Chick Flicks

The other day Entrapment, a film from a few years back, was on TV and I ended up watching it. Its not great art, but it was nonetheless quite entertaining. A major part of its appeal, at least for me, was of course Ms. Catherine Zeta-Jones at her most beautiful. She never got to make a classic film at the peak of her beauty and so I suppose a film like Entrapment, at best a good popcorn flick, is going to be her monument. (Some will put in for Chicago, but I couldn't watch it a second time. The editing annoyed me. And besides Zeta-Jones was getting on by then.) It got me thinking of other good, but not great, films that I like at least partly because the actress happens to be at her most beautiful. To qualify, a film has to hold up over more than one viewing as decent entertainment, but can't be a true classic. I came up with the following list, in rough chronological order:

Faye Wray
King Kong
NOTE: Kind of creaky after all these years, but the special effects are still interesting and Ms. Wray is lovely.

Rita Hayworth
Gilda
NOTE: To my mind, this is perhaps the sexiest female performance ever. On some days I might even be persuaded that its a classic film.

Joan Fontaine
Suspicion
NOTE: Decent Hitchcock with a lovely leading lady.

Cyd Charisse
The Band Wagon

Audrey Hepburn
Roman Holiday
Funny Face
Breakfast at Tiffany's
NOTE: The queen of these "chick flicks" is Audrey Hepburn. Ms. Hepburn was so charming that, at times, I find I'd rather watch a bad movie with Audrey Hepburn in it than a good one without her.

Grace Kelly
To Catch a Thief
NOTE: This isn't Kelly's best film with Hitchcock (that would be Rear Window), but its definitely her sexiest.

Elizabeth Taylor
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
NOTE: Sure, its a butchered, melodramatic version of the Tennessee Williams play, but its got a great cast and Taylor in that white slip.

Ursula Andress
Dr. No
NOTE: I haven't included too many Bond girls on this thing, but I couldn't not include Ursula Andress.

Claudia Cardinale
The Pink Panther
The Leopard
NOTE: I love Fitzcarraldo, but its not Cardinale at her most radiant.

Helen Mirren
A Midsummer Night's Dream
NOTE: Despite all the cooing over how good Mirren looked at the Oscars, I'm not one to find 60 year old ladies sexy. Its important therefore to note that in her day Ms. Mirren was a cutie. This production of Shakespeare suffers from the director's irritating jump cuts and the rather soggy outdoor setting (poor Judie Dench is forced to spend the entire film cold, naked, and green), but the acting is excellent, especially from Ms. Mirren.

Diana Rigg
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
NOTE: The only other bond girl, though of course Ms. Rigg was so much more than that.

Winona Ryder
The Age of Innocence

Halle Berry
Boomerang

Michelle Pfeiffer
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Batman Returns
NOTE: How could I leave out that catsuit?

Alicia Silverstone
Clueless

Liv Tyler
Empire Records
That Thing You Do
NOTE: Sadly, by the time of The Lord of the Rings, Ms. Tyler seemed a little past her peak lookswise. Though perhaps thats just Peter Jackson's fault. Tyler was only 27 when shooting stopped, but I don't like Jackson's geeky, fake pre-Raphaelite ideal of womanly beauty.

Cameron Diaz
My Best Friend's Wedding
There's Something About Mary
NOTE: Mary isn't exactly a sexy film, but Diaz still looks great and its lots of (crude) fun.

Penelope Cruz
Open Your Eyes
NOTE: When Cruz first started making films in English, I thought she was one of the worst actesses I had ever seen. Her English has improved, but this is what made her famous.

Milla Jovovich
The Fifth Element
NOTE: Fun, but very stupid, movie from Luc Besson.

Catherine Zeta-Jones
Entrapment

Angelina Jolie
Gia
NOTE: You didn't think I was going to put Tomb Raider here, did you?

Rachel Weisz
The Mummy
About a Boy

Asia Argento
XXX

Charlize Theron
The Italian Job

Franka Potente
The Bourne Identity
NOTE: I didn't think much of Potente's looks in Run Lola Run, but this film perfectly captures her appeal. Those wonderful dark eyes. Alas, the sequel stupidly kills her off. She was easily the best thing in the first film.

Jessica Alba
Into the Blue
NOTE: Alba in a bikini. For the whole movie. Need I say more.

Of course some extrodinarily beautiful and sexy actresses never really made a film worth watching twice, or at least never made one while they were close to peak attractiveness Examples would include Ava Gardner, Isabella Rossellini, Natassja Kinski, Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek, and Monica Bellucci.

Some very beautiful actresses are lucky enough to be at their best in a classic film. These come to mind:

Greta Garbo
Ninotchka

Ingrid Bergman
Casablanca
Notorious

Lauren Bacall
To Have and Have Not

Sophia Loren
Two Women

Catherine Deneuve
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Belle de Jour

Kim Novak
Vertigo

Faye Dunaway
Bonnie and Clyde

Cybil Shepard
The Last Picture Show

Emmanuelle Beart
A Heart in Winter

Uma Thurman
Pulp Fiction

And of course I have to close with Audrey Hepburn again, who made the wonderful Charade with Cary Grant and Stanley Donen. Enjoy.

UPDATE: You will notice that I didn't put anything here for Nicole Kidman. I'm not sure if Eyes Wide Shut is a bona fide classic, but it is probably the best showcase for both Kidman's looks and her acting chops. As for her other films, its been a long time since I've seen Far and Away and I never did see Days of Thunder. I cannot nominate her outing in the Batman series, though she did look great in it, and To Die For is, to my mind, just no fun at all. Moulin Rouge, with its hyperfast editing, is by far the most irritating film I've ever seen.

NOTE: This post has been modified.