish Selznick production. Plus, it's a joy just to look at and listen to: the b&w cinematography by Joseph H. August (his last film) is deep and lovely, and the music, based on works by Debussy, actually evokes the feeling of a dream.

The DVD is the objet d'art that fans of Jennie have always wanted: a beautiful transfer that also preserves the final color scenes. I'm a member of the TV generation who saw it without the tinting or final Technicolor shot of the painting, so I was especially thrilled with this. (By the way, look closely at that last scene in the art gallery: one of the teenagers mooning over the portrait is Anne "Honey West" Francis, and another is Nancy Davis Reagan!)

So kudos to the following romantic guys who recognized this lovely movie: Wayne Palmer, Bill Hearne, E. Yarber, Jack Kusler, Glenn Johnson, Hank Parmer, and Matthew Harris. A fine turn-out of winners this week-- see you all next time.

Posted by Steve Monaco at August 29, 2005 11:50 PM

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