ADAM AND EVELYNE offers a variant on the 'guardian-ward' theme explored so compellingly in the earlier Rank film THE SEVENTH VEIL. However, ADAM AND EVELYNE opts for light comedy rather than cane-lashing in the central relationship between Simmons and Granger.
The plot is rather silly yet all in good fun: Evelyne (Simmons) is an orphan who is suddenly found and taken away for a better life with the man she believes to be her father, handsome professional gambler Adam(Granger, sporting a rather terrible mustache). It is all a mix-up, of course, and unrefined 'Orphan Annie' Simmons finds out the truth about her parentage (yet not about Adam's source of income) in due time. She stays with a generous (and guilty) Adam as his ward, maturing (with the aid of an expensive boarding school) into an attractive and accomplished young woman. Complications ensue when Adam and Evelyne start developing feelings for each other that are definitely not of the 'father-daughter' type...
ADAM AND EVELYNE works reasonably well as light, unpretentious comedy. Simmons does some good work, likable as both the elfin-like young girl and the beautiful young woman (her appearance and clothing in the scene where Adam meets her as a lady must have inspired the costume designer of Audrey Hepburn in SABRINA). She also seems to resemble a curious Vivien Leigh-Elizabeth Taylor hybrid in several scenes. Granger is charming and does not have to do too much heavy lifting here. Granger and Simmons share good chemistry (which is expected, as they were courting at the time and married several years later), which definitely aids the production.
A rather poor script and silly plot hampers the production. Still, this makes good Sunday afternoon viewing.
6/10.
The plot is rather silly yet all in good fun: Evelyne (Simmons) is an orphan who is suddenly found and taken away for a better life with the man she believes to be her father, handsome professional gambler Adam(Granger, sporting a rather terrible mustache). It is all a mix-up, of course, and unrefined 'Orphan Annie' Simmons finds out the truth about her parentage (yet not about Adam's source of income) in due time. She stays with a generous (and guilty) Adam as his ward, maturing (with the aid of an expensive boarding school) into an attractive and accomplished young woman. Complications ensue when Adam and Evelyne start developing feelings for each other that are definitely not of the 'father-daughter' type...
ADAM AND EVELYNE works reasonably well as light, unpretentious comedy. Simmons does some good work, likable as both the elfin-like young girl and the beautiful young woman (her appearance and clothing in the scene where Adam meets her as a lady must have inspired the costume designer of Audrey Hepburn in SABRINA). She also seems to resemble a curious Vivien Leigh-Elizabeth Taylor hybrid in several scenes. Granger is charming and does not have to do too much heavy lifting here. Granger and Simmons share good chemistry (which is expected, as they were courting at the time and married several years later), which definitely aids the production.
A rather poor script and silly plot hampers the production. Still, this makes good Sunday afternoon viewing.
6/10.