The picture starts with two poems of famous writers ¨Who knoeth if to die be but to live..and that called life by mortals be but death?¨ by Euripides and ¨Beauty is truth , truth beauty , that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know¨ by Keats . When a penniless painter (Joseph Cotten) is walking in N.Y city during the great depression , he meets a mysterious girl named Jennie Appleton (Jennifer Jones) . The otherworldly Jennie inspires to the failed artist , but , previously , he has never been able to encounter the inspiration and now he's painting wonderful paintings . Meanwhile , he meets an old spinster (Ethel Barrymore) and a painting merchant (Cecil Kallaway) . But the strange Jennie disappears and he asks for her at a convent where Mother Mary (Lilian Gish) knew her long time ago .
It is an enjoyable and fantastic romance story where protagonist duo are awesome . The script relies heavily on the relationship between the two starring , but it doesn't cause boring . It's a brilliant romantic tale and though is slow-moving , isn't tiring . Jennifer Jones (producer David O'Selznick's wife) is gorgeous with her sweet and attractive countenance . Joseph Cotten is magnificent as the artist looking for inspiration . Sensitive and stirring score , including an attractive musical leitmotiv by Dimitri Tiomkin , adding music from the classic composer Claude Debussy . Lush black and white cinematography by cameraman Joseph Lawrence and the last part tinted in green and ending image about Jennie portrait in Technicolor . The movie won an Academy Award for especial effects . Besides , being produced by the great producer David O'Selznick (Gone with the wind , Duel in the sun , Third man) . The motion picture was excellently directed by William Dieterle , author of several cinema classics (Hunchback of Notre Dame , Blockade) and autobiography specialist (Juarez , Emile Zola , Reuter , Louis Pasteur , Dr.Erlich) . The movie will appeal to romantic movies fans . Rating : 7.5/10 . Above average.
