All About Eve (1950)

Synopsis:

Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter, The Razor’s Edge), the self-proclaimed #1 fan of theater legend Margo Channing (Bette Davis), ingratiates herself into the famous and temperamental thespian’s inner circle of friends and colleagues. However, unbeknownst to most of them, Margo included, Eve has an agenda of her own: the young woman would do anything, I mean anything, to become as famous as her idol.

Reaction & Thoughts:

“Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!”

This is one of those films that doesn’t need an introduction. Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve is an American classic. The film, in my humble opinion, contains the best screenplay ever written in Hollywood. The cast is extraordinary too. There isn’t a single false note in the entire movie — this is as perfect as cinema can be.

Based on Mary Orr’s short story (inspired by the real-life relationship between actress Elisabeth Bergner and her assistant), Makewicz’s (Sleuth) script is brilliantly constructed. All About Eve has more quotable lines per minute than any other film in history. Of course, no one, not even the literate people of the theater, talks like that. However, the talented actors make all those fancy lines sound natural.

In addition, All About Eve demonstrates that in a predominantly visual medium like cinema, dialogue can be a force to be reckoned with. Scenes are staged without much glitter — you barely notice the camera work — and the emphasis is on character development. Plus, each character has a specific function in the movie, which is why I think the film never ceases to be engaging and entertaining.

Above all, All About Eve has a top-notch cast, right down to the smallest roles. This is, without doubt, one of the greatest ensemble casts ever! — it’s now hard to believe that most of the actors were second and third choices.

Anne Baxter does a diabolically good job as the title character. George Sanders’s (The Picture of Dorian Gray) cynical critic Addison DeWitt (“I am a critic – as essential to the theater as ants to a picnic”) is one of cinema’s most memorable villains (he won a well-deserved Oscar for his performance). Gary Merrill (Twelve O’Clock High) has great chemistry with Davis (they married not long after completing the movie).

Oscar-winning actress Celeste Holm (Gentleman’s Agreement) adds a touch of class to the film as Davis’s best friend. Even a lightweight like Hugh Marlowe (The Day the Earth Stood Still) delivers the goods as playwright Lloyd Richards. Beloved character actor Thelma Ritter (Pillow Talk) steals a few scenes as the cranky but lovable “Birdie” — it’s a real pity that the character disappears without any explanation.

Davis is simply extraordinary. The legendary actress always claimed that she and Margo had very little in common, but I’m not sure if that’s true. Maybe she’s right, I don’t know, but Margo is exactly how I perceived Davis to be in real life. Anyhow, Davis does a superb job letting you see the human side of her character — even when she behaves badly (“infants behave the way I do”), you are always in Margo’s corner.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts:

As I said before, All About Eve has many great lines (my favorite: “I’ll admit I may have seen better days, but I’m still not to be had for the price of a cocktail, like a salted peanut”), fantastic acting and excellent production values. It’s one of those movies I never get tired of watching. It has a powerful, memorable ending — in one short, dialogue-free scene, Mankiewicz summarizes what this film is all about… All About Eve is one of the greatest films in history. Highly recommended! B&W, 138 minutes, Not Rated.