Jennifer Jones: a deep dive for #JenniferJonesJune

Over the past month, I've watched 25 films featuring Jennifer Jones: 24 features and one short. I’d only seen six of the feature films before, which span five decades from 1939 to 1974.

From her from luminous Oscar wins to unhinged cult gems. Her range was striking: ethereal, earthy, elegant, even surreal. Here's a film-by-film rundown of the journey - old favourites, strange discoveries and everything in between. This deep dive in June into an actor's filmography follows on from 2023's look at Jean Hagen's screen career and 2024's focus on Joan Fontaine.

Here are musings on Jones' films chronologically, you can see my ranking of Jennifer Jones' films via letterboxd.

New Frontier (1939, George Sherman) A solid B-Western adventure which sees John Wayne’s iconic rugged charm alongside a captivating early performance by Jennifer Jones. Together, they bring depth & energy to this classic tale of ambition & frontier spirit.

Dick Tracy's G-Men (1939, John English, William Witney) All 15 episodes of this fast-paced crime-fighting serial are neatly uploaded to YouTube, making it a lengthy 302-minute viewing, especially considering Jennifer Jones’ relatively small role (billed as Phylis Isley) as Gwen, Tracy’s secretary assisting in the pursuit of the villainous Zarnoff. Still, I was delighted to watch my first vintage serial, full of pulp-era flair and classic thrills. A treat for fans of old-school heroes, serial enthusiasts, and Jennifer Jones completists alike.

Song of Bernadette

The Song of Bernadette (1943, Henry King) Jennifer Jones luminous (literally) in her Oscar-winning role as Bernadette, a French peasant girl whose visions at Lourdes inspires both faith and skepticism. With its measured pace and reverent tone, it unfolds as a moving and memorable experience.

Since You Went Away (1944, John Cromwell) This sweeping wartime drama follows the lives of a mother (Colbert) & daughters (Jones/Temple) on the American home front. Jennifer Jones carries the emotional heft of the film in her romantic plotline with real-life hubby Robert Walker.

The Fighting Generation (1944, Alfred Hitchcock) This war bond promotional short, unfolds in two parts. 1) A double dose of Eddie Bracken as moviegoer on a date, then as himself on stage. 2) A poignant appeal by Jennifer Jones, dressed in a nurse's uniform, a nod to her role as a nurse in Since You Went Away made the same year.

Love Letters (1945, William Dieterle) An unusual romantic mystery with a most curious setup - amnesia, mistaken identity, and a love born through letters. Jennifer Jones delivers a haunting, ethereal performance opposite Joseph Cotten, and while the premise is undeniably odd, there's something strangely captivating about its dreamlike mood and emotional pull. I kinda dug it.

Cluny Brown

Cluny Brown (1946, Ernst Lubitsch) A charmingly offbeat satire of British class and propriety, Cluny Brown sparkles with Lubitsch’s signature wit. Jennifer Jones is delightful as the free-spirited plumber’s niece who doesn’t quite “know her place,” and Charles Boyer brings suave warmth as the refugee intellectual who sees her for who she truly is. A fizzy, subversive comedy that feels both light and slyly radical.

Duel in the Sun (1946, King Vidor) Dubbed “Lust in the Dust” for good reason, this Technicolor Western piles on the heat and melodrama. Jennifer Jones plays Pearl Chavez, a mixed-race orphan torn between two wildly different brothers: Joseph Cotten as the noble Jesse and Gregory Peck as the dangerously magnetic Lewt. Despite its epic ambitions and star power, the film often feels overwrought and tonally uneven. A bold, feverish production, but not one that won me over.

Portrait of Jennie (1948, William Dieterle) A haunting blend of romance, fantasy, and art which casts a dreamlike spell. Joseph Cotten is quietly affecting as a struggling painter who finds his muse in Jennifer Jones’s mysterious, time-slipping Jennie. With its shifting seasons, evocative visuals and ethereal tone, the film feels like a whispered fairy tale. Strange and sentimental - but strangely beautiful, too.

We Were Strangers (1949, John Huston) Set amid political unrest in 1930s Havana, this somber thriller follows revolutionaries plotting to overthrow a corrupt regime. Jennifer Jones and John Garfield bring intensity to their roles, but the film’s heavy tone and murky pacing left me cold. Ambitious, but not especially engaging.

Madame Bovary (1949, Vincente Minnelli) Jennifer Jones portrays Emma Bovary with a delicate mix of yearning and self-destruction, capturing the quiet despair beneath her romantic ideals & marriage to a dull but devoted husband (Van Heflin), but destructively drawn instead to fleeting passion with a charming lover (Louis Jourdan). Minnelli guides the story with a restrained emotional sweep, building toward the character’s inevitable downfall. A somber, elegant portrayal of romantic illusions undone by reality.

Gone to Earth (1950, Powell and Pressburger) A free-spirited country girl (Jennifer Jones) is torn between competing desires satisfied by two contrasting chaps an upstanding pastor (Cyril Cusack) and the wicked squire (David Farrar). Visually stylish melodrama exploring themes of love & societal expectations.

Carrie (1952, William Wyler) A poignant, beautifully acted drama about dreams, desire & downfall. Jennifer Jones is quietly luminous as the young woman navigating ambition and survival in turn-of-the-century Chicago, while Laurence Olivier gives a heartbreaking performance as the man who loves her. Subtle, sad and deeply affecting.

