18 Movies Starring Jean Simmons

Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1946-12-26

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

118 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

(16703 Reviews)

Director:

David Lean

Genres:

DramaRomance

Cast:

Writer:

Charles Dickens (by)

David Lean (adapted for the screen by)

Ronald Neame (adapted for the screen by)

Anthony Havelock-Allan (adapted for the screen by)

Kay Walsh (adapted for the screen with)

Cecil McGivern (adapted for the screen with)

Fullplot:

Pip, a good-natured, gullible young orphan, lives with kind blacksmith Joe Gargery and his bossy, abusive wife 'Mrs. Joe'. When the boy finds two hidden escaped galley convicts, he obeys under -probably unnecessary- threat of a horrible death to bring the criminals food he must steal at peril of more caning from the battle-ax. Just when Pip fears to get it really good while they have guests, a soldier comes for Joe who takes Pip along as assistant to work on the chains of escaped galley-convicts, who are soon caught. The better-natured one takes the blame for the stolen food. Later Pip is invited to became the playmate of Estelle, the equally arrogant adoptive daughter of gloomy, filthy rich Miss Havisham at her estate, who actually has 'permission' to break the kind kid's heart; being the only pretty girl he ever saw, she wins his heart forever, even after a mysterious benefactor pays through a lawyer for his education and a rich allowance, so he can become a snob in London, by now 'ashamed' of simple Joe. Only after years in idle wealth, Pip learns Havisham is not his benefactor as he assumed, and both her story and those of his real sponsor and Estelle...

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1949-09-19

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

101 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (273 Reviews)

Director:

Frank Launder

Cast:

Writer:

Henry De Vere Stacpoole (novel)

John Baines

Michael Hogan

Frank Launder

Fullplot:

Two children are shipwrecked on a desert-island and fall in love while growing up together.

The Actress

The Actress

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1953-09-25

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

90 min

Rated:

PASSED

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (766 Reviews)

Director:

George Cukor

Cast:

Writer:

Ruth Gordon (screen play)

Ruth Gordon (from: her stage play "Years Ago")

Fullplot:

Former seaman Clinton Jones now works at a lowly job. His daughter Ruth wants to become an actress. Clinton gets fired and Ruth rejects the advances of Fred Whitmarsh. Her father gives her his seaman's spyglass to sell as she heads for New York City.

The Robe

The Robe

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1953-12-04

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

135 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (5744 Reviews)

Director:

Henry Koster

Genres:

DramaHistory

Cast:

Writer:

Philip Dunne (screenplay)

Gina Kaus (adaptation)

Lloyd C. Douglas (novel)

Albert Maltz (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Marcellus is a tribune in the time of Christ. He is in charge of the group that is assigned to crucify Jesus. Drunk, he wins Jesus' homespun robe after the crucifixion. He is tormented by nightmares and delusions after the event. Hoping to find a way to live with what he has done, and still not believing in Jesus, he returns to Palestine to try and learn what he can of the man he killed.

Young Bess

Young Bess

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1953-05-29

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

112 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (1001 Reviews)

Director:

George Sidney

Cast:

Writer:

Margaret Irwin (novel)

Jan Lustig

Arthur Wimperis

Fullplot:

Chronicles the life of queen Elizabeth I, before she became the queen of England. Apart from taking part in the court intrigues, she is unhappily in love with admiral Thomas Seymour, and dreams of building a navy to match the Portuguese and the Spanish.

The Egyptian

The Egyptian

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1954-12-17

Languages:

English, Greek

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

139 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (2327 Reviews)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Genres:

DramaHistory

Cast:

Writer:

Philip Dunne (screen play)

Casey Robinson (screen play)

Mika Waltari (novel)

Fullplot:

In eighteenth-dynasty Egypt, Sinuhe, a poor orphan, becomes a brilliant physician and with his friend Horemheb is appointed to the service of the new Pharoah. Sinuhe's personal triumphs and tragedies are played against the larger canvas of the turbulent events of the 18th dynasty. As Sinuhe is drawn into court intrigues, and bizarre secrets are revealed to him, he learns the answers to the questions he has sought since his birth. Short on historical accuracy but strong on plot and characterization.

