A terrific actress, Jean Simmons never quite reached the top rung of Hollywood stardom the way her contemporaries did (e.g., Elizabeth Taylor or even Kim Novak). Tiny (in an era of big buxom beauties), dark, intense, and British, she had somewhat limited appeal among American audiences. And now, she's often overlooked or forgotten when we think of actresses of her era. But, looking back at much of her work, it's clear she was probably the finest screen actress of the lot working in Hollywood in her time.
This is nowhere more apparent than this film where Simmmons brings some emotional truth to every frame she's in. She elevates even the most maudlin dialog she must deliver in what is essentially a potboiler with the intensity she brings to her performance. She plays it like it's Shakespearean tragedy, and is simply heart-breaking as well as mesmerizing as a woman desperately struggling to recover from a breakdown and save her failing marriage.
It's truly sad this film has been largely forgotten because Jean Simmons and her performance shouldn't be.
This is nowhere more apparent than this film where Simmmons brings some emotional truth to every frame she's in. She elevates even the most maudlin dialog she must deliver in what is essentially a potboiler with the intensity she brings to her performance. She plays it like it's Shakespearean tragedy, and is simply heart-breaking as well as mesmerizing as a woman desperately struggling to recover from a breakdown and save her failing marriage.
It's truly sad this film has been largely forgotten because Jean Simmons and her performance shouldn't be.