In the opening moments of All About Eve, we learn that Eve (Anne Baxter) is a young and successful actor who has just won an award, much to the chagrin of several people attending the ceremony. We’re soon sent back in time to see what’s caused Eve’s success and the hard feelings of others, although it takes some time for us to figure out what’s got everyone upset.
Margo Channing (Bette Davis) is a legendary actor whose life is the Broadway stage. She’s talented, cynical, tempestuous, single and in love with director Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill). She’s accustomed to being treated well, so when her best friend, Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) meets Margo’s biggest fan on the street and invites her into the star’s dressing room, Margo is accommodating – especially when the fan – Eve Harrington – proves eager to help out. Before long, Eve is a fixture in Margo’s life. She’s a servant and personal secretary, and does an incredible job. Her dedication is remarkable, as is her unwillingness to ever take credit for her own success. Eve seems almost too good to be true.
As the story progresses, we see that there’s more going on than we first noticed. For one thing, Margo’s great weakness – jealousy – becomes obvious. As Eve ingratiates herself to everyone who’s important to Margo, the star begins to feel threatened. But Eve is so wonderful – how could Margo imagine that she’d do anything nasty? Sometimes what seems like paranoia, isn’t.
All About Eve features some of the most biting humour you’ll find anywhere in cinema. The script, written by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz from a story by Mary Orr, is witty and perceptive. And who can deliver this sort of material better than Bette Davis? She’s at the top of her game – uttering classic lines aplenty. Even more cynical, although not quite as convincing, is George Sanders, as theatre columnist Addison De Witt. Baxter gives a deceptively strong performance as Eve. Early in the film, her performance is not particularly noticeable, as Eve is so blandly nice, it’s difficult to tell whether Baxter is acting or just sleepwalking through the part. But as the film proceeds, Eve’s ambition gradually becomes evident. Baxter never overplays the part, so even at the end of the film, her performance is close enough to the Eve we meet early on that we don’t doubt the subtle transformation.
The excellence of the film led it to receive a remarkable 14 Academy Award nominations, including an amazing five for acting. It won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor (Sanders). And it would likely have won more, if not for the vote splitting that probably held back its two Best Actress nominees (Baxter and Davis) and its two Best Supporting Actress nominees (Holm and Thelma Ritter).
All About Eve is intelligent and fascinating. While its attitudes toward women are dated, its wit and perceptiveness are as fresh today as they were in 1950.
