Comments on: In Appreciation of Jean Simmons (1929-2010)

By: Joan

Joan — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:35:24 +0000

I always watch for her in Caesar & Cleopatra, she’s easy to spot in a scene with Vivien Leigh as one of the intrument strumming slaves.

By: Until They Sail, nawet czas znieruchomieje « Kate.eM's Blog

Until They Sail, nawet czas znieruchomieje « Kate.eM's Blog — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:11:58 +0000

[...] mnie drażnił). Kąśliwa, cnotliwie przyzwoita i łatwo wydająca sądy. Druga siostra, Barbara (Jean Simmons), jest podobnie przyzwoita ale nikogo nie osądza i jest bardziej wyrozumiała. Najbardziej [...]

By: Lilacs

Lilacs — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:15:08 +0000

Frankly, Jean Simmons was overrated. She was a good actress, but she was always in movies with a large cast of really good actors – she never had to carry a movie by herself like some of the greats such as Bette Davis, Greer Garson, Joan Crawford, etc. Also, this lady had some tremendous personal problems that lead to her to alcohol addiction. These problems stemmed from being a childhood actress who never wanted to do anything for herself and who could be quite vain. The drinking brought out an ugly side to her personality, which never seems to be mentioned. Often it said that she overcame these problems, but she struggled with them all her life. Her husbands always get beat up for being the “strong” men in her life, but she wanted them to handle everything and then when things didn’t go smoothly, she would blame them or at least Granger. She also didn’t function well without either of them. Both her husbands had to put up with a lot, but Granger was too gentlemanly to mention the junk he had to put up in public. Richard Brooks, who tried to get Jean to be responsible for herself, is more candid, but in a nice way.

By: Christy

Christy — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 08:49:17 +0000

Moira, another tour de force…Jean Simmons has been greatly appreaciated here by your article and others comments.

Thank you for all your hard work and delightful Finniesque
approach to all your subjects!

By: Medusa

Medusa — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:15:54 +0000

I’ve waited too long to praise this wonderful post! I also love Jean Simmons in “The Big Country”, where her proper Englishness morphs into pure prairie backbone and she’s strong and delightful as she out-grosses Gregory Peck in a storytelling contest.

What an actress! And what a lovely voice she had, with such wonderful diction. Your article pays her much deserved attention!

By: IAN PAYNE

IAN PAYNE — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:12:32 +0000

I chatted with her for 45 mins on the phone in 2000, an experience I will never forget !!!

Now I write a tribute book about her. It will be donated to Barnet and Brent Archives [area where she was born and bred] and in Somerset Archives [area where she was evacuated during WW2].

If anybody has any memories/tributes/anecdotes of Jean that they would like to contribute to my book please contact me at :

elandimpayne@uwclub.net

May she RIP knowing that her career was a real DING DONG DING DONG DING !!!!

By: cathy

cathy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 06:29:11 +0000

I thought I should write to her and tell her how much my mother and I loved her in the films we saw. I remembered Young Bess but most especially as the martyred Diana in The Robe. My mother thought she had the most beautiful speaking voice and diction of any working actress.
I never wrote and told her that. Now my Mother will do it for both of us.

By: Bill Brandt

Bill Brandt — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:55:53 +0000

I have been reading about Jean since her death. She really had that quality of taking a screenplay of any quality and making it shine.

What a wonderful and well-researched tribute to her.

By: moirafinnie

moirafinnie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:41:00 +0000

Hi Erik, I've only seen a portion of Daisies in December (1995-Mark Haber) years ago,but remembered the captivating appeal of a muted Jean Simmons and salty Joss Ackland as the bittersweet pair who meet at the old hotel in Cornwall in winter. Since I wasn't able to review the film again in time for this piece and had only seen a sliver of the movie years ago, I did not touch on it in this appreciation. The only link I've found that shows a portion of Daisies in December's gentle appeal has been added to the end of the text above. I, too would like to see the entire film featuring these two fine actors (and without the intro and comments that are featured in this clip). Maybe someone in a position to make it more widely known will read our request. Thank you for sharing your comment on this blog.

By: Erik Decker

Erik Decker — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:27:32 +0000

Doesn’t anyone know that 1995 little gem of a film “Daisies in December”? By the way, try watching the 1944 “Give us the moon” and the 2009 “Shadows in the sun” in sequence … Quite an experience!