The essence of "reinvention" defines Hollywood and all its smarm. It also defines the breathtaking contours of Anna Nicole Smith nee Vicki Lynn Hogan of Mexia, Texas, a bountiful woman who's made the quantum leap from peanut butter to Dom Perignon to the cover of Playboy with some rather interesting, conversational side trips along the way.

In this luxuriously-appointed video/film essay, the history of Nicole Smith, a woman with great feet and more former aliases than the entire FBI Top Ten combines, is documented with the probing journalism of a press release. Obviously, it asks the soft questions.

We are informed that Anna "has magic in spades," and so we're dealt a winning bridge hand of Rotarian-style testimonials that have a tendency to paint Anna as the second coming of marilyn Monroe. Not that that's a bad thing, since many of the vignettes contained in this exuberant package have the obvious Monroesque flavor.

According to down home Anna she wants to meet the Marlboro Man, but somehow settled for the Marshall Man (deceased billionaire, store-magnate Howard Marshall), mutual animal magnetism being an obvious issue in that decision-making progress.

One can judge Anna Nicole Smith quite cynically (which is easy to do), but judgment of this tape rests squarely on its incredible sensual value. The black & white glamor sequences, especially, are works of cinematic art.

If your idea of a good time is anorexia, don't even waste your time feasting on the succulent limbs of Anna Nicole. However, if you're looking for a woman who could crck your head like a walnut between your legs while hypnotizing you with her sweet voice, line up. This is even better than Playboy's record-shattering The Best of Pamerla Anderson.