38. Carole Lombard as Maria Tura
      To Be or Not to Be (1942)

We’d say that Lombard was a one-woman refutation of Steve Martin’s maxim “Comedy isn’t pretty,” except that to say that Lombard was pretty would be a terrific disservice to her. She’s nothing less than ravishing in this, playing the better half of a Warsaw acting couple whose troupe is concocting a de facto resistance to the Nazis. This is a work whose grace and humanity are still movingly resonant today, and it’s Lombard’s beguiling character who keeps the audience on its toes. Is she loyal to her self-absorbed spouse, or will she throw him over for the dashing airman? And who has time for romance when the world is ending? Conveying the depths of a very wise soul even with her crystalline laugh, Lombard provides unforgettable answers to these questions.

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