The beautiful Jean Simmons appeared in her last movie only one year before her death at 80. Her career featured a surprisingly varied list of good roles in good films.
Her first appearance of note was as the young Estella in the 1946 version of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. Fifty-plus years later, Ms. Simmons played the mysterious Miss Havisham in a TV mini-series. The 1946 movie is far superior to the modernized 1998 version with Gwyneth Paltrow.
Black Narcissus (1947) is largely Deborah Kerr’s movie about a group of nuns trying to establish an orphanage in the Himalayas. Jean Simmons has a fine turn as Kanchi, one of the younger nuns. This is a gorgeous film; the scenery is spectacular.
In 1948, Ms. Simmons landed the plum role of Ophelia in Hamlet. She was splendid as the melancholy Dane’s lost love. This is the one starring and directed by Lawrence Olivier. Of all the versions of the seminal work (I count about 14) this one is the shining star. She was nominated for an Oscar but lost to Claire Trevor for Key Largo.
Guys and Dolls (1955) contains some of the most bizarre casting ever. Jean Simmons would seem an unlikely choice as Salvation Army Sergeant Sarah Brown, yet she turns out to be ideal. Even stranger, what about Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson? Somehow the really disparate cast puts the Damon Runyon musical across; it is a lot of fun.
Ms. Simmons plays duplicitous evangelist Sharon Falconer in Elmer Gantry (1960). Burt Lancaster has the title role, and he winks and mugs a great part.
In 1960 Jean Simmons also appears in the award-winning Spartacus, as the seldom-seen Virinia. She was not one of the actors who shouted out “I am Spartacus” (!). Ms. Simmons was nominated for an Oscar again for the frankly awful The Happy Ending (1969). This is one of the Academy’s “make-up” nominations, and she deservedly lost to Maggie Smith for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
All off the films in this column are available on DVD. Black Narcissus and Guys and Dolls are fine for all ages; the rest are for grown-ups.
Rusty Hammond has been writing the Mr. Movie column since 1996. It appears in several newspapers in North Carolina.
