All About Eve
(1950)
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Given that she throws tantrums, gets intoxicated, and pushes people away when she needs them the most, it's a wonder New York theater star Margo Channing has any true friends. But when Eve, Margo's young and innocent-seeming protegee, schemes to gain both the affection of Margo's friends and a starring role originally written for Margo, the actress discovers just who is in her corner--and who is not. Released in 1950, ALL ABOUT EVE's power radiates undimmed through the years. The role of aging stage star Margo Channing is considered by many to be the best of Bette Davis's career, as Davis reveals and conceals Margo's vulnerabilities with a skill seldom seen onscreen. Anne Baxter is also marvelous as the subtle Eve, whose glowing enthusiasm masks a cold, calculated ambition. Both actresses garnered Best Actress Oscar nominations, and the film in its entirety took 14 nominations, winning seven of them, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. George Sanders was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his biting portrayal of potent, nasty theater critic Addison DeWitt. Consistently listed among the best films of all time, director-writer Joseph L. Mankiewicz's ALL ABOUT EVE shouldn't be missed; the acting, writing, and directing are unequivocally brilliant. |
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“Fasten your seat belts it's going to be a bumpy night!”, and with the acerbic talents of multi-Oscar-winning writer/director Joseph L Mankiewicz and his magnificent cast — the superb Bette Davis (replacing, thankfully, an ailing Claudette Colbert), the acid-tongued George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe — it certainly is. On its original release, this tale of the theatre was criticised in some quarters for being over-wordy and relentlessly arch, though today's audiences tend to revel in its wit and cynicism. The dialogue is especially clever and the performances are first-rate. If the framing flashback structure seems a little contrived, or if Anne Baxter's Eve doesn't quite have the killer instinct required for the role, these are minor blemishes in a classic movie, whose qualities remind us that there once was a Hollywood where such sophisticated treats could be made.
Halliwell's Film Guide
A basically unconvincing story with thin characters is transformed by a screenplay scintillating with savage wit and a couple of waspish performances into a movie experience to treasure.