Footsteps in the Fog

Footsteps in the Fog

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1955-06-01

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

90 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

(984 Reviews)

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Cast:

Writer:

Dorothy Davenport (screenplay)

Lenore J. Coffee (screenplay)

Arthur Pierson (adaptation)

W.W. Jacobs (original short story "The Interruption")

Fullplot:

To his Victorian London friends, Stephen Lowry is a heartbroken widower. Only his housemaid Lily knows that far from dying of gastroenteritis his wife was slowly poisoned by her husband - information she is happy to use to improve her position in the household and to make sure she stays close to Stephen. As his own prospects improve with a business partnership and a romance more of his own class, Stephen decides that Lily must go. Unfortunately for him, his first attempt gives her even more of a hold over him.

Guys and Dolls

Guys and Dolls

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1956-01-16

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

150 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (11185 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Jo Swerling (based upon the play: "Guys and Dolls" book by)

Abe Burrows (based upon the play: "Guys and Dolls" book by)

Damon Runyon (from a story)

Joseph L. Mankiewicz (written for the screen by)

Fullplot:

All the hot gamblers are in town, and they're all depending on Nathan Detroit to set up this week's incarnation of "The Oldest Established Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York"; the only problem is, he needs $1000 to get the place. Throw in Sarah Brown, who's short on sinners at the mission she runs; Sky Masterson, who accepts Nathan's $1000 bet that he can't get Sarah Brown to go with him to Havana; Miss Adelaide, who wants Nathan to marry her; Police Lieutenant Brannigan, who always seems to appear at the wrong time; and the music/lyrics of Frank Loesser, and you've got quite a musical. Includes the songs: Fugue for Tinhorns, "Luck Be a Lady", "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat".

The Big Country

The Big Country

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1958-10-01

Languages:

English, Spanish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

165 min

Rated:

UNRATED

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (10612 Reviews)

Director:

William Wyler

Cast:

Writer:

James R. Webb (screenplay)

Sy Bartlett (screenplay)

Robert Wilder (screenplay)

Jessamyn West (adaptation)

Robert Wyler (adaptation)

Donald Hamilton (novel)

Fullplot:

Retired, wealthy sea Captain Jame McKay arrives in the vast expanse of the West to marry fiancèe Pat Terrill. McKay is a man whose values and approach to life are a mystery to the ranchers and ranch foreman Steve Leech takes an immediate dislike to him. Pat is spoiled, selfish and controlled by her wealthy father, Major Henry Terrill. The Major is involved in a ruthless civil war, over watering rights for cattle, with a rough hewn clan led by Rufus Hannassey. The land in question is owned by Julie Maragon and both Terrill and Hannassey want it.

Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1959-01-14

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

136 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (456 Reviews)

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Eileen Bassing (screenplay)

Robert Bassing (screenplay)

Eileen Bassing (novel)

Fullplot:

A wealthy but emotionally damaged woman is released from a sanitarium a year after suffering a mental breakdown. She returns to her home, shared with her husband, stepsister, stepmother, and maid. She attempts to start her life over again, but the home environment that caused her breakdown are still there. The lack of support from those closest to her threatens her fragile recovery.

This Earth Is Mine

This Earth Is Mine

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1959-06-26

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

124 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.5 (278 Reviews)

Director:

Henry King

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Alice Tisdale Hobart (novel)

Casey Robinson

Fullplot:

In 1931, Elizabeth Rambeau comes from England to live in California with her aunt and uncle of a winemaking dynasty, who are still wealthy despite 12 years of Prohibition. Object: marriage to the heir of another vineyard, to further consolidate holdings in the Valley. But John Rambeau, Elizabeth's illegitimate cousin, has other ideas about who she should marry, and sharply opposes patriarch Philippe's refusal to sell wine grapes to bootleggers. John's activities bring violence to the valley, and soap opera to the Rambeau family...

Elmer Gantry

Elmer Gantry

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1960-07-01

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

146 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (7484 Reviews)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Richard Brooks (screenplay)

Sinclair Lewis (from the novel by)

Fullplot:

Elmer Gantry is a fast talking, hard drinking traveling salesman who always has a risquè story and a hip flask to entertain cronies and customers alike. He is immediately taken with Sister Sharon Falconer, a lay preacher whose hellfire and damnation revivalism has attracted quite a following. Gantry uses his own quick wit and knowledge of the bible to become an indispensable part of Sister Sharon's roadshow but soon finds that his past catches up with him in the form of Lulu Bains, now a prostitute. While Gantry seeks and eventually gets forgiveness from Sharon, tragedy strikes when she finally manages to get out of her revivalist tent and opens a permanent church.

