ASJRA’s Sparkling Movie List
While many are in COVID-19 self-quarantine mode, we want to thank our friends at ASJRA (Association for the Study of Jewelry and related Arts) for offering a platinum and diamond lining. Here is their list of movies movies with, or about, jewelry. We hope you enjoy, drop a line, and let us know what you think!
1. Gentlemen Prefer Blonds (1953). Director Howard Hawks. Marilyn Monroe comedy
2. The Women (1939). Director George Cukor. Joan Crawford comedy/drama
3. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Director Blake Edwards. Audrey Hepburn romantic comedy
4. Pink Panther (1963). Director Blake Edwards. Peter Sellers comedic jewelry theft
5. Romancing the Stone (1984). Director Robert Zemeckis. Mike Douglas comedic adventure
6. Titanic (1997). Director James Cameron. Leonardo DiCaprio romance
7. Pretty Woman (1990). Director: Gary Marshall. Romantic comedy with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts
8. Blue Streak (1999). Director Les Mayfield. Action comedy about a lost diamond starring Martin Lawrence
9. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003). Director Donald Petrie. Kate Hudson comedy
10. Harrowhouse (1974). Director Aram Avakian. A jewelry heist drama
11. Ocean’s 8 (2018). Director Gary Ross. Jewelry heist film with Sandra Bullock
12. The Affair of the Necklace (2001). Director Charles Shyer. Drama based on a tale of Marie Antoinette’s famed necklace
13. Moana (2016). Director Ron Clements. Disney movie based on a search for a green stone—pounamu
14. Sex and the City II (2010). Director Michael King. A romantic comedy filled with jewelry and fashion
15. Diamonds are Forever (1971). Directed by Guy Hamilton. James Bond infiltrates a diamond-smuggling ring
16. Goldfinger (1964). Directed by Guy Hamilton. A James Bond film with a villain bent on raiding Fort Knox
17. Elizabeth (1998). Directed by Shekhar Kapur. Cate Blanchard plays Elizabeth I, the Tudor queen known for her pearls and gems.
18. Anne of a Thousand Days (1969). Directed by Charles Jarrott. Lavish drama based on the life of Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated wife of Henry VIII (Richard Burton)
19. Topkapi (1964). Directed by Jules Dassin. A team plots to steal an emerald-encrusted dagger from Topkapi Palace
20. Murph the Surf (1975). Directed by Marvin Chomsky. Story based on the actual theft of gems from the American Museum of Natural History
21. Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). Directed by Anatole Litvak. A film noir thriller starring Barbara Stanwyck wearing fabulous jewels
22. To Catch a Thief (1955). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Grace Kelly stars in this romantic thriller about a cat burglar (Cary Grant)
23. The Gilded Lily (1935). Directed by Wesley Ruggles. Claudette Colbert wears a million dollar diamond and ruby necklace by Trabert, Hoeffer-Mauboussin in this romantic comedy
24. Crazy Rich Asians (2018). Directed by Jon M. Chu. Lots of flashy ornaments in this romantic comedy.
25. The Ten Commandments (1956). Directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Egyptologists were consulted on the jewelry worn by the many stars in this early blockbuster
26. Cleopatra (1963). Directed by Joseph Mankiewicz. Egypt’s cunning queen (Elizabeth Taylor) wears traditional Egyptian adornments to entice Julius Caesar and Mark Antony (Richard Burton)
27. Moulin Rouge (2001). Directed by Baz Luhrmann. A musical love-story starring Nicole Kidman with fantastic costumes and jewelry
28. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001). Directed by Peter Jackson. Based on the Tolkein classic where legendary ring is invested with power and hope.
29. Anna Karenina (2012). Directed by Joe Wright. In this romantic drama, Tolstoy’s heroine Anna (Keira Knightley) wears breathtaking costumes and jewels
30. The Great Gatsby (2013). Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Period costume and jewelry at its best
31. Gaslight (1944). Directed by George Cukor. Actress Ingrid Bergman falls prey to a nefarious husband (Charles Boyer) in search of her family’s jewels
32. Algiers (1939). Directed by John Cromwell. A jewel thief, Pepe le Moko (Charles Boyer), hides out in the Casbah district.
33. Green Fire (1954). Directed by Andrew Martin. An explorer (Stewart Granger) discovers an emerald mine and feuds with his business partner and wife (Grace Kelly)
34. Camille (1936). Directed by George Cukor. A beautiful courtesan (Greta Garbo) of a powerful baron falls in love with a dashing young suitor (Robert Taylor). Feaures jewelry by Joseff of Hollywood
35. The Age of Innocence (1993). Directed by Martin Scorsese. Romantic drama starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniele Day-Lewis based on a novel by Edith Wharton set in the 1870s with stunning period costumes and accessories.
36. Marie Antoinette (2006). Directed by Sophia Coppola. Features costumes by designer Milena Canonero that are worked into the narrative of the story.
37. Thief (1981). Directed by Michael Mann. A neo-noir film about a jewel thief (James Caan) that is fast-paced and filled with well-developed characters.
38. A Room with a View (1986). Directed by Merchant Ivory. Based on a book by E.M. Forester and set in Edwardian-era England, the film has lavish costumes designed by Jenny Beavan.