All About Eve is a fantastic film, no doubt about it. With perfect casting, a witty and brilliant script, and some of the most excellent performances ever put to screen, All About Eve certainly makes my top ten films of all time list. The 1950 drama, written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, was based on the novel “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr. The film features the almighty Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Thelma Ritter, Hugh Marlowe, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, and even Marilyn Monroe in one of her first roles.
The film details Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway actress. Anne Baxter plays Eve Harrington, a cunning, manipulative and at first willingly helpful young fan who insinuates herself into Channing’s life, ultimately threatening Channing’s career and her personal relationships. The film covers elements of the theatre, stardom and the “fan” with such wit and brains that many of the scenes are jaw dropping in their stunning repartee.
Praised by critics at the time of its release, All About Eve was nominated for 14 Oscars and won six, including Best Picture. It has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry and appeared on the AFI’s list of the 100 Best American Films of the 20th century. The film is often compared with Sunset Boulevard (another one of my favourites) as the two films were released the same year and contained various similar plot components. All About Eve, to me, rises just slightly above Sunset Boulevard because of its captivating performances from the lead, Bette Davis, and the hauntingly sexual performance from Anne Baxter (the scene in which she hits on Channing’s flame is a stunner).
Bette Davis is a treat to watch here, as she is given the best lines of her career and essentially plays something resembling herself in the film. She brings an energy, a venom and a passion to the role that simply burn the screen with biting sarcasm, wit and pain. The pain of the character of Margot Channing as she struggles to come to terms with her life and its changes is evident through every line breathed by the wonderful Davis. Channing’s heart and soul is in the theatre and that is threatened by Eve’s every move.
Baxter’s Eve is tremendous, too. She delivers such overt and sudden sexuality, departing from innocence so quickly and suddenly that one feels as though they’d be a part of the dupe of the century. Eve is a truly complicated character, one that feels in control of her life and in control of her deceit until she meets Addison DeWitt and all hell breaks loose. How Eve deals with DeWitt or, more accurately, how DeWitt deals with Eve, is a true treasure of tortured delight. DeWitt, played wonderfully by Oscar winner George Sanders, is an acid tongued expert of the theatre with manipulation cards of his own to play. Sanders draws out each line with such a curt capacity that it’s a treat to endure.
All in all, All About Eve is one of the finest films of all time. Words cannot do the script justice, as it is simply one of the smartest scripts ever penned. The complexities and nuances of the characters are brought to life beautifully by Davis and the rest of the glorious cast. All About Eve is a true classic, in every sense of the word, and leaves an impression long after the final scene has played and the curtain has fallen.
10/10
Trailer:
