VHS : All About Eve [1950]

Rating: - A dramatic Art
For a film made in 1950 this is a surprisingly cynical movie, portraying as it does the back-stabbing and general cut-throat way the movie business creates huge stars, or at a wim might ignore great talent.

Anne Baxter plays the little girl lost Eve Harrington who manages to worm her way into the life of the great star Margo Channing (Bette Davis). Initially Eve just helps Margo out with dd jobs, but little by little she makes her way up the ladder to success (I'm giving nothing away here as you will find out when you watch the start of the film).

The script and performances are uniformly excellent. The acting honours are split between Bette Davis and George Sanders, who both have that rare gift of dominating a scene without really needing to do anything. Anne Baxter is good as Eve, but of the main characters I felt her performance was probably the weakest. Look out for a stunning looking Marilyn Monroe (aged only 24 at the time) in a minor role as Miss Caswell.

This really isn't my sort of film, and I expected it to be very slow going. However nothing could be further from the truth. I found it quite mesmerising and strongly recommend it.

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Rating: - Is it only about Eve?
It is not only all about Eve, it is about the theatre world. Just as the final sequence rounds off our understanding of the real Eve Harrington, it also reveals that there will always be those who reach the top in the theatre world and those who aspire to reach it. As dialogue-laden and full of quotable quotes as any play, the film rarely provides glimpses of any play performance. Instead it reveals the back-stage relations between director, producer, writer, actress, their partners, dresser, critic, under-study, etc. Their world is a comedy/drama in itself.
Working from a tiny story by Mary Orr, Joseph Mankiewicz wrote, master-minded and directed the film and Daryl F Zanuck produced it. Their work, and the work of cast members Bette Davis, George Sanders, Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter and Gregory Ratoff is seen at its best here. In its year (1950) it garnered six Oscars and 14 nominations. Critics and audiences, ever since, have always rated it amongst their favourite films.

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Rating: - Bette davis is the greatest actor of her era!
This is one of Davis' most famous films, and although I am a great fan of hers I had never seen it until now. The performances are all spot on I truly do adore this woman and her work with very few exceptions. This definately is a must have addition for any avid Davis fan's collection.

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Rating: - A marvellous piece of film-making. Top drawer stuff.
All About Eve is such a marvellous and wonderfully funny film that it should be owned by every film fan out there. So well written and a cast that includes Bette Davis (superb), Anne Baxter and even Marilyn Monroe. It tells the story of how an obsessed fan sees her idol at the stage door one evening and suddenly and relentlessly takes the reigns of power straight from under her. The fan is Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) and the idol is Margo Channing (Bette Davis). Eve then manoeuvers into Margo's position and takes her lead roles becoming a sensation over night and causing havoc in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend (Gary Merrill), her playwright (Hugh Marlowe) and his wife (Celeste Holm). The cynical drama critic (an excellent Oscar-winning performance by George Sanders) is the only one who sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and flawless pattern of deceit.

This truly marvellous film packed with excellent one-liners such as the one Margo says at a party; "Fasten your seatbelts, we're in for a bumpy night", and filled with first-rate performances especially by Bette Davis and Anne Baxter and wonderful direction is an absolute joy from start to finish. Come the Oscar ceremony in 1951, this film garnered 14 Academy Award nominations which was a record that stood for 57 years. It won 6 of them. This film features in my top 10 films of all time. Sheer class.