Jennifer (1953 film)
Encyclopedia
Jennifer is a 1953 film directed by Joel Newton and starring Ida Lupino
and Howard Duff
.
While the opening credits roll, you start at the front doors to the mansion (add some creepy-ish music with some equally creepy singing) then pan to the ground which at first just looks like shadows, but as the ghostly voice "chirps" - for lack of a better descriptor — one of the shadows begins to look like the shadow of a person. As the credits continue, all you see is the shadow-person approach the front doors of the mansion, full circle. The audience never sees who really makes that shadow. It could be anyone, but as the movie progresses, it's clear the shadow could very well be that of the missing Jennifer.
Upon moving in, Agnes is told to throw out Jennifer's belongings. As Jennifer is considered, "missing," Agnes is afraid to throw them out in case Jennifer might return and want them back, so she keeps them. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and Agnes ends up searching through Jennifer's things and eventually finds a diary.
While the diary contains some paltry entries like "oiled the sewing machine" and such, the more Agnes reads the entries, the more she finds herself obsessed with Jennifer and her, "disappearance," and takes on a mission to sleuth out what actually happened. Over time, we see Agnes discover more and more of Jennifer's things and become more and more unhinged as a result as she tries to understand what could possibly be going on in Jennifer's life/mind in the days leading up to her "disappearance."
As almost anyone would, Agnes uses the "facts" she finds to concoct a somewhat plausible scenario for what happened to Jennifer, even if it seems a bit out there.
It isn't until Agnes tells what she believes happen to Jim Hollis (Howard Duff) at the end of the movie that we learn what really happened to Jennifer. Hollis realizes the only way to pull Agnes from the brink of madness is to reveal what he knows as the truth.
The ending, however, shows the same shadow again walking on the grounds. Is it Jennifer or someone else? We never really know, so in truth, the audience never really knows if what Hollis says happened to Jennifer is what really happened to her.
Ida Lupino
Ida Lupino was an English-born film actress and director, and a pioneer among women filmmakers. In her 48-year career, she appeared in 59 films and directed seven others, mostly in the United States. She appeared in serial television programmes 58 times and directed 50 other episodes...
and Howard Duff
Howard Duff
Howard Green Duff was an American actor of film, television, stage, and radio.Duff was born in Charleston, Washington, now a part of Bremerton. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Seattle in 1932 where he began acting in school plays only after he was cut from the basketball team...
.
Plot
Agnes Langley (Ida Lupino) is hired by Loren Gayle (or Gale, or Gail) to replace the "missing" Jennifer as caretaker for the currently unoccupied Gayle (or Gale or Gail) Estate. Loren and her mother reside elsewhere.While the opening credits roll, you start at the front doors to the mansion (add some creepy-ish music with some equally creepy singing) then pan to the ground which at first just looks like shadows, but as the ghostly voice "chirps" - for lack of a better descriptor — one of the shadows begins to look like the shadow of a person. As the credits continue, all you see is the shadow-person approach the front doors of the mansion, full circle. The audience never sees who really makes that shadow. It could be anyone, but as the movie progresses, it's clear the shadow could very well be that of the missing Jennifer.
Upon moving in, Agnes is told to throw out Jennifer's belongings. As Jennifer is considered, "missing," Agnes is afraid to throw them out in case Jennifer might return and want them back, so she keeps them. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and Agnes ends up searching through Jennifer's things and eventually finds a diary.
While the diary contains some paltry entries like "oiled the sewing machine" and such, the more Agnes reads the entries, the more she finds herself obsessed with Jennifer and her, "disappearance," and takes on a mission to sleuth out what actually happened. Over time, we see Agnes discover more and more of Jennifer's things and become more and more unhinged as a result as she tries to understand what could possibly be going on in Jennifer's life/mind in the days leading up to her "disappearance."
As almost anyone would, Agnes uses the "facts" she finds to concoct a somewhat plausible scenario for what happened to Jennifer, even if it seems a bit out there.
It isn't until Agnes tells what she believes happen to Jim Hollis (Howard Duff) at the end of the movie that we learn what really happened to Jennifer. Hollis realizes the only way to pull Agnes from the brink of madness is to reveal what he knows as the truth.
The ending, however, shows the same shadow again walking on the grounds. Is it Jennifer or someone else? We never really know, so in truth, the audience never really knows if what Hollis says happened to Jennifer is what really happened to her.