Review of All About Eve (1950) by Daniel K — 27 Feb 2011

Best Picture, a 14 Oscar nominated film matched only by modern day made Titanic. A suprisingly deliciously destructive tell all about celebrity. All About Eve is All About Climbers, those little creeps that will do anything, say anything and do anything (in spite of themselves) to get to the top.

A rather long and deceptive plot, we are all suckers to this young gal named Eve. All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve", by Mary Orr.

The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star. Anne Baxter plays Eve Harrington, a willingly helpful young fan who gets herself into Channing's life, ultimately threatening Channing's career and her personal relationships.

Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times has praised the film, saying Bette Davis' character "veteran actress Margo Channing in All About Eve was her greatest role".

NOTES about the film:

1 Praised by critics at the time of its release, All About Eve was nominated for 14 Academy Awards (a feat that was unmatched until the 1997 film, Titanic) and won six, including Best Picture.

2 As of 2010, All About Eve is still the only film in Oscar history to receive four female acting nominations (Davis and Baxter as Best Actress, Holm and Ritter as Best Supporting Actress).

3 All About Eve was selected in 1990 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry and was among the first 50 films to be registered.

4 All About Eve appeared at #16 on AFI's 1998 list of the 100 best American films.

5 In 1949, Mankiewicz was considering a story about an aging actress and, upon reading "The Wisdom of Eve," felt the conniving girl would be a useful added element.

6 Davis, who had recently ended an 18-year association with Warner Brothers after several poorly received films, later commented she had read the script in one sitting and immediately accepted the role after realizing it was one of the best she had ever read.

7 Anne Baxter (as Eve Harrington) had spent a decade in supporting roles and had won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Razor's Edge in 1947. She got the role of Eve Harrington after the first choice, Jeanne Crain, became pregnant.

8 *** Marilyn Monroe, relatively unknown at the time, was cast as Miss Caswell, Monroe got the part despite Zanuck's initial antipathy and belief she was better suited to comedy.

Cast.

Bette Davis as Margo Channing.

Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington.

George Sanders as Addison DeWitt.

Celeste Holm as Karen Richards.

Gary Merrill as Bill Sampson.

Hugh Marlowe as Lloyd Richards.

Thelma Ritter as Birdie.

Gregory Ratoff as Max Fabian.

Barbara Bates as Phoebe.

Marilyn Monroe as Claudia Caswell ***.

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Produced by Darryl F. Zanuck.

Written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Music by Alfred Newman.

Cinematography Milton R. Krasner.

Editing by Barbara McLean.

Distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Release date(s) October 13, 1950 (1950-10-13).

Running time 138 minutes.

Academy Awards.

Best Picture - 20th Century-Fox (Darryl F. Zanuck, producer).

Best Supporting Actor - George Sanders.

Best Costume Design for a Black-and-White film - Edith Head and Charles Le Maire.

Best Director - Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Best Writing, Screenplay - Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Best Sound Recording - Thomas T. Moulton.

Nominated: Best Leading Actress - Anne Baxter.

Nominated: Best Leading Actress - Bette Davis.

Nominated: Best Supporting Actress - Celeste Holm.

Nominated: Best Supporting Actress - Thelma Ritter.

Nominated: Best Set Direction for a Black-and-White film - George W. Davis, Thomas Little, Walter M. Scott, and Lyle R. Wheeler.

Nominated: Best Cinematography for a Black-and-White film - Milton R. Krassner.

Nominated: Best Film Editing - Barbara McLean.

Nominated: Best Music Score - Alfred Newman.