Director Alexandra Dean says she spent years profiling inventors for Bloomberg television and Businessweek, but none captured her attention as much as the 1940s actress Hedy Lamarr. Dean makes her directing debut with Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, a documentary that compiles interviews, film clips and home movies with an audio interview that Lamarr taped in the 1990s. Often billed as “the most beautiful girl in the world,” Lamarr starred alongside leading men like Jimmy Stewart, Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable. But her roles were often thin, and beauty became a cage. She fended off boredom by pursuing inventions, including a device that would help radio-controlled torpedoes hop frequencies to avoid jams during naval airstrikes. Some even say her work was a precursor to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Bombshell, opening Dec. 29, has garnered tons of praise, and it might just change the way you look at celebrities. Visit belcourt.org for showtimes. Opening Dec. 29 at the Belcourt, 2102 Belcourt Ave. ERICA CICCARONE
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
