Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers. Where is the portrait that robert brackman did for david. Portrait of jennie is probably his most famous book, owing to a very highprofile motion picture made of it from the selznick studios. There is a paranormal aspect to the story because jennie is actually a spirit, but those scenes are so fleeting that i scarcely noticed them. There is a mystical quality about jennie, and she intrigues him with the way she chats on about things that happened years ago. Rating is available when the video has been rented. Jennie stars another legend, joseph cotton, one more character actor than romantic lead. The portrait was a property of the producer, as it was painted as a prop to the movie.
Small, oblong yellow softcover 3 34 x 5 12 softcover book. Robert nathan an artist meets a schoolgirl in central park named jennie. Questia read the fulltext online edition of portrait of jennie 1940. The voice of jennie is heard that the portrait will be seen by people from all over the world. The most successful of nathans books, it is considered a modern masterpiece of fantasy fiction. A later version starring denzel washington was disappointing. An exceedingly fine copy virtually no wear to the fragile woven cloth in a fresh near fine to fine priced dust jacket which has only trifling wear and retains the full red color of the lettering on both the spine panel and. Portrait of jennie is a 1948 fantasy film based on the novella by robert nathan. Over the years, however, i completely forgot about it until i saw it pop up on my goodreads feed a little while back. Find portrait of jennie by nathan, robert at biblio. With jennifer jones, joseph cotten, ethel barrymore, lillian gish. Jones, who captures his fancy when she asks him to wait for her to grow up.
Published in 1940 to immediate acclaim, portrait of jennie is nathan s best known novel with a legacy that is complemented by the 1948 film starring joseph cotton and jennifer jones. Portrait of jennie book snoisle libraries bibliocommons. Eben adams is a young painter in depressionera new york just looking to make a living. Platt original music bernard herrmann, dimitri tiomkin. Then eben happens upon a young schoolgirl named jennie in central park. I first read this in 7th grade, and since then robert nathan has become my most favorite writer and portrait of jennie has become my most beloved book of all time. Cover with photo of original cover of book portrait of jennie. Portrait of jennie by william dieterle joseph cotten. Ray bradbury there is a curious sweetness about this tragedya sweetness that comes from robert nathans evocation of jennie, a tender wiseinnocent and muse. Portrait of jennie book by robert nathan thriftbooks. Buy portrait of jennie by robert nathan online at alibris. Eben takes out the scarf to show gus and notices an advertisement for jennies parents act on the newspaper, which is dated 1910. How you feel about seeing a movie after youve read the book its based on. Portrait of jennie 1940 is a novella by american novelist robert natham.
Portrait of jennie will perhaps most vividly recall balderstons berkeley square, for, like that, it is a love story that transcends the boundaries of time. Portrait of jennie ebook by robert nathan rakuten kobo. At the 21st academy awards, it won an oscar for best special effects paul eagler, joseph mcmillan johnson, russell shearman and clarence slifer. The only problem is that the girl seems to age very quickly and goes from 14 or so to a grown woman in a matter of months. While painting in central park one morning, eben makes the acquaintance of a schoolgirl named jennie jennifer jones, who prattles on about things that happened years ago.
The portrait of jennie by robert nathan was originally published in 1940. I think the cover portrait of jennie a darkish blue and looked like a storm on it. The portrait of jennie jennifer jones used in the film was painted by artist robert brackman and is. Portrait of jennie comes to life when eben talks about art, and the scenes describing a hurricane are so vivid that i felt as though i were there. Portrait of jennie by robert nathan, 1940 online research library. Portrait of jennie by robert nathan fiction 3 stars. Its mood lingers in the heart and its planes challenge the mind. This book is a comprehensive map for developing spiritual empowerment. Its mood lingers in the heart, and its planes challenge the mind. But i had a decision to make with portrait of jennie, a short novel by robert nathan whose the bishops wife transferred well to cinema largely due to cary grants brilliance. Portrait of jennie is a novel by american writer robert nathan, first published in 1940.
