Men of a certain age will remember this scene from the movie Flashdance (1983) with Jennifer Beals. It was one of the most erotic scenes ever filmed, and there was no nudity. The boss of the plant (Nick) where Alex was a welder was finally able to snag a date with her and take her to this exquisitely fancy restaurant (with cloth tablecloths no less). She’d been sitting there in a Tux, getting odd stares from those snooty people! When she whips off the faux jacket (she’s also an exotic dancer so she has a bunch of quick removing costumes) for a ‘3 old lady’ feint! And we are privy to a very attractive Jennifer Beals. Sitting there all demure like.

Which is what I’m getting at. This idea has been with me awhile. I believe in the movie industry that there are actresses (not all of them) that sometimes have one movie that catches them at their absolute peak. Not that there was anything ‘bad’ with them before or after that, but strange as it may seem, I think a lot of times there is a ‘peak‘ moment. Maybe for a second it might seem sad, but the good news is it was captured for eternity on film. I’m also not saying its strictly age related. There are types of lighting (purposeful or not) that are more enhancing of the female appearance. In the scene above you can see its candlelight.

Maybe its the lighting technician. The cameraman. A particular filter the director wanted used. Maybe a lens. The makeup person. Even the film used could make a difference. Jennifer was 20 when this was released, and due to the film being about a dancer, had obviously been working out. So she was probably 19 when filming took place, and was in the best shape of her life. Coming out of the 70’s “big hair” was still a thing, that probably helped too. That big curly fro was wow. Chemistry and attitude probably had a big input. She probably had a sense this movie was going to put her on the map. She probably found it easy to find chemistry with Michael Nouri. The director Adrian Lyne, while maybe not being the biggest name among moviegoers, is I would imagine a huge name within the industry (Fatal Attraction, 9 1/2 Weeks, Indecent Proposal). I imagine he had the talent to make Jennifer look her absolute best.

And no of course I don’t base my theory on an example of one. Here are the actresses along with the movie that was arguably her most stunning appearance: Jennifer Love Hewitt – The Tuxedo (2002) age 22. Cybill Shepherd – The Last Picture Show (1971) age 20. Jennifer O’Neill – Summer of ’42 (1971) age 22. Grace Kelly – Rear Window (1954) age 24. Those are 4 good examples of this “phenomenom”. Jennifer O’Neill is a prime example. I’ve seen her in movies immediately before and after Summer of ’42 and she just wasn’t the same. Jennifer Love Hewitt probably weakens the theory the most as her amount of “stunning” appearances stretches over the greatest number of years.

Who knows what it is? Maybe sometimes its just intangibles and dumb luck. I just know that I’ve seen pictures of Beals through the decades after this and while perfectly fine, were just not ‘Queen of the Ball’ stunning that these are.

Jennifer Beals‘ trend-setting collarless sweatshirt came about by accident. The sweatshirt, which Beals brought from home, had shrunk in the wash and she had to cut the collar off in order to get it over her head. When director Adrian Lyne and costume designer Michael Kaplan saw it at the wardrobe fitting, they both loved it and Kaplan improved the overall look of the sweatshirt for the actual shoot. – IMDB

Another one was Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny! She was probably 27 during filming. Anyone who has seen it would say it was her “I don’t give a damn” attitude that was so attractive. And that hair. She seems like a nice woman but let’s face it, she was off the charts for that movie.