The Grass Is Greener

The Grass Is Greener

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1961-02-27

Languages:

English

Countries:

UK

Runtime:

104 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (3153 Reviews)

Director:

Stanley Donen

Cast:

Writer:

Hugh Williams (screenplay)

Margaret Vyner (screenplay)

Hugh Williams (play)

Margaret Vyner (play)

Fullplot:

Victor and Hillary are down on their luck to the point that they allow tourists to take guided tours of their castle. But Charles Delacro, a millionaire oil tycoon, visits, and takes a liking to more than the house. Soon, Hattie Durant gets involved and they have a good old fashioned love triangle.

Spartacus

Spartacus

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1960-10-07

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

197 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

(91559 Reviews)

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Cast:

Writer:

Dalton Trumbo (screenplay)

Howard Fast (based on the novel by)

Fullplot:

In 73 BCE, a Thracian slave leads a revolt at a gladiatorial school run by Lentulus Batiatus. The uprising soon spreads across the Italian Peninsula involving thousand of slaves. The plan is to acquire sufficient funds to acquire ships from Silesian pirates who could then transport them to other lands from Brandisium in the south. The Roman Senator Gracchus schemes to have Marcus Publius Glabrus, Commander of the garrison of Rome, lead an army against the slaves who are living on Vesuvius. When Glabrus is defeated his mentor, Senator and General Marcus Licinius Crassus is greatly embarrassed and leads his own army against the slaves. Spartacus and the thousands of freed slaves successfully make their way to Brandisium only to find that the Silesians have abandoned them. They then turn north and must face the might of Rome.

All the Way Home

All the Way Home

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1965-06-03

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

97 min

IMDB Ratings:

7.3 (271 Reviews)

Director:

Alex Segal

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Tad Mosel (based upon the play by)

James Agee (novel)

Philip H. Reisman Jr. (screenplay)

Fullplot:

In the early 1900's Tennessee, a loving family undergoes the shock of the father's sudden, accidental death. The widow and her young son must endure the heartache of life following the tragedy, but slowly rise up from the ashes to face the hope of renewed life.

Divorce American Style

Divorce American Style

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1967-06-21

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

109 min

Rated:

APPROVED

IMDB Ratings:

6.3 (1129 Reviews)

Director:

Bud Yorkin

Genres:

Comedy

Cast:

Writer:

Robert Kaufman (story)

Norman Lear (screenplay)

Fullplot:

After 17 years, things have got too predictable and stale. They argue, they visit a marriage counselor, Richard (drunk) visits a prostitute. They split up. After meeting other people, they are re-united at a night club where they realize that their marriage was better than their divorce.

Heidi

Heidi

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1968-11-17

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, West Germany

Runtime:

105 min

Rated:

G

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (437 Reviews)

Director:

Delbert Mann

Genres:

DramaFamily

Cast:

Writer:

Earl Hamner Jr. (teleplay)

Johanna Spyri (novel)

Fullplot:

A lovely little girl lives with her grumpy grandfather in Swiss Alps. One day she is taken and lead to town to work as a servant. Her worried grandpa goes to town to look for her.

The Happy Ending

The Happy Ending

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1970-05-22

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

117 min

Rated:

M

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (616 Reviews)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Genres:

Drama

Fullplot:

The triumphs and failures of middle age as seen through the eyes of runaway American housewife Mary Wilson (Jean Simmons), a woman who believes that ultimate reality exists above and beyond the routine procedures of conscious, uninspired, everyday life. She feels cheated by an older generation that taught her to settle for nothing less than storybook finales, people who are disillusioned and restless and don't know why, people for whom life holds no easy answers. Great supporting cast includes John Forsythe, Teresa Wright, Lloyd Bridges, Shirley Jones, Bobby Darin, Tina Louise, Dick Shawn, and Nanette Fabray.

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