CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

All About Eve

Director

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Year

1950

Rating

Reviewed by

Alejandro Legorreta a.k.a. Lego

Review date

Thursday, April 06, 2006

I had heard many times about All About Eve before, but as it usually happens to me with classics, it took me a while before I tried it. Finally, I went for it and was gladly surprised. No, that’s wrong, it wasn’t surprise. It was, sure enough, fulfillment. How could you not be fulfilled, as a film enthusiast, by what is one of the greatest films of all time according to many, including the revered reviewers at CriticSociety?

This is definitely a classic masterpiece that starts with a superb cast. It might be impossible to imagine anyone else doing a better job, squirming in that swanky world of theater productions created by Academy Award winner Joseph L. Mankiewicz based on the story “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr.

Bette Davis leads the way in a role that, so I learned, mimicked her own life and circumstances at the time of filming and even after that. Davis is delectably ideal as Margo Channing, the Broadway superstar at the pinnacle of her career, facing both her midlife crisis and the quiet, but inescapable, assault of disingenuous, actress aspirant, Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter).

Eve, with the help of unassuming Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), cunningly enters the life of Margo and the fascinating and treacherous world of theater performers, where she certainly fits like a glove to a hand. Eve fascinates almost everyone with her devotion and dedication. Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe), the successful playwright and Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill), Margo’s boyfriend and director, embrace her without hesitation.

But not everybody is captivated by the innocence and genuineness of Eve; there are some others that can see right through her. Addison DeWitt, in one of those ill relationships where cohorts cannot coexist but at the same time can not exist without one another, is the necessary, however sometimes unwelcome, theater critic and commentator. Played marvelously by George Sanders, DeWitt can read Eve as an open book, but he recognizes the talent, does his homework and lets her (and helps her) take charge and demonstrate her skills and abilities, both on and off the stage.

I wondered, throughout the whole movie, how it was possible for so many right components to converge at the same place and at the same time. I believe there was even some luck involved, as when Davis landed the role of Margo after Claudette Colbert was injured while filming another movie. Again, the performances are just right, the editing is impeccable, as you watch one character’s reaction as the other delivers a sharp-witted comment, the production design, wardrobe and music (Alfred Newman) all stand out.

But at the end, I concur, Mankiewicz’s screenplay is the stalwart foundation of what I guess would be the everlasting magnificence of All About Eve. Even after 50 years it still feels fresh, innovative and provocative. His masterful direction vaults right at you as well, but his script, of course, is what makes this film what it is. It is sharp, clever and amusing. It is perfection. It is perhaps too perfect. The characters are all smart, educated and sophisticated, however, occasionally, they seem like juvenile, though certainly skilled, actors or actresses immaculately regurgitating so well memorized Shakespearean poetry, rather than letting their true hearts speak for them.

But hey, who am I to dare criticizing one of the greatest films of all time? Movies, I know, are created to be enjoyable or thought provoking. I enjoyed All About Eve very much, and it certainly stirred my mind. Isn’t that combination what makes movies beautiful?

“There never was, and there never will be, another like you.”

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Other reviews of All About Eve (1950): Morris, Groucho

Review

All About Eve

Director

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Year

1950

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

It isn’t just love that I feel for All About Eve, it is adoration. I consider it, along with most everyone else, to be one of the finest movies ever made; but it also happens to be one of my personal favorites. It is a movie that is close to my heart, that I can watch over and over again, a perfect work of art if such thing is possible.

Margo Channing (Bette Davis) is a theater actress who keeps starring in plays written by her friend Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe) and directed by her boyfriend Bill (Garry Merrill) despite the fact that those roles would fit a younger actress much better. One day her dear friend Karen (Celeste Holm) finds a die-hard fan of Margo’s and decides to introduce her to her idol. Thus Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) becomes Margo’s right-hand companion. But Eve starts to show a darker side eventually, for she seems to want to become a star herself.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed from his own screenplay based on the uncredited story “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr. The success of the movie has to do with every element seamlessly falling together, but it mainly comes down to one thing: the script. It is a script so good that Mankiewicz must’ve sold his soul to the devil or something. He mixes drama and humor to satirize the world of theater while poking fun at the concept of stardom and ambition. It is as witty and delicious as a script can get, with sharp and memorable lines hitting you at every turn. It is also endlessly entertaining, creating enthralling characters and putting them together in one joyful romp.

The movie uses several narrators to help move the story along, the most memorable of which is theater critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders). He has a very fitting name, and his voice-over work is exquisite.

With beautiful music by the great Alfred Newman, handsome cinematography by Milton Krasner, tight editing by Barbara McLean and gorgeous costumes by Edith Head, All About Eve boasts impeccable technical features all around. Mankiewicz’s own directing is flawless, getting the best out of his actors and using his sets and camera to the fullest advantage.

