No, Genius, Not the Guy from Kiss!-- A Great Actress Remembered

Hollywood suffered a great loss last Friday. Jean Simmons is gone.

I thought it would be appropriate to share my perspective on a few points of her career. I've never seen two of the films that made her famous-- Great Expectations and Olivier's Hamlet-- but if her work in them is anything like what's listed here, I must investigate these with all expediency.

So, ladies and gentlemen and (c)-- Miss Jean Simmons.

Diana, The Robe (1953)
Anyone who's ever seen Henry Koster's widescreen Biblical melodrama knows that, while visually mind-boggling, it's not good to expect too much in the way of performances. But playing opposite Richard Burton, Simmons brings the movie into focus, keeps the drama (mostly) restrained, and comports herself like Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments-- bringing what could be one of the goofiest films ever under an umbrella-- however wide.

Sister Sarah Brown, Guys & Dolls (1955)
She may not have the most even singing voice around (and no, she's not dubbed), but you just can't argue with the drunken giddiness she uses in "If I Were a Bell." And on other songs, she just does what she does, which is so much better than almost anyone still working in Hollywood today. Past and present critics are more interested in Marlon Brando (it was his first appearance as a singer and dancer), but it's Simmons who, once again, reins in the crazy to provide a more interesting, layered film. No other actress would have worked in this version.

Varinia, Spartacus (1960)
Even forced to play second fiddle to Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and even Peter Ustinov, she's unbelievably good. She pairs well with Douglas, but her best scene comes at the end (spoiler), showing the dying Spartacus their infant son. And for some reason, Alex North's music provides the perfect instrumental background for her kind of dignity.

We now leap decades ahead, to see--
Admiral Nora Satie, Star Trek: The Next Generation [The Drumhead]
Simmons plays a veteran investigator trying to sniff out the perpetrator(s) of a conspiracy on Picard's Enterprise. The investigation snowballs into a witch-hunt that has everyone, including the captain, suspect. It's wickedly thrilling to watch her character unravel from a passionate but dignified seeker of truth into a snarling hawk-- all the while with Picard remaining as calm as if he were sending back a cup of tepid tea. It's guest stars like Jean Simmons that kept this from being a B-level show, and she's at the forefront.

Also seen in: Elmer Gantry (1960)
Also heard in: Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2000) and the English translation of Howl's Moving Castle (2004)