So you can imagine how i felt when i was reading the kindle edition and totally absorbed in the climax of the book, when there appeared a series of ludicrous typos that made nonsense of the story. Portrait of jennie is a good book, along the lines of the movie same name but of course there are certain things in the book that werent in the film. The portrait of jennie jennifer jones was painted by artist robert brackman. Its fifteen chapters are narrated in the first person from the viewpoint of the main character, eben. Intrigued at her thorough knowledge of the past, eben is about to converse with her further. The film is generally faithful to the novel, and the modest differences never detract from the storys resonance.
Portrait of jennie reaches back to silent cinema to find its most expressive and idiosyncratic effects, but the arty allusions and tempestuous ballyhoo are pure distillations of producer david o. Soon after, eben sells a sketch of jennie to kindly art dealer miss spinny ethel barrymore and, as he meets the oddly mutable jennie in fleeting moments, begins to realize they share a special destiny. The film was directed by william dieterle and produced by david o. The book has its moments where its beautifully written, but its also boring for someone like me whos younger and wants explanations. It touched and frightened me when i was twentyfour.
I read this book several times when i was a teenager. Portrait of jennie by robert nathan favorite books. Portrait of jennie is one of my favorite books, written by a masterful author. Children admire the painting and wonder if she was real. This story combines romance, fantasy, mystery, and the supernatural. Over 14 million journal, magazine, and newspaper articles. I made a rule never to see a film inspired by a book id read because the movies so often mangle the intent of a book, abbreviating for time it takes much longer to read a story than passively watch one translating content from literal to visual to meet demands of the medium. Portrait of jennie is an uplifting story of a beatdown artist named eban adams joseph cotten who finds his muse in a young girl jennifer jones he happens to meet playing in the snow. As is so often the case, the movie is no substitute for the book.
Eben then begins his portrait of jennie, and the next day, while dining at a restaurant, tells his taxi driver friend, gus otoole, about her. Later, gus introduces eben to restaurants irish american. Portrait of jennie kindle edition by nathan, robert. Portrait of jennie 1948 frequently asked questions imdb. This fantasy depicts a painter who needs inspiration for his work to excel. Buy portrait of jennie book online at low prices in india. The book was adapted for the screen by leonardo bercovici, paul osborn, and peter berneis. Todays book is a recommendation for the greatest surreal movie of 1948 i have yet to find one that beats this movie, portrait of jennie. This is only the second true first issue copy weve ever seen. This is one of the most wonderful love stories ever written. This book is a comprehensive map for complete spiritual empowerment. Robert nathan the story of a young artist who meets a girl named jenny who changes his life. Portrait of jennie is a fantasy that depicts romantic love as a source of artistic inspiration.
In portrait of jennie, joseph cotten plays an artist, eben adams, who is unable to bring any true feeling to his work. A book about eben adams refers to his great portrait of jennie. Portrait of jennie by robert nathan, first edition abebooks. I first read robert nathans portrait of jennie as impressionable young man of sixteen or seventeen.
Im sure this love story was breakthrough for the time when it was published. Portrait of jennie synopsis favorite theater button. The aforementioned portrait of jennie and the bishop s wife, as well as one more spring, wake up and dream from the novel the enchanted voyage and color of evening. It tells portrait of jennie the author at the beginning of the book, silly. Her apparition reappears to eben periodically, each time a little older and a little more plausible as a romantic partner. At the 21st academy awards, it won an oscar for best special effects. Robert nathan was the author of over fifty volumes of novels, poetry, and plays, and from this body of distinguished work he acquired a reputation as a master of satiric fantasy. Portrait of jennie by robert nathan fantastic fiction. Portrait of jennie by robert nathan nook book ebook. If you like time travel wherein the character finds that one perfect person, this is the book for you. His work has thus far left influential art dealers unimpressed. Eben adams, a young painter, falls in love with a beautiful, mysterious girl who appears at key moments in his life.
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