We find ourselves in the fifties with this classic film starring Bette Davis. All About Eve is about Eve (obviously), a young ingenue who wiggles her way into a theatre troupe stealing away the thunder of Margo (Davis). Margo, a born diva, doesn't do well with her competition for fame. Marilyn Monroe makes a minor appearance. While this movie might appear predictable in the beginning, the end is very unexpected!
I really like this movie! It's basically an old school Mean Girls and Bette Davis is meanest Regina George anyone could ask for. Plus, any movie that shows the in workings of a theatre company is very appealing to me. I can think of a few high school scenarios where I felt almost exactly like Margo's character, however, I did not have as sharp of tongue as Bette Davis, who is fantastic. The victim of most of Margo's attacks is Eve. We first meet Eve as a young girl obsessed (actually obsessed) with Margo and her theatrical career. She wants to learn everything about Margo like what she wears, what she eats, and who she hangs out with. A creep to the core. It's like fatal attraction minus the rabbit stew. The story takes a turn for the dramatic when Eve is put in as Margo's understudy when the diva is late (as usual) and Eve is an excellent stand in for her. The movie only gets better in second half when innocent ingenue Eve starts showing everyone her true colors by sneaking her way into the lead roles and trying to ruin Margo's romantic relationship. At the end, we see how Eve's choices have lead to the beginning of her demise which we only get a taste of. It is a great film about ambition, talent and pride.
Can you believe that I, movie guru extraordinaire, had never seen this film until just now? It was one of the very few of the AFI top 100 that I had not yet seen; however it also enabled me to view this film with a fresh perspective. The script, bursting with devilish demonstrations of pride and the witty put-downs they engender, really shines thanks to top-notch ensemble acting. Nobody plays a bitch better than Bette Davis, and Anne Baxter proves her equal as the plot unfolds and Eve is not what she seems. Life imitated art when Anne Baxter successfully worked hard to campaign for her own Academy Award nomination, leading to a snub for both her and Davis as the votes were split between them. The only acting Oscar for All About Eve was earned by George Sanders and his wonderful portrayal of Addison DeWitt, one of my favorite characters from this film as he is the only one that sees through everyone’s egos and deceptions from the beginning. Thematically, this film shares a lot with one of the films it defeated for the Best Picture prize: Sunset Boulevard. While I prefer Sunset Boulevard because of it’s film-noir approach, All About Eve’s classic status is beyond reproach. Do yourself a favor and don’t wait as long as I did to see this film.
Zsa Zsa Gabor kept arriving on the set because she was jealous of her husband George Sanders in his scenes with the young blonde ingénue Marilyn Monroe.
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