Ruby Gentry (1952, King Vidor) Jennifer Jones stars as a fierce, defiant outsider caught between love & social scorn. Her emotionally charged turn drives the film, with support from Charlton Heston & Karl Malden. A bold, turbulent & unapologetically dramatic Southern melodrama.

Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953, Vittorio De Sica) A brief, bittersweet romance set in Rome’s Termini Station, where Jennifer Jones plays a married American woman saying a painful goodbye to her younger Italian lover (Montgomery Clift). Elegantly shot. Emotionally restrained. Plays out in real time.

Beat the Devil (1953, John Huston) A sly, offbeat caper that spoofs noir and adventure tropes. Jennifer Jones leans into the film’s dry absurdity with a delightfully ditzy charm, alongside Humphrey Bogart & a fab cast of eccentric schemers. Loose, talky and not always coherent!

Good Morning, Miss Dove

Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955, Henry Koster) Jennifer Jones plays a stern but beloved teacher reflecting on her life from a hospital bed, as grateful former students gather around. Measured and well-meaning, but a bit too sentimental to leave much of a mark. A respectable effort!

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955, Henry King) Set against the backdrop of 1940s Hong Kong, this sweeping romance pairs Jennifer Jones, somewhat controversially cast as a Eurasian doctor, with William Holden’s American war correspondent. Their love faces cultural and political obstacles, framed by golden-hour cinematography and a now iconic theme. Sentimental yes but grounded by sincerity and the leads’ dignity and quiet chemistry.

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956, Nunnally Johnson) An episodic (ie plodding) drama following a WWII veteran (Gregory Peck) as he shifts from non-profit work to the corporate world, haunted by memories of war and torn between ambition and integrity. Jennifer Jones, unfortunately, is stuck in a rather thankless, shrewish role as his anxious wife - one wonders what she did to deserve it! Earnest and sometimes moving, though uneven in tone.

The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957, Sidney Franklin) Jennifer Jones brings quiet strength to Elizabeth Barrett, confined by illness and a domineering father, played with chilling control by John Gielgud. Bill Travers is Robert Browning, the poet who offers her a way out. Handsomely staged with a rich atmosphere, though some performances lean theatrical.

A Farewell to Arms (1957, Charles Vidor) Jennifer Jones and Rock Hudson star in this sprawling Hemingway adaptation set in WWI Italy, but the film can’t settle on a tone, it feels like ten different films in one. At times romantic, then melodramatic, then war epic, it’s lavish but uneven. Despite moments of beauty, the emotional core gets lost in the sprawl.

Tender Is the Night (1962, Henry King) Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, Tender Is the Night follows Dick (Jason Robards) and Nicole (Jennifer Jones) Diver, who live lavishly on the French Riviera, funded by Nicole’s wealth. Their marriage is upended when Dick becomes infatuated with Rosemary (Jill St. John), a young actress. Despite strong performances, particularly from Jones, the film struggles to capture the emotional depth and complexity of Fitzgerald’s work. The pacing feels uneven and the characters’ motivations often seem unclear, leaving me less invested than I’d hoped.

The Idol (1966, Daniel Petrie) In this lesser-known drama, Jennifer Jones plays Carol, the mother of a young man, Timothy, whose best friend, Marco, is a rebellious art student. Marco's romantic involvement with Carol sparks a series of consequences, upending their lives in ways that spiral out of control. While Jones isn’t the central character, she dominates the screen with a strong, emotional performance. The film, shot in London with a jazz score by Johnny Dankworth, is a bit of a hidden gem - though the narrative feels a bit scattered and the melodrama occasionally overwhelms the quieter moments.

Angel, Angel, Down We Go (1969, Robert Thom) A delirious dive into late-60s excess, this cult oddity follows a troubled heiress (Holly Near) whose life unravels after falling under the spell of a charismatic yet manipulative rock singer/cult leader (Jordan Christopher). Jennifer Jones drifts through the film as her distant, fading mother: elegant, detached and oddly hypnotic. Loved the aesthetic - vibrant collages, bold colours and some surprisingly good music. Totally potty and gloriously bonkers and just when you think it can’t get any madder, in walks Roddy McDowall!

The Towering Inferno (1974, John Guillermin & Irwin Allen) Disaster-movie royalty, with Steve McQueen and Paul Newman battling flames in a doomed San Francisco skyscraper. Jennifer Jones, in her final film role, brings both dignity and determination as a guest caught in the chaos, sharing tender scenes with Fred Astaire, who’s surprisingly touching as a sweet-talking conman. Slick, suspenseful and stacked with stars, it delivers exactly what it promises.

The Towering Inferno

My Top Four First-Time Watches:

• Cluny Brown

• Madame Bovary

• Love Letters

• Angel, Angel, Down We Go
  

My Top Four Re-Watches:

• Portrait of Jennie

• The Towering Inferno

• Carrie

• Gone to Earth

And after all this, Jennifer Jones remains a hard-to-pin-down presence - sometimes glowing and ghostly, other times fierce or brittle, but always compelling. Her career doesn’t fit into easy boxes, which made watching her work unfold across five decades all the more rewarding.