The Silver Screen Oasis

Last night I got to see Love Letters with Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones, this is the fourth pairing I've watched, the others being Since You Went Away, A Portrait of Jennie and Duel in the Sun and each pairing is different. It's a credit to both actors that they could bring something new to each performance. Apart from stars who were put together to cash in on a formula I wonder if any other stars made as many films as co stars?

charliechaplinfan wrote:Apart from stars who were put together to cash in on a formula I wonder if any other stars made as many films as co stars?

Well, Walter Pidgeon and Greer Garson co-starred in several films together.

Jennifer Jones was quite the doll!

Alison, thanks for sharing with me the haunting "Gone To Earth" (1950), an excellent film made in England by Powell & Pressbuger, which no doubt must be superior than the rehash that Selznick released in 1952 under the title "Wild at Heart" (1952)

The film has an eerie, out-of-this-world, magic quality & atmosphere that reminded me in a way of "Portrait of Jennie" (1948). In fact the wondrous music by Brian Easdale was quite reminiscent of Tiomkin's. The restoration of the film in beautiful Technicolor makes one fully appreciate the beautiful filming locations. Fiming the picture on location was a clever decision, if not, it wouldn't have had the magical quality it has. When the film began I recall that I read that this town was located in Wales; Wasn't it? The accent that Jennifer Jones' tries to accomplish is Welsh? She's utterly believable as the wild, kittenish, sexy, yet naive, supersticious, half-gypsy Hazel, who mesmerizes the male population with her allure. She's a strange mixture of Emma Bovary, Pearl Chavez and Jennie Appleton all in one. Quite a contradictory, doomed character.

Her sexual chemistry with David Farrar is something to behold; so intense, so desperate and wildddd! Wow! These two lovers ignite the screen and burn it. Farrar is indeed superb as the devil-may-care, tough and impudent Esquire who is swept away by Hazel. On the other hand, Cyril Cusack is absolutely lovable as the pure, repressed and good-natured parson who falls -madly- in love with Hazel. The effect she makes in both men is incredible and Jennifer achieves a bravura performance. Definitely a movie I'll revisit many times and that has become one of my favorite J. Jones' films.

It is a haunting movie, if I recall the movie was filmed on location in Gloucestershire which is close to the Welsh border. I like the evocation of the English countryside, it's beautiful to behold. Jennifer is stunning, I can't understand why David would have recut it.

charliechaplinfan wrote:It is a haunting movie, if I recall the movie was filmed on location in Gloucestershire which is close to the Welsh border. I like the evocation of the English countryside, it's beautiful to behold. Jennifer is stunning, I can't understand why David would have recut it.

Because David wanted to be in control of everything. Didn't something similar happen with Jennifer's film with De Sica "Stazione Termini" re-cut by Selznick into "Indiscretion of an American Wife" ?

Can someone tell me if this movie is available on U.S. dvd? I keep finding copies on the net, but I am not sure if they are Region 1 or PAL or what. This looks like a wonderful film, ad you really made me want to see it.

Here's the link on Amazon.co.uk it is expensive these days.

Hi Wendy, On Amazon there are several editions available, but only from Sellers and some of them are depicted as being NTSC or All Region (it seems to be a Korean edition).

By the way Wendy, who's the girl on your avatar? She resembles a chorus girl I saw in the "You Stepped Out of a Dream" number from "Ziegfeld Follies" (1941).

My girl is Myrna Dell. I saw her in the movie Roughshod, and really loved her performance.

You have a great eye, Myrna was a showgirl in Ziegfeld Girl, not Ziegfeld Follies.

She also showed up in lots and lots of B movies over the course of the 40's and 50's before turning to TV. She shows up in The Furies, and The Locket, and was in several of the Falcon series with Tom Conway.

Thanks for the info Wendy, I meant "Ziegfeld Girl" of course ....The You Stepped Out of a Dream Number is one of my favorite sequences...I watch it periodically

I am stunned you were able to pick her out of that movie, you really know your stuff! It is a beautiful sequence... I went back and watched the movie last time it was on, and really enjoyed it, and especially that number. I haven't seen it for years. I'll have to look for Myrna next time...

Wendy, it's because Myrna Dell stands outs as on of the prettiest faces in that sequence...not something easy to accomplish with such competition as Hedy, Lana, a beautiful Judy in her early twenties, Anya Taranda and many, many others.

Can someone tell me if there is a portrait or still gallery here on the message board? I couldn't really find one, except the Men's Room thread. I don't want to digress any more from the lovely Jennifer Jones, but I do have several photos of Myrna I would like to post. I didn't want to start a new thread, if someone else had already done it, or step on Mongo's toes by opening up another photo gallery. Please help?