Tags
1950's, All About Eve, Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Celeste Holm, Drama, George Sanders, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Thelma Ritter
Film Title
All About Eve
Director
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Cast
- Bette Davis as Margo Channing
- Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington
- George Sanders as Addison DeWitt
- Celeste Holm as Karen Richards
- Gary Merrill as Bill Sampson
- Hugh Marlowe as Lloyd Richards
- Thelma Ritter as Birdie Coonan
Synopsis: A young, scheming and manipulative ingenue insidiously worms her way into her theatre idol’s social circle, armed with a cunning plan to replace her and take her acting crown from her.
All About Eve is the ultimate backstage drama, brimming with acerbic wit and as many quotable lines as that great playwright Shakespeare. Starring the legendary Bette Davis in a role that fits her just like a glove, All about Eve is one of the most critical, wittiest and darkest insights into the word of show business and the ways in which you can become famous in an underhand way.
Flashbacks of a fake
The film begins with a scene of the theatre awards. As the camera pans around the room, the theatre critic Addison DeWitt delivers a knowing voice over that explains something about each of the principal characters that will appear in the film. This also gives an insight into his own character as he has a suave and slightly haughty voice. When his voice over finishes, an award is presented to the eponymous Eve. As she accepts the award with an innocent and girlish bow, the film freezes and everyone else’s reaction to her acceptance is shown, mostly with a hint of disdain. The film then goes to a flashback to explain how the seemingly innocent and graceful Eve managed to accomplish this high and extremely prestigious honour. This is one of my favourite scenes in the movie, as I like how the story starts at the end and then goes back to the beginning to explain what is happening in the present. The way in which the camera moves about the room as Addison gives his blunt view on each of the important characters is amazing. The audience sees what Addison wants us to see and they see the characters from his viewpoint, as we don’t know anything about them except what Addison is telling us.
Margo’s monologue
But one of the best and most memorable moments in the film comes when after her car breaks down and she can’t make it to the theatre to perform, Margo opens up to Karen about herself and how insecure and full of doubt she is. I find this moment very reflective, as the character of Margo comes across as she does on the stage, perfect and outstanding. Although she can be bitchy and defensive, beneath this façade she has the same troubles as everyone else. Her monologue is amazing in its honesty and shows her vulnerable side that she has hidden away from others to survive in the theatre industry. Her whole life is the theatre and she knows that she isn’t going to be young forever, so this adds to the melancholy tone of her monologue. The last lines of her self-reflective monologue are especially revelatory of how much the theatre means to her, “Slow Curtain . The end”. This is clearly referencing the end of traditional plays or motion pictures.
Backstage bickering
One of the main aspects of the film that makes it so memorable is its caustic and witty screenplay. I especially love the part in which at a party Margo, who is starting to grow suspicious of Eve, delivers the now famous lines to her guests “Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night”. This kind of cynical wordplay is heard throughout the film; it also helps make a satire out of the various unjust ways of becoming a star. The biting bitchery and numerous barbed exchanges between the characters in the film are just fantastic to watch.
Identity theft- theatrical style
The theme of identity is apparent in many ways throughout the movie. Eve makes numerous attempts to take Margo’s place as the queen of the theatre. She is her obsessive number one fan who will stop at nothing to become a star. She is basically trying to take Margo’s theatrical crown. Eve will stop at nothing to become a star and she knows exactly how to get it.
The deceptive identity of Eve
Also, the ways in which Margo’s friends perceive Eve. She is deceitful and ruthless but comes across as an adoring and naive young woman. There are only two people who see through Eve’s lies at the beginning of the film, Addison and Birdie. Later on in the movie, the others begin to see the real Eve behind the mask of innocence and how she has used them for her own personal gain.
The performances are uniformly excellent, especially those of Bette Davis and Anne Baxter. I find it interesting that one character is eventually getting older and her career is fading while the other is very youthful and her career is just about to begin. The eponymous Eve appears to have had a hard life and be a sweet and naive girl but her real motives are to become a big star no matter what the cost. Baxter brings a girlish charm to the conniving and cunning character of Eve, a trait that helps her character infiltrate her idol’s social posse with a charming and shy disposition. Thelma Ritter lights up the supporting cast and provides the cynical humour as Margo’s assistant, Birdie. Her clipped reply to Eve’s sob story when she meets Margo “What a story! Everything but the bloodhounds snapping at her rear end” provides a knowing quality to her, as she is the first to see through the young fan’s deception. Celeste Holm is glowing as the woman taken in by Eve, but ultimately used by her without her noticing.
