Adam et Évelyne

Enjoyed this film which I had my doubts about until I viewed the great acting of Jean Simmons, (Evelyn Wallace) and Stewart Granger, (Adam Black). This story is about a young girl Evelyn who lives in an orphanage and receives letters from her father telling her he is going to visit her someday and take her home where he raises horses. However, this is really not her father but a good friend of her father's Adam Black. Evelyn's father passes away and he asks Adam to take care of his daughter and he promises to look after her. There are very funny scenes and some very dramatic moments along with many lies which have been told and have to be explained to poor Evelyn Wallace. In real life, Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger were married and had a child. Great Classic film from 1949, enjoy.

Stewart Granger is "Adam", a rather raffish gambler who, when his wartime friend "Chris" dies, adopts his daughter "Evelyn" (Jean Simmons) who has hitherto been living in an orphanage. Initially he pretends that he is her father, but that is soon exposed by his friends and the two must now treat honestly - or as honestly as he knows how - with each other and the bond begins to mature, much to the chagrin of the rather calculating Helen Cherry... Both stars work well together, and the simple story is a well written and directed tale of deceit, deception and some good old-fashioned love and with Wilfred Hyde-White (another of those actors whose voice has a instantly identifiable silky timbre) adds a little charm to the proceedings, too - and in the end it all comes down to a moustache!

Stewart Granger seldom spoke with affection of his movies, but this he spoke glowingly of as "a charming light comedy". Doubtless his mellow recall of this engaging trifle was due to the offscreen rapport he was developing offscreen with his radiant young co-star (they were married the following year), who gracefully matures onscreen from an innocent young waif who inquires "What's a hangover?" to a young woman by losing her beret, having her hair shortened and discovering champagne. And men.

One would think how fresh and unspoilt Simmons was in this; but she never lost the glow with which she was still lighting up the screen twenty years later.

OK so this film does not break any new ground but its worth watching to see the effortless way the two principal actors (Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger) give an impressive performance overcoming the somewhat well worn themes dealt with in the script. Jean Simmons turns from a backward English schoolgirl of the 50's into a stunning deliciously irresistible asexual goddess which will leave all men with a revived faith in the female of the species, at least for a few minutes after watching the film.

I had been told to see this movie by a friend, if just for a sight of Stewart Granger with a moustache and I wasn't disappointed. Granger and Jean Simmons work beautifully together again, in this movie based on the concept of a young girl falling in love with an older man - and one she believes to begin with is her father!! Simmons is adorable as the young girl, whisked away from a life of labour and far more likeable in this role than any other. I loved the final scene between the two of them and the running joke that Granger looked better with his moustache after all! Not one to watch if you don't like continuous remakes of the 'old man, young girl' scenario, but in this case it works to perfection.