It may sound like a hackeneyed old beauty fallacy but a good set of brows really do have the power to completely change the face. A defined arch (Marlene), the gentle brush-up (Brooke) or the beautiful unruliness of pre-grooming (Jennifer C.), all of which captivate on the big screen.

In fact, watching these women play their roles on film is as much a lesson in the arts as it is a perfunctory whistle-stop tour through the brow zeitgeist of the twentieth century. 

Click through the gallery for my favourite arches to ever appear on film.