jarrodmcdonald-1 What I most love about this film is the way we are kept off-guard about who the title character is, and why she has this power over a meek caretaker named Agnes (played by Lupino). To say Jennifer is a ghost is only half-right. Maybe it is easer to say she is a living woman or a way of life that possesses the weak. But the story maintains its hold on the viewer as Lupino's character struggles to get to the bottom of things. It plays out in spots as an unhealthy obsession. And Howard Duff, Lupino's real-life husband, who appears as the love interest seems to have his own obsession where Agnes is concerned, wresting her away from Jennifer.If you get the chance to look at JENNIFER, and especially if you see JENNIFER twice or more, listen carefully as you hear the dialogue. The lines lead in multiple directions, and it is like the mystery only grows deeper about who and what is overtaking Lupino and Duff until they finally confront the truth about the life they live. Also, listen carefully to the music. There's a record that Lupino's character finds, that is replayed throughout the story. Plus during a nightclub scene, we are shown a man singing a tune called 'Angel Eyes,' while Duff holds Lupino close and looks into her eyes. It is clear to him, and to us the audience, that something has started unraveling.It's a profound film, infused with the type of atmospheric touches that can only come from smart cinematography that takes full advantage of on-location filming. And it is anchored with an extraordinary performance by its lead actress. Ida Lupino shined in so many classics over the years, but I think this one has to be her best.

mark.waltz Ida Lupino rarely gets her due other than a large cult following that sees her as being quite amazing, and in this film, she's a lonely woman who seems content to live alone, taking a job as caretaker of an old, abandoned mansion where the previous resident (the title character) simply disappeared. Lupino becomes very intrigued by the woman's life, finding her diary, interviewing those in the area who either knew of her or had small dealings with her. And what does Jennifer's cousin (Mary Shipp) have to do with it, seemingly scheming with the handsome Howard Duff who keeps paying Lupino frequent visits to "check" in on her? There are many great visual moments of film noir style photography, particularly shots of Lupino standing in front of a four part mirror that reminds me of Hayworth in "The Lady From Shanghai". Lupino also keeps playing various records which have very dramatic piano music that adds to the suspense and insinuates that terror is about to strike. Is she a woman on the verge of madness by seeking information that she should just try to avoid, or is she a victim of a plot that began in the mansion long before she took over? Even on her way to the interview, she is warned not to stay there, and when she heads to the local convenience store, she is given all sorts of unsolicited information in regards to who this woman was. Ida comes to her own conclusions, but is she right or delusional? That's where the suspense comes in, leading you up to a chilling conclusion on a windy night where shadows take over, insinuating all kinds of horror.While there isn't an exact "conclusion" (and some people might find the revelation to be a sort of letdown), it is an intriguing journey to the discovery of the truth even though there are insinuations that there's more to the story. Lupino is always fascinating, and it amazes me how forgotten she is beyond being one of the first women directors and the cult status she has for her melodramatic features. She's often played vulnerable characters as well, and this is one of her most superb portrayals of a woman who may be in jeopardy. Duff, one of the great film noir anti-heroes, is sturdy and excellent, and you never quite know what side of the fence he's really on. A mostly unknown cast fills out this independently made feature which is higher grade above most of the films made through Allied Artists (formerly Monogram) at the time.

mike173 In 1955 I took an entrance exam at Cambridge University, staying by myself in one of the old stone college buildings. One evening I went out to see a movie, which happened to be Jennifer. It's a classic creepy old house movie. Jennifer arrives to take over from the previous caretaker, who has mysteriously disappeared. She runs into a whole gamut of strange clues and spooky effects, pitched so you - and she -can't be sure if they are real or she's imagining them. Music and optical shock are used to great effect, with all the power that skillfully lit monochrome cinematography can deliver (considerable!!). At the end, she is reassured that it was all in her mind, and she's safe... till the very last shot, which opens up all the questions again, and still raises the hairs on my neck when I think of it. Going back to my room, I had to pass through a long set of dark cloisters - nearly didn't make it!! At least that's how it seemed back then. It would be great if the film were re-released on DVD, to see if its power persists today.

bmacv I first caught up with Jennifer years ago while out of town when it showed up on TV in the middle of the night; I fell asleep before it ended but it stuck with me until I had to track it down. Its appeal is that, though there's not a lot to it, it weaves an intriguing atmosphere, and because Ida Lupino and Howard Duff (real life man-and-wife at the time) display an alluring, low-key chemistry. Lupino plays a woman engaged to house-sit a vast California estate whose previous caretaker -- Jennifer -- up and disappeared. (Shades of Jack Nicholson in the Shining, although in this instance it's not Lupino who goes, or went, mad). Duff is the guy in town who manages the estate's finances and takes a shine to Lupino, who decides to play hard to get. She becomes more and more involved, not to say obsessed, with what happened to her predecessor in the old dark house full of descending stairways and locked cellars. The atmospherics and the romantic byplay are by far the best part of the movie, as viewers are likely to find the resolution a bit of a letdown -- there's just not that much to it (except a little frisson at the tail end that anticipates Brian De Palma's filmic codas). But it's well done, and, again, it sticks with you. Extra added attraction: this is the film that introduced the song "Angel Eyes," which would become part of the standard repertoire of Ol' Blue Eyes.