I agree that most actresses mentioned above are just fabulous. I love Meryl Streep and was really surprised to see how similar some of her facial features were to Ella. As much as I usually am for historical accuracy, I also believe being true to the spirit is much more important than presenting a copy of the original. Tastes change. Perhaps Ella wouldn't be considered the stunner she was nowdays, because of changes in taste. Instead of choosing an actress that looks identical to her, who may not at all appear stunning to the modern audience, we should pick an actress that evokes the same emotions in us that Ella did in her contemporaries. We hear she was stunning and very charming, at the same time graceful and angelic. Maryl Streep may have been all that in the 19th century, but no contemporary man finds her at any age a jaw-dropper beauty. Uma Thurman is a very good choice but she doesn't have the presence of Nicole Kidman. You often read about Ella that whenever she entered a gathering all eyes would turn onto her. Well, I think Nicole Kidman is the only well known actress who has that quality and is also the right age to play her. She is also a good enough actress to portray her elegant and graceful sides. But when a contemporary audience watches the movie he/she will experience the same feelings looking at her as the victorians did looking at Ella.
