Review of All About Eve (1950) by Fred S — 21 Nov 2009

This film isn't really ALL About Eve. It's about a young woman's schemes for theatrical success and how she affects all the lives around here.

The protagonist is Anne Baxter playing Eve Harrington. Celeste Holm, wife of playwright Hugh Marlowe sees her night after night outside the theater where Bette Davis is starring in her husband's play. Eve tells a sad tale of woe to Bette, Celeste, Hugh, and director Gary Merrill once she's admitted into the star's inner sanctum. The only one who's skeptical is Bette's maid Thelma Ritter. Baxter is admitted into Davis's entourage.

Davis, Daxter, Holm, and Ritter all received Academy Award nominations, the first two for Best Actress and the latter two for Best Supporting Actress. The first three already had won awards so more than likely they canceled each other out in the voting. Davis and Baxter lost to Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday and Josephine Hull in Harvey beat out Holm and Ritter.

But in many ways these may have been the career roles for all these players. Bette Davis made a comeback with this part of Margo Channing. She had left Warner Brothers the year before after a string of very forgettable post World War II films. Davis really was Margo Channing, a big star who was now getting on in years and refused to realize she could not play leading parts for too much longer. Bette had a whole lot of insight to bring to Margo.

Anne Baxter had won a Best Supporting Actress Award for The Razor's Edge. But Eve Harrington is miles apart from the tragic Sophie. Sophie is a decent soul who through a tragic accident that claimed her husband and baby went completely bonