Huck, trying to answer your questions was absolute torture!! You shouldn't make us suffer like that.

There is just no way that I can choose a boy and say with absolute certainty that he was the most beautiful 11/12 y/o from a film. There are just too many.

I managed to narrow it down considerably to a few that struck me as particularly beautiful. Pelle Hvenegaard and Antoine Hubert are two that came immediately to mind. Jake Thomas in A.I was about the right age and very cute. Mason Gamble in Rushmore (although that probably has more to do with his character than his actual physical appearance). Michael Angarano is too old to fit in your category in Almost Famous and I haven't seen him in Music of the Heart, otherwise I would include him also.

But since I must choose only one, I will say Regis Arpin in Je suis le seigneur du chateau. Here is the only half-decent picture of him I could find on the Internet. (I would be forever grateful if one of you could make a nice gallery of DVD caps from this amazing film!!!)

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Now, to answer your question: Why? Difficult to explain, but I'll try. For me, the impact of seeing a boy in a film depends in almost equal parts to three elements: 1. acting ability of the boy, 2. the character the boy is playing and 3. physical appearance. Good acting can be judged a bit more objectively, but the other two characteristics are really just a matter of personal preferences. The right combination of these three elements is what leads to what I might call a "transcendental aesthetic experience"

Generally speaking, the boys I prefer in films are "intense" characters in one way or another. For example, I have a thing for boys that display a superior intellectual and emotional maturity, while still maintaining the innocence, fragility and beauty of boyhood. The character of "Thomas" in Je suis le seigneur du chateau is the perfect example of such a character. Director Régis Wargnier's extremely melodramatic style emphasizes that intensity.

I don't know if that makes any sense. It's always hard to try to rationalize what are for the most part semi-conscious feelings.

When I read josephk say "superior intellectual and emotional maturity, while still maintaining the innocence, fragility..." the first boy I thought of was Joseph Mazzello in 'The Cure'.  He misses on beauty though.  I'll try to give this some thought and chime in later.

I hate to have to do a 'yeah, I agree', but honestly, Julien was my choice before I read Jacob's post.

He is so stunningly gorgeous he leaves me speechless.  'My Father's Glory' has to be my number one favorite movie, both for the boy as well as the cinematography and the easy, wonderful story.

The most beautiful boy from the movies?

A tough question. ?Insidious. ?It took me hours to decide. ?Of course I had to look at all the pictures on my HD...

The winner:

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Ovidiu Balan in MONDO

I put my runners-up (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) (now kindly hosted in a new spot).

Nice page, hosenhaus. Did you create it just for this thread?
Who is that boy: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Despite his long hair he looks really cute!
Is "Mondo" worth buying? The story sounds interesting, but could you comment on it? Seems that this is more a documentary than a movie; does it get boring?

Quote:

You mean in Ladybugs?
No, I didn't like him disguised. But without: cool hairstyle and just beautiful!

The boy in Oliver! is Mark Lester, born July 11, 1958

He was a prolific actor during the sixties and seventies.

Allez France! as Gerald
Black Beauty as Joe
Boy Who Stole the Elephant, The as Davey
Dance Under the Elms
Eye Witness as Ziggy
Fahrenheit-451
Melody as Daniel
Oliver! as Oliver
Our Mother's House as Jimminee
Prince and the Pauper
Redneck as Lennox Duncan
Run Wild, Run Free as Philip Ransome
Scalawag as Jamie
Spaceflight IC-1 as Don Saunders
What the Peeper Saw as Marcus
Who Slew Auntie Roo? as Christopher
Witches, The

From IMDB:

Mark attended stage school in London, England as a young child and made his film debut in Allez France (1964) at the age of six. He made countless TV appearances and became very well known in England. Worldwide fame developed as a result of his partrayal of a stuttering child in Our Mother's House (1967). Producers of Oliver! (1968) auditioned 250 child actors for the title role and finally chose Mark Lester. Many roles for TV, film and stage followed. His last major film was Crossed Swords (1977). He now lives with his wife and two children in Cheltenham, England. He and his wife are osteopaths.

Cammi