Debbie?!?!?
I agree Deborah Kerr would have been a great choice to play Ella. Her beautiful features, her regal bearing, her inner glow . . . . yes!
I had the great good fortune to see her some years ago on stage in "Long Day's Journey Into Night." I was mesmerized by her exquisite coloring and general presence. Certainly she was one of the most memorable of film actresses during one of the greatest periods in film. It is sad to know that she is currently in frail health, but I understand her daughter is taking good care of her, and certainly Deborah Kerr has lived an extraordinary life.
Audrey Hepburn is perhaps my favorite actresses--in a tie with Katharine Hepburn--but I don't see her as Ella. However, if ever a film had been made about Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan . . . . ah, Audrey Hepburn would have been perfect!
Also, as an odd bit of trivia, Audrey Hepburn was originally cast to play Princess Nefreteri in the 1956 production of "The Ten Commandments." However, after costume tests it was determined she was too thin to wear the diaphanous fabrics, and the curvier Anne Baxter replaced her in that role.