Out of the few men in the film, George Sanders as the poisonous critic Addison stands out. He is pitch perfect as the caddish and dishonest critic who also sees through Eve’s sly deception but helps her ultimately become a star.
Even if you don’t like old movies, one cannot resist the charm and brutal wit in All About Eve. If you want to watch a film with fantastic dialogue and equally outstanding performances, All About Eve is definitely the film for you. Movie trivia buffs should look out for a cameo featuring Marilyn Monroe in one of her first movie roles.
seamus1994 said:
hay nice review man
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Bertrom said:
Refreshing to see that students are interested in such iconic films. Another very thorough analysis. Well done.
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Colin said:
That’s a very nice piece. I think the first “movie about the movies” I saw, or at least the first I can recall, was The Barefoot Contessa. Bogart’s weariness and regret, Gardner’s tragic beauty and Mankiewicz’s direction all work well together. These two films, although All About Eve is unquestionably the stronger piece, by the same director peel back the surface sheen to show the less pleasant side of the glamour factory.
You’ve zeroed in on the most important and memorable features of the movie here and rightly give prominence to Davis, Sanders and Baxter (a very underrated performer in my opinion), but I’m glad you took the time to mention Thelma Ritter too. She brought a great deal of charm and pathos to nearly every part she played – Rear Window and especially Sam Fuller’s Pickup on South Street – and deserves a lot of credit.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks for the review. I do agree that Baxter was very underrated and that Thelma Ritter brought charm to a film even in the smallest role.
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Colin said:
You know, I have to say you’re building up a very nice site there. Keep it up.
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theunofficialattempt said:
Marilyn Monroe was so beautiful in this, she stole the camera in those few scenes.
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Glynis said:
Great Review. I love this movie, My girl Betty did her thing too. Love the twists and turns in this movie and the cast was top of the line. Listen learned, there is always a bigger predator out there.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, the cast is such a huge asset to the film and add so much to it.
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Glynis said:
That’s so true, their chemistry shined on the screen.
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Charles said:
A really incredible review. And thank you, so much, for giving me Birdie’s wonderful insight into Eve’s over-the-top sob story at the beginning of the movie.
Perhaps the only thing missing was the (extremely) ironic ending wherein a young “fan” of Eve begins to do do to her what she did to Margo, then cut to a series of mirrors that reflect countless “Eves” all bowing to imaginary audiences. A perfect ending to a virtually perfect movie
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vinnieh said:
Thank you very much for the comment, the ending was very well done.
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movierob said:
nicely done Vinnie! couldn’t agree more
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vinnieh said:
Thanks man, your thoughts are always welcome.
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alexraphael said:
Fab analysis. Superb film.
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vinnieh said:
Thanks, such an amazing film with a caustic and witty screenplay.
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PJR said:
One of my all time favourite films – unsurpassed study of power and envy – and I relished your review.
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vinnieh said:
It ranks as one of my favourite movies as well.
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Maggie said:
Great review of a fabulous film. All About Eve is a landmark of Hollywood’s Golden Age: an unassailable classic with the kind of dialogue that a cinephile dreams about.
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vinnieh said:
That dialogue is some of the most scintillating and witty that anyone is likely to hear in a film. Can’t beat this kind of stuff.
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Maggie said:
They don’t make em like they used to!
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vinnieh said:
Sometimes I wish they would though!
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vinnieh said:
As its Christmas tomorrow, you should check out this post. The ladies love it. https://vinnieh.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/merry-christmas-everyone/
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beetleypete said:
(This is back before I even started my blog.)
One of the classic Hollywood films, with an unforgettable performance by Davis.
Very good choice, V, and justly praised.
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
Gosh, this review was one of my first ever. I love this movie to death. A really biting satire on backstage bitching and manipulation that has never been bettered.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Nicely written Vinnie. This is one of my favorite classics.😊
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vinnieh said:
I can’t fault this movie in any way. From the direction to the acting, and especially the script, it’s a hard movie to top.
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