Review of All About Eve (1950) by Pascal V — 05 Aug 2010

All about a series of people who are equal parts charming and detestable- in other words, some of 1950s Hollywood's most interesting characters. The film features a baffling amount of headliners, and all bring something special to the table; but the three outstanding performers are Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, and especially George Sanders, whose turn as a cynical but very human critic is my favorite of the bunch.

Contrary to the title's suggestion, the story studies in detail this entire group- particularly their weaknesses- and the bizarre adhesive that holds them together...a glue called fear. Whether of age, failure or being unloved, these characters are all so very afraid that they fall back on human instinct number one: self defense.

The horrible things they do to one another are obviously vicious, but the whole point of the film is to show how easily and quickly such ugly survival tactics surface, and how easily they can get out of hand.

Mankiewicz's script has often been called the greatest screenplay of them all, and when one listens to the snap, crackle and pop of the dialogue within it becomes evident that at the very least this writing is some of the most intelligent and self-aware this decade would see out of Hollywood.