Performance-wise, All About Eve has without hesitation one of the best ensembles I’ve seen put together. Bette Davis is glorious as Margo Channing, a woman who can’t accept the fact that she’s getting old and who is so blind by jealousy that she is on the verge of ruining her own career. Anne Baxter delivers a tour-de-force as well as rising star Eve, in a controlled performance that is as chilling as it is credible. Supporting players include Thelma Ritter in a memorable bit as the know-it-all assistant to Margo, Marylin Monroe in a brief yet very funny appearance as a struggling actress, and the aforementioned George Sanders, who threatens to steal the movie. Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, Gregory Ratoff and Barbara Bates are also excellent.

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

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Other reviews of All About Eve (1950): Lego, Groucho

Review

All About Eve

Director

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Year

1950

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Of all the films that I have found addictive in my time, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ All About Eve certainly takes first place. Whenever I decide to watch it again, I become spellbound all over again like the first time and can’t let it go for at least a few weeks. From the moment the credits start rolling to the immortal Alfred Newman score, I feel shivers down my spine.

This is the case because the movie’s so articulate yet accessible, intelligent all the way, engrossing and fascinating, universal and all so elegant. Mankiewicz’ script, based on the story “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr, is as good as they get, overflowing with creative genius word by word, dialogue by dialogue, scene by scene, and act by act.

The story is brilliant from its premise. It deals with a famous and talented Broadway actress, Margo Channing (Bette Davis), coping with reality while on the peak of her career. She’s the kind of actress every young girl admires: beautiful, brilliant, and overly successful. But she’s aging, and her starring parts in the plays by friend and playwright Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe) are always girls of a younger age, which only emphasizes her situation. Her boyfriend and director Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill) is also younger than she, but he loves her very much, which doesn’t seem to be enough for her.

One day, Lloyd’s wife and Margo’s best friend Karen (Celeste Holm) meets an adoring young fan of Margo’s, the genuine kind that can rarely be found, and whose devotion to her idol is completely undeniable and in every way selfless: Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) approaches Karen and so passionately expresses her admiration for Margo, that she feels compelled to introduce her to the star.

So she does, and Eve enchants Lloyd, Bill, and even distrustful Margo, who takes her in as her secretary of sorts. But Eve has a humble ambition: she wants to become an actress. And not only that: she wants to become everything Margo is with everything Margo has, and she wants to get there the easy way; she wasn’t all that genuine after all.

Now, this isn’t the creepy kind of story where a young woman goes berserk about her idol and turns a happy relationship into a tragedy. Instead, cynicism and pretense take first chair, and Eve is so intelligent that she uses Margo’s weaknesses against her, playing her cards in such a way that everyone favors Eve for being so young and goodhearted and willing to do things right. Even Margo is cheated, played so right that she becomes her own worst enemy and can’t help herself in the least. Only Margo’s maid and former vaudevillian, Birdie (Thelma Ritter), sees through Eve from the beginning; she becomes Margo’s conscience, and proves what true friends are for.

On the other hand, there’s the smooth-talking, fast-thinking, dry-witted charmer Addison DeWitt (George Sanders), critic and commentator whose daily newspaper column about the theater can make or break stars, plays and careers. He sees through Eve all right, but rather detecting her shortcomings and making it his own to prevent her recklessness from ruining her potential stardom, she being unspeakably talented.

Through this microcosm, the world of theater is exposed and examined, and even that becomes a microcosm for showbiz in general. But these people are classy, educated and smart, and they can’t resist putting things the most literate way as if real life was like the theater. It’s credible because their whole life and environment is like this, to more extent when they’re an actor or a playwright or a critic and, come to think of it, Bill, Karen and Birdie are not as literate, but they’re as witty. Everyone in this film is irresistible in their own way.

The late Bette Davis is one of the world’s most famous actresses and she’s best remembered for this film, and it’s easy to see why: it’s an exceedingly daring role. She was in real life an aging actress quietly witnessing younger actresses taking the spotlight that once belonged to her. This easily resuscitated her career.

Anne Baxter is a delight as both the mousy and the sinister protégé, and Celeste Holm is completely natural as the loving wife and caring friend who looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Thelma Ritter is also a standout, taking pleasure in her lines being the most uneducated but by no means the dullest. Merrill and Marlowe are outshined but no worse in their pivotal roles. Same goes for Gregory Ratoff, Barbara Bates and Marilyn Monroe; the latter a true delight in this small early role that eerily resembles some of her reality.

And finally there’s George Sanders in his most memorable and best screen appearance. He’s heaven-sent in the role he was born to play, every line, every gesture, every move, every glance, perfection. He is one of the reasons I like to see this movie over and over again, since he and his character are what I enjoy most.

All About Eve is as impressive visually as it is audibly. The whole environment is pleasant and elegant, meticulously constructed to thrill the eye. From hairdos to costumes (by Edith Head) to settings to Milton R. Krasner’s cinematography and Barbara McLean’s editing, this is just a top-notch piece of work, a masterpiece in every single way.

“Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

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Other reviews of All About Eve (1950): Lego, Morris