mark.waltz In reflecting on this film which I got to watch for a second time, I realized that Jean Simmons was playing a role that was exactly like one for which the very similar Audrey Hepburn later became successful for with "Sabrina". Simmons is a student in a boarding school, sent there by her widowed father when she was just a young girl, and who hasn't seen him since. She has collected all his letters and is preparing for him to come to take her away when fate steps in and he is killed. On her father' deathbed after a horse racing accident, he asks fellow gambler Stewart Granger to take her away from the boarding school and make her his ward, which Granger surprisingly agrees to without even thinking about it. But Granger's lady friend (Helen Cherry) is instantly jealous of the attention that Granger gives the young beauty, and she is sent away, returning two years later as a grown up beauty, just like Hepburn in "Sabrina". During that time, it is obvious that Cherry and Granger have grown apart, and Cherry uses her influence to passive/aggressively try to keep Granger and Simmons from getting further involved, citing Granger's gambling habit as a reason for them not to get too close. Simmons, realizing that her father was killed in a business that involved gambling, decides to take drastic steps to help Granger change his ways after Cherry makes one last desperate attempt to get further revenge and keep them apart.I notice that in old movies, it is always the pairing of older men with younger women that become serious romances (just look at the bulk of Audrey Hepburn's films), and when older women were involved with younger men, it was obviously a financial arrangement, with the younger man often a smarmy gigolo type. Certainly, Granger and Simmons were both very attractive in spite of their age differences, and would even marry after this film was released. The spark between them is obvious, so the age difference here is inconsequential. I didn't find much of the script believable, particularly Granger's agreement to take Simmons into his household in the first place without first meeting her. Simmons could play so many different types of characters, and even when she was cast as a true lady, there was always a hint of a fiery personality underneath, as she shows here when she throws an object off of her desk in the boarding school, only to hit an arriving school official in the forehead as she walks into the room. Her performance is simply marvelous in every aspect and thus she becomes the heart and soul of the film. After looking at Ms. Cherry's credits, I was surprised to discover the number of films she made and the fact that I hadn't seen her up until my first viewing of this or anything since makes me want to investigate her work more. She's a cool presence who subtly stirs the pot here, but it is Simmons whom you will come out remembering from this most of all.

jarrodmcdonald-1 The men in this picture are gamblers and killers. They play dirty and resort to violence. The women who associate with them do not seem to be much better. But despite all this, the characters still manage to exhibit a proper manner of behaving (at least on the surface). In an ironic way, that serves to make this type of story work. Maybe, it is because such composure lends itself perfectly to spoofing the life of hardened criminals. And ultimately, that is exactly what this film seems to be: a sharp satire.It comes off rather smoothly, too, thanks to the wonderful chemistry of the two leads: Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons (married in real life). Check these two performers out in YOUNG BESS and in FOOTSTEPS IN THE FOG, entirely different productions that indicate if anything their tremendous range and talent.

edwagreen It all basically began with Adam and Eve. We've seen the young, innocent girl maturing into the young lady and falling in love with the older man in "My Fair Lady," and "Gigi." This is basically the same story in "Adam and Evelynne."When Stewart Granger's friend dies, he takes his daughter in. The latter, Jean Simmons, believes that Granger is his father until she is told otherwise by Granger's girlfriend who senses Simmons as future competition. That sense proves correct when Simmons returns from finishing school in Switzerland all grown up. Problem is that Granger has never told her his true vocation: illegal gambling.The story unfolds how they fall in love and the eventual treachery of his girlfriend and younger brother to destroy him over this love.The film is nicely done. Jean Simmons goes from an unhappy child, looking for her father to the mature young woman searching for love.

Adira-2 Possible spoilers: I used to think that cute and winsome comedies were a Hollywood specialty, but after seeing "Adam and Evelyne" I realised the British can do them too. Stewart Granger plays Adam, a professional gambler. Jean Simmons plays Evelyne, the innocent orphan he adopts. About fifteen minutes into the film it becomes easy to predict how everything is going to turn out - Evelyne will grow up, she and Adam will fall in love, and after reforming him, she will marry him. Not surprisingly, Stewart and Simmons sail through their parts. Neither made heavy demands upon the actors. Stewart was required to be suave and charming, while Simmons radiated naive innocence.Still, I have seen worse movies. There was nothing actually offensive or irritating in "Adam and Evelyne", nor was it slow moving or boring. The obligatory scene where Adam shows Evelyne the sights of the town was cleverly handled. Instead of the standard montage of famous sights, intercut with Evelyne's enraptured face, we saw a sequence of scenes depicting Evelyne's energetic and Adam's increasingly weary *feet*, with the characters' dialogue as voiceover. And if nothing else the sets and costumes were fun to watch.