All About Eve (1950)

everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her heels

I have always been a fan of this film. I had a DVD copy already, but opted to buy this for its special features. There is not one wasted line of dialogue in this exercise in backstabbing. For those who are ardent admirers, I also suggest the book "All About 'All About Eve'." Two of the films supporting stars, the snide Thelma Ritter and the sarcastic George Sanders (who won an Oscar for his role) are superb. This is not to say that the others are not, Davis, Merrill, Marlowe, Holm all deliver their lines as if they were born to play those roles. I could go on about this film, but I'd be at the keyboard all day. August 21, 2008

All about Bette Davis...

As my review title would suggest, this movie is all about the dynamic acting talents of Bette Davis; one of the greatest actresses the world has ever seen. If she had done no film other than `All About Eve' she would still go down in history as one of the most iconic film actresses of all time. This singular performance alone ranks as one of the greatest (I believe it falls in around number 5 according to Premiere Magazine) and rightfully so. As Margo Channing (no, Davis doesn't play Eve) Davis is extraordinary, barreling through every range of emotion with stamina and grace.

The film revolves around a friendship that turns to bitter rivalry. Young Eve Harrington will do anything to get a shot in the movies, and when she is introduced quite unexpectedly to the famous Margo Channing it seems that she may get her chance. Margo soon finds that Eve may seem simple and sweet, but her interference with her life starts to cause her more problems then she could have imagined. It soon becomes apparent that Eve wants nothing more than to become Margo, even if that means stripping her of everything that she holds dear to her.

What could have been nothing more than a simple story becomes so much deeper thanks to the brilliant performances by the entire cast, not just the glorious Bette Davis. Anne Baxter is splendid as Eve and George Sanders (who won the Oscar) is superb as Addison DeWitt, the critic who supports Eve's rise to fame. Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter all deliver spot on performances that only help elevate the film to instant classic.

The actors don't have to do all the work on their own though; the script they are given helps them a great deal. Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz adapts Mary Orr's `The Wisdom of Eve' with wit and class, serving up a delightfully entertaining film from start to finish. My wife, who has testified plenty of times to loathing films made pre-90's absolutely loved this film, so much so that we watched it a second time the following night. There is just so much to love about `All About Eve' since there appears to be nothing wrong with it. I honestly can't find a flaw.

`All About Eve' may not seem like an extremely deep film, although the ending flirts with the concept of karma and the idea that one can only get away with deception and trickery for so long, but even at it's simplest `All About Eve' is intelligent and thought-provoking. It brilliantly balances the need to be important with the need to be entertaining. There are few films that can match `All About Eve' frame for frame, and that alone solidifies its very necessity. August 13, 2008

I'm All About This!

An Oscar winning film that deserves its' Oscars. After nearly 60 years the humor is still fresh,sparkling,and beautifully written. The cast is first rate and varied. The supporting actors shine just as much as the leads in this behind the scences drama of the theater. The dialogue is crisp,biting,and as sharp as a razor. A must see for any fan of vintage movies.
July 12, 2008

What a story! Everything except the bloodhounds snapping at her rear end!

I wasn't yet born when this film premiered, but the story it tells is ageless: the Broadway star who sees her career on the cusp of fading, and is afraid to think about her future, and the scheming fan who seeks to take the star's place.

As the star and the fan, Bette Davis and Anne Baxter are wonderful. But so is everyone else, from George Sanders to Thelma Ritter. This is the best-written film I've ever listened to (you'll find yourself remembering favorite quotes and bits of dialog), and it's acted so well.

This is one of the few films I have seen dozens of times. It never gets old. July 8, 2008

Eve Shmeve

After viewing "Sunset Boulevard" for the first time, I wanted to see what movie stole it's Best Picture Oscar. I also wanted to see why Bette Davis won the Best actress oscar over Gloria Swanson. I watched "All About Eve" last night, and I was a bit dissapointed. I noticed alot of flaws in the acting, and the story, and the directing. To start, there was not enough character development for Eve's character. She sort just appeared out of nowhere, and in a flash she was backstage hobnobbing with Bette Davis's entourage. In real life, actors would never allow a complete stranger to chat it up with them and hang out and do errands with them within one day of meeting, especially a crazed fan. Then we are led to believe that Eve is borderline obsessed with Margo, and we don't get to see the obsession unfold, other than her being around all the time and later becoming her "personal assisstant". I wanted Eve to be less stoic and more "in your face" and overbearing. The dialogue was very mouthy and wordy, which is fine but it's not the natural way people communicate. There were witty moments and the dialgue was eloquent at times, but it still seemed contrived and forced. As far as the cinematography is concerned....what cinematography? The sets were not gorgeous, it looked as though they were thrown together by non union stage hands. Overall I just couldn't get into 'All About Eve". I wanted Bette Davis to take it to the next level of bitchiness, but her performance was bordering on dreary. This is not to say she didn't pull off a captivating performance, but when compared to Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond out divafied her hands down. There is just no comparison. I will never understand the Oscars. Of all movies, "All About Eve" holds the record for most nominations? Huh? Oh well, to each his own. July 4, 2008

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