All About EveEve Harrington (Anne Baxter) gives the performance of her life; how appropriate, as her life is a performance. From the start of All About Eve--Joseph L. Mankiewicz's devastatingly clever and caustic portrayal of actors and theater--it is clear that those whom Eve has sacrificed on the altar of her own glorification will undoubtedly serve as the confessors and narrators of her skillful insinuation into the world of fame, and her unscrupulous manipulation of people as the footsteps in her ascension. And as Eve is so full of falsehood and deception, it is only fair that her story be told from multiple perspectives.
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All About Eve is an introspective look at acting and theater, while also playing to the public perception of what kinds of goings on occur within the private lives of celebrities, and the drama therein. The artistic divide between theater and film was still a conceit in the minds of critics and others at that time, predisposed to artistic snobbery, not unlike that of Addison DeWitt, played marvelously as always by the quintessential cad of the golden age of Hollywood, George Sanders, who also hosts--never serves--as one of the films narrators. Mankiewicz's dialogue is consistently razor sharp, and the film boast many of cinema's most quotable lines, with Bette Davis--who is Margo Channing--getting arguably the most well-known quote in movie history; trust me, you know it. Margo is introduced to the young ingenue--a word so perfect for Eve, it should have been made for her--after Margo's dear friend, Karen Richards (Celeste Holm)--wife to playwright and frequent collaborator with Margo, Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe)--brings Eve back stage to meet her idol in person. Bedecked in a shabby trenchcoat, Eve looks the part of the expectant, yet humble, fan, and her enthusiasm and portrayal of naive innocence and gentility endears her to nearly all of her intended audience, including Margo's lover and director, Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill) and even her hard-nosed assistant, Birdie (Thelma Ritter), who Eve's presence eventually renders obsolete save for a crucial assessment of Eve's behavior to an increasingly paranoid Margo. It has been said of Bette Davis that getting older was a wise career move--although much like both Bette Davis' and Margo's famous sardonic anecdotes, it is funny although more than a bit unfair. That witty remark, however, is reflected best in All About Eve; her character, Margo, grows increasingly distressed and defensive about getting older, and she struggles to find her footing in her attempts to play younger actresses. So while Eve emerges and dutifully attends to the short-tempered actress, the inevitable result is that it merely fuels her paranoia, leading her to blow up at her friends, which incidentally sets the stage--literally--for Eve to rise up to take her place in the spotlight.
Anne Baxter was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress--alongside Bette Davis, both for All About Eve; perhaps in a moment of cosmic irony, neither actresses won. But what is especially fascinating is that Anne Baxter's performance of Eve Harrington is a performance of a performance, and a dedicated one...too dedicated. Make no mistake--this is far from a criticism; rather it is an acknowledgement of Anne Baxter's remarkable subtlety and control in her performance. Just as her victims...er, new found friends wish to accept and sympathize with the plight of a poor girl with a story to tell of her passion for the theater and devotion to Margo Channing, we wish to believe her. But we know better from the opening scene, where Eve accepts the prestigious Sarah Siddons Award, and all are applauding her, save for those whom she has obviously wronged on her climb to the top. Although the story of All About Eve does not start as one of revenge or bitter backstabbing, it becomes one as a result of Eve's machinations and her willingness to discard those who have served their purpose for her; there would be no love lost to see Eve get her just desserts. But for much of the film, even the outburst and the plans to unseat Eve from her innocent enough at first rise to stardom on the heels of Margo all seem to play neatly into her plan. Eve tells a story about how she was a simple country girl who found herself in love with the theater. Some details are even true to a point, but Eve prospers by exploiting the expectations of others, and moreover, by knowing how others will react to them, even when they cannot anticipate the results--an ideal climate for an actor like her. Eve is a true mastermind and sees the people around her like dominoes--she need only topple the first to topple the rest. She is a plotter and committed to her plan; it is in the end when her plan has been realized that it becomes evident that even she has only planned so far in advance--achieving everything, feeling nothing. The greatest revenge is one which, to some extent, Addison gets to enjoy the most. It is clear that he is wise enough to see through Eve's charade, but he plays along all the same. He makes his expectations clear to Eve, who tries to refute his own brand of advances, only to discover she is powerless in the thrall of his own keen wit, showing contempt that she would associate him with the "pack of children she plays her pranks upon". After the ceremony, Eve returns to her room to find a young girl--much like she was, too much--waiting, asleep, in a chair. Within moments, the girl--she calls herself "Phoebe" (Barbara Bates)--answers Eve's door to discover DeWitt returning the neglected award to Eve, and he immediately recognizes the scenario for what it is, and offers a crucial piece of advice which assures Eve's fate in a turn of poetic justice.
Recommended for: Fans of a sharp-tongued and witty drama about theater and even a bit of identity theft, and of a young actress ingratiating herself into the world of glitz and glamour. With no small degree of irony, All About Eve marks an early appearance of the yet-unknown actress, Marilyn Monroe playing Miss Casswell playing an actress looking for her big break. Layers within layers.
Anne Baxter was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress--alongside Bette Davis, both for All About Eve; perhaps in a moment of cosmic irony, neither actresses won. But what is especially fascinating is that Anne Baxter's performance of Eve Harrington is a performance of a performance, and a dedicated one...too dedicated. Make no mistake--this is far from a criticism; rather it is an acknowledgement of Anne Baxter's remarkable subtlety and control in her performance. Just as her victims...er, new found friends wish to accept and sympathize with the plight of a poor girl with a story to tell of her passion for the theater and devotion to Margo Channing, we wish to believe her. But we know better from the opening scene, where Eve accepts the prestigious Sarah Siddons Award, and all are applauding her, save for those whom she has obviously wronged on her climb to the top. Although the story of All About Eve does not start as one of revenge or bitter backstabbing, it becomes one as a result of Eve's machinations and her willingness to discard those who have served their purpose for her; there would be no love lost to see Eve get her just desserts. But for much of the film, even the outburst and the plans to unseat Eve from her innocent enough at first rise to stardom on the heels of Margo all seem to play neatly into her plan. Eve tells a story about how she was a simple country girl who found herself in love with the theater. Some details are even true to a point, but Eve prospers by exploiting the expectations of others, and moreover, by knowing how others will react to them, even when they cannot anticipate the results--an ideal climate for an actor like her. Eve is a true mastermind and sees the people around her like dominoes--she need only topple the first to topple the rest. She is a plotter and committed to her plan; it is in the end when her plan has been realized that it becomes evident that even she has only planned so far in advance--achieving everything, feeling nothing. The greatest revenge is one which, to some extent, Addison gets to enjoy the most. It is clear that he is wise enough to see through Eve's charade, but he plays along all the same. He makes his expectations clear to Eve, who tries to refute his own brand of advances, only to discover she is powerless in the thrall of his own keen wit, showing contempt that she would associate him with the "pack of children she plays her pranks upon". After the ceremony, Eve returns to her room to find a young girl--much like she was, too much--waiting, asleep, in a chair. Within moments, the girl--she calls herself "Phoebe" (Barbara Bates)--answers Eve's door to discover DeWitt returning the neglected award to Eve, and he immediately recognizes the scenario for what it is, and offers a crucial piece of advice which assures Eve's fate in a turn of poetic justice.
Recommended for: Fans of a sharp-tongued and witty drama about theater and even a bit of identity theft, and of a young actress ingratiating herself into the world of glitz and glamour. With no small degree of irony, All About Eve marks an early appearance of the yet-unknown actress, Marilyn Monroe playing Miss Casswell playing an actress looking for her big break. Layers within layers.