RIP Jean Simmons (1929-2010)
Here we go again. Jean Simmons died on January 22. She was formerly married to actor Stewart Granger. My first Simmons film was definitely The Robe. I saw it almost every Lenten season growing up. As a horror fan, I also watched her in the 1991 revival of Dark Shadows. In the wikipedia entry it states the Gulf War as causing the new hit show to lose it’s audience due to constant re-scheduling. I can’t stand war. I don’t even really like war films no matter how critically acclaimed.
I am so aware of Simmons’ filmography including her pre-Hollywood British films, Great Expectations, Hamlet and Black Narcissus as well as her Hollywood films like Elmer Gantry and Guys and Dolls. Nonetheless other than The Robe, I’ve only seen her in Angel Face and Spartacus . This is a wake-up call that I need to see more of her movies since she starred in a lot of acclaimed classics.
I don’t know if you know it, but she has played an Asian. In “Black Narcissus” she was either an Indian or Nepalese girl (I forget which one but it was in the Himalayas). It looked like they put lots of tan makeup on her.
And I just learned that movie was directed by Powell. So “Peeping Tom” isn’t the only one by him I’ve seen after all (which I wrote in my Moira comment).
I’ve never seen “The Robe” but I heard it was the first widescreen movie.
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