Jean Simmons

Part of HBO's Life Through Your Lens series, this documentary from director Micah Schaffer juxtaposes the stories of Guinean Amadou Diallo and American Jesse Thyne, two men who seem unrelated, but whose lives were surprisingly intertwined. Diallo was the victim of an infamous fatal shooting by New York City police officers that saw 41 bullets fired into the immigrant before the smoke cleared. Meanwhile, Thyne was a Peace Corp volunteer living with Diallo's family in Guinea before a car accident took his life. Schaffer interviews family members to discover common threads between the men. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese animation director who wowed audiences worldwide with his award-winning film Spirited Away, brings another visually spectacular tale of imagination to the screen. Sophie is an 18-year-old girl who toils in the hat shop opened years ago by her late father. Often harassed by local boys, one day Sophie is unexpectedly befriended by Howl, a strange but flamboyant wizard whose large home can travel under its own power. However, the Witch of the Waste is displeased with Sophie and Howl's budding friendship, and turns the pretty young woman into an ugly and aged hag. Sophie takes shelter in Howl's castle, and attempts to find a way to reverse the witch's spell with the help of Calcifer, a subdued but powerful demon who exists in the form of fire, and Markl, who protects the four-way door which can instantly take visitors to other lands and dimensions. Howl's Moving Castle was released in North America by Walt Disney Pictures, who distributed the film both in its original Japanese and in a dubbed English version; the English-speaking voice cast includes Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall, and Billy Crystal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Film director George Cukor (1899-1983) gets the American Masters treatment in this documentary from the acclaimed PBS series. Few directors from Hollywood's Golden Age can match the list of Cukor's achievements, which included What Price Hollywood, David Copperfield, Camille, Holiday, The Philadelphia Story, The Women, A Double Life, Adam's Rib, Born Yesterday, Pat and Mike, and the 1954 version of A Star Is Born, essentially the same story as What Price Hollywood. Even after the studio system broke up, Cukor continued making films right into the 1980s, though their quality began to vary widely. He did win his first and only Oscar in 1965 for My Fair Lady, though in retrospect, that film is not in the first rank of his filmography. Cukor's reputation in Hollywood was as a ladies' director, and few filmmakers can match his track record for drawing superb performances from actresses. The film does address the subtext of that reputation, Cukor's homosexuality, which was well-known in Hollywood during his lifetime, though not openly discussed in his public interviews. It allegedly led to his dismissal from directing Gone With the Wind after star Clark Gable insisted on having him replaced. Cukor was also one of the film community's most genial hosts, his dinner parties bringing together the most glamorous denizens of Hollywood. Both critics and historians, including Jeanine Basinger, David Denby, Richard Schickel, and Peter Bogdanovich, attest to Cukor's importance in motion pictures, and several of his collaborators and friends, including Angela Lansbury, Jack Lemmon, Mia Farrow, Fay Kanin, Shelley Winters, and Claire Bloom, offer insights into his working methods. Jean Simmons narrates. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

Though she has realized a measure of success in her career, Meredith Sanders (Melissa Gilbert) has never found true happiness. Haunted by fragmentary memories of her childhood, she returns to England, the first time she has set foot in native country since being adopted and brought to the United States. Conducting a lengthy and frustrating search for her birth mother's grave, Meredith ultimately makes a shocking discovery--and, this being a Barbara Taylor Bradford adaptation, she also falls in love, with handsome architect Lucas Kent (Jeremy Sheffield. Veteran stage and screen star Jean Simmons plays a pivotal role in Her Own Rules, which first aired October 13, 1998, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This 50-minute video features top Biblical scholars and historians debating the significance of Jesus' last symposium with his disciples. Hosted by Richard Kiley and Jean Simmons, and filmed and dramatized at authentic locations throughout the Holy Land and the Middle East, this video investigates the specifics of the Last Supper, including what was discussed, how much Jesus may have known about his impending betrayal, and the role Judas played that night. This video originally aired on A&E. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide

This video is part of a series on Bible stories that originally appeared on A&E television. The program focuses on the meaning of the stories and their relevance to modern-day Christianity. This episode looks at the work of archeologists in the Holy Land, as they look for physical artifacts and seek to corroborate the stories reported in the Bible. The results provide an interesting look at the Bible and the stories involving the walls of Jericho and the parting of the Red Sea. Re-enactments, computer imagery, and on-location photography are used to illustrate the points made in the film. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

A young woman at a crossroads in her life finds herself receiving plenty of advice from her older and wiser counterparts in this drama. Finn Dodd (Winona Ryder) is a graduate student trying to finish up her doctoral thesis on women's folk art while deciding if she should marry her fiancé Sam (Dermot Mulroney); she's not sure if she's ready to settle down, and suspects that Sam is unfaithful to her. Needing time to sort things out, Finn chooses to spend the summer with her grandmother Hy (Ellen Burstyn) and great aunt Gladys Jo (Anne Bancroft). Hy and Gladys Jo are avid quilters, and with a group of their friends, they work on a special quilt for Finn's wedding; as the women work together, they share stories of their lives, and Finn finds herself learning as much from hearing them talk as she does from her schoolwork. Finn also receives a visit from her free-spirited mom Sally (Kate Capshaw) and finds herself infatuated with a good looking young man who lives nearby. Maya Angelou plays one of the quilters, as do Kate Nelligan, Jean Simmons, and Alfre Woodard. How to Make an American Quilt was the directorial debut of Jocelyn Moorhouse, and was based on a novel by Whitney Otto that itself began as a doctoral thesis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This program is part of a series that investigates some of the mysteries of the Bible. In this episode, narrated by Richard Kiley and Jean Simmons, the investigation turns to the nativity of the Christ child. The program inquires into the particulars, including the actual date and place of the birth of Jesus. Do the facts support the story that He was born in Bethlehem in a stable on December 25? Or was the story devised to coincide with older traditions? Historians and theologians discuss the evidence; art and reenactments are used to illustrate their findings. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

Revelations is one of the most cryptic and powerfully written books of the Bible. It foretells that the world will end violently. Scholars, mystics, and laymen study this final book of the Bible and try to interpret the series of numbers, beasts, and warnings. A&E presents this documentary, filmed on-location in Jerusalem and other Middle East locations, to explore these mysteries, including who the true author is. Richard Kiley and Jean Simmons narrate. ~ Nicole Jones, All Movie Guide

This video is part of a series that investigates some of the best-known stories in the Bible. Are the mythical stories also factual? Archeologists and scholars have gathered a wealth of information which they share with the viewer. This program looks at the lives of four important Bible heroes: Jesus, Abraham, Joseph, and King David. Their stories are told with re-enactments and expert commentary to assess their historical, religious, and cultural value in ancient times and in the modern world. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide