I'm writing to ya from Pearl's, for the first time since the stay-at-home order went into effect back on March 19. I had a pretty easy first day back on the job, all things considered. I was a little worried that I'd forget a detail or two because so much had changed earlier in the year when Pearl came home from the hospital. I had a lot more things to remember concerning her care, and I was just getting used to the new situation when the pandemic hit. Suddenly I was off work for two months. But surprise, surprise, it all came back to me right away, no problem. We had a good day, too. I took Pearl on a nice walk around the neighborhood. She's doing real well & has good energy.
It's now 10:15 on Saturday night. Normally, I'd be just starting our nightly Youtube movie right around this time, but I haven't finished yesterday's blog yet. On my "stay at home" schedule, I always began my blogs in the 5:30-6pm range. So my writing may be a bit messed up for a few days, but let's see what we can say about last night's movie.
We switched gears with a suspense thriller called "Jennifer" (1953), discovered on a Youtube list of "scary old black and white movies". Ida Lupino stars as "Agnes Langley", a woman in need of a job, who signs on as the caretaker of a creepy old mansion in Montecito. Arriving in town, she asks the gas station attendant for directions. "Oh, you mean the old Gale place, eh? Listen lady, the best thing you could do would be to turn around and go right back where you came from. There's no reason in the world you'd wanna go there". It's a classic variation on the "Don't Go In The Basement" warning and in fact may have preceded it - the "turn around and go home/you don't wanna go there" riff that applies to Ghostly Abodes of all shapes and sizes, from Gothic Mansions to Rathole Motels.
Agnes has to "go there" since she's just accepted her job, so she ignores the attendant's advice. Hey - at least she didn't turn him into a skeleton, like the last gas station attendant we encountered in "Teenagers From Outer Space".
At the Gale Manse, she is welcomed by Lorna (Mary Shipp), the lady of the house and the only Gale still living there, though she's about to vacate. "I'm so glad I found you", she tells Agnes. "No one in town would take the job". After explaining her duties, Lorna shows Agnes a large box on the table. "Those items you can throw out. They belonged to the last caretaker".
"Oh? Are you sure she doesn't want them"?
"Yes. She won't be coming back".
The last caretaker was the mysterious Jennifer of the title. Everyone in town has a theory about why she left, but no one wants to talk about her, especially not Lorna Gale, who plans to put the house on the market as soon as she returns from vacation.
While rummaging around in the box of her possessions, Agnes finds Jennifer's diary. She knows she shouldn't read it but can't help herself. The entries start out rather mundane : "oiled sewing machine today", "took letters to the post office", then become enigmatic : "wonder if anyone knows about me"?, before turning paranoid, "feel like everyone is watching". Agnes is swept up in the mystery and wants to know more about Jennifer. Howard Duff, the owner of the general store, tells her there is no mystery. Jennifer is gone and nobody in town knows what they're talking about because she left without a trace. He takes it upon himself to watch over Agnes, who he believes is lonely. Duff thinks she's coming a little unglued up there in that spooky old place all by herself, so he stops by quite often, usually unannounced. Despite Duff's best efforts to change the subject, all Agnes ever wants to talk about is Jennifer.
But wait a minute. Why is Duff so insistent that Agnes forget Jennifer? If she merely left town, what's the big deal? Why does Duff keep dropping in at the oddest times? Agnes eventually finds Jennifer's bankbook. The dates of deposit indicate something sinister. Agnes tells Duff she's solved the mystery : "I think Jennifer was blackmailing someone. Either that person killed her, or she left because of the threat. But if she left, that's the reason. And if she's dead I'll bet she's buried right here on the property".
This freaks Duff out even more. He wants to put a stop to this nonsense once and for all, so he takes Agnes down to the basement (no, I'm not kidding) and starts throwing things around. "There! I've uncovered every nook and cranny! Do you see any bodies? Neither do I! Jennifer isn't buried here, or anywhere else because she's very much alive"!
And Duff knows this because.........? Or is he just gaslighting Agnes? Why does he care so much about her obsession with Jennifer? That Duff's employee, a goofy stockboy, is also interested in Jennifer's disappearance isn't helping matters either. This nitwit keeps showing up also, egging Agnes on. Duff tells him to get back to work or he's fired.
Someone at IMDB called "Jennifer" a Minimalist film, and I agree. There are very few characters and the story doesn't deviate much from the mystery surrounding Jennifer. Agnes wants (needs?) to solve it and Duff is determined to dissuade her. The plot points are few : the discovery of the diary, then the bank book. A crescendo is reached when Duff upends the basement. So, not a lot happens in the way of developments or action, and yet the tension keeps building. This is what teamwork does, between a good director, a sharp editor and two talented actors (Duff and Lupino were married in real life). I won't detail any more of the plot for you, and there isn't much more to reveal except for a strong yet ambiguous payoff. And yet several more IMDB fans stated - and I agree again - that this is a very scary movie. One or two mentioned they'd seen it on television decades ago and had never forgotten it, and it is that kind of film. "Jennifer" is all about atmosphere, and the mystery of the story can apply to the picture itself. Is it a Thriller? A Ghost Story? A Horror Movie? Or is it something else?
The lack of explanation in the script allows you to use your imagination, which in the hands of a lesser director might seem a dirty trick or just laziness. Normally I dislike vague plotlines and ambiguous endings, but here, they add to the suspense, and to the film's resolution.
I also love "minimalist" movies, though it's not a term I've used before. I just always enjoyed what I might have thought of as films with a "claustrophobic" feeling, where there are just a handful of characters and no "outside world" from which to draw help. Everything about "Jennifer" is note perfect. Ida Lupino was an intelligent actress who was good in everything she was ever in, and she knows just how to increase Anges' transformation, by small degrees, until she goes round the bend. Conversely, Howard Duff moves from insincerity to genuine caring in his attitude toward Agnes, but by then she can't tell the difference.
"Jennifer" is a movie that will stick in your subconscious, just because of the quiet unease lurking below the surface. I give it Two Big Thumbs Up. Highly recommended for fans of psychological terror. //////
That's all for this evening. Normally I'd be saying it's time for my CSUN walk, but I'm in Reseda and it's heading toward midnight!. If I hurry I can squeeze in a 60 minute sci-fi before bedtime, so lemme see if I can find one. See you later tonight at the Usual Time, which.....(wait a minute, that's right now!)
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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