Review of All About Eve (1950) by Jacob F — 25 May 2015

I consider All About Eve to be one of the definitive Best Picture winners. This is because it features tremendous performances from its stellar cast including Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter.

There are also various timeless themes such as envy, greed, admiration, and betrayal in the world of fame. Joseph L. Mankiewicz's direction is superb as his lens captures the flawless performances and portrayal of the themes.

Bette Davis is magnificent as Margo Channing, the aging actress who takes in Eve and ultimately gets betrayed. She also excels in showing Margo's troubles as a result of being manipulated and upstaged by a younger actress.

This generates a great deal of sympathy for her character and she plays it with grace and poignancy. Anne Baxter is astoundingly conniving and unpredictable as the title character Eve. When I first saw her in the movie, I found her very likable and felt empathy for her.

But when she later shows her true colors, I felt shocked and played. And I mean that in a good way. George Sanders won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the cold and manipulative critic Addison De Witt.

And deservingly so because he effectively shows the character's wit and pompous demeanor. He also has the presence and authoritative voice of a man with a sophisticated status. Overall, I consider the film to be an undeniable classic about the disloyalty of show business.

In a way, it is sort of a cautionary tale about the dangers of being too trusting of others. I also like the story arc beginning with Eve winning an award and we go through flashbacks leading to this event.

What's also interesting is the use of voice-over narration from more than one character. Above all, I think the film is definitely deserving of the Oscars it won for I think it is a practically flawless masterpiece.