All About Eve (1950)

• Review: **** (out of ****)
• Starring: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Gregory Ratoff, Barbara Bates, Marily Monroe, Thelma Ritter
• Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Screenplay: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Length: 138 min.
• MPAA Rating: Unrated

Terrific performances abound in the Joseph L. Mankiewicz classic All About Eve about a young woman whoclaws her way to the top.

Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) was found lurking outside thestage door where Margo Channing (Bette Davis) had just performed. Discoveredthere by Margo’s best friend Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), Eve begins to weaveher web of deceit that will one day win her theatrical acclaim and a great dealof animosity.

Margo is one of theater’s most recognized and lovedthespians. There isn’t a person who does not at least respect her. Eve assertsher love of the actress and tells a story of her humble beginnings and herlonging to be in the presence of greatness. It’s not until the sugary-sweetingénue’s veneer begins to wear off that Margo and Karen realize what she isreally after. She wants success and she’s going to use every opportunity shecan.

Davisis at her catty best when working against the young starlet. One particularlyentertaining segment, featuring the legendary line “fasten your seatbelts, it’sgoing to be a bumpy night”, is during a birthday celebration for Margo’sboyfriend Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill). There, for all to see, Margo spits outone drunken venomous retort after another to the chagrin of her other partyattendees.

Baxter fits into the skin of the slippery eel Eve and subtlytransforms from the puppy-eyed fan to the snake-tongued blackmailer. She’s ableto hold her own against the far superior actress Davis and still come out witha deserved co-lead Oscar nomination.

The women of All AboutEve blow their male counterparts away. In addition to Davis and Baxter,Holm and Thelma Ritter as Margo’s liberally vocal assistant Birdie give trulygifted performances. While I prefer Holm in Best Picture winner Gentleman’s Agreement she gives here ano less stellar performance. Ritter keeps Birdie’s barbs fresh and crediblebeing the only character who suspects the duplicitous Eve from the outset.

The men, however, are significantly subsidiary. As theirroles are predominantly romantic or stylistic foils, they have very little todo. Merrill plays Margo’s semi-subservient boyfriend well but cannot hold acandle to the film’s better male performance. That distinction also doesn’t goto Hugh Marlowe’s perf as Karen’s husband, the playwright Lloyd Richards. No,the best man of the pic is George Sanders whose acting in Rebecca pales in comparison to his witty theater columnist AddisonDeWitt. He is not only the narrator but the slimy center of the film. Hismachinations help Eve dramatically and, after she tries to one-up him, he pullsout the trump.

Sanders received the Academy Award for his role, the onlyone the film received for acting despite a record-setting 13 nominations.Presumably Davis,Baxter, Holm or Ritter could have won had they not significantly split votes,confusing voters over who gave the better performance. Thus it is that Eve only received six Oscars despitedeserving more.

All About Eve is ascreenwriter’s dream. It features some dazzling dialogue that highlights thetalent of writer-director Mankiewicz. His work here is something to becherished as it stands up well in any era. The tale it tells is as applicabletoday as it was in 1950 and as it would have been centuries ago. As long asthere is humanity, there will always be people like Eve scratching and bitingtheir way to fame and success, regardless the talent they step on to get there.

-Wesley Lovell (October 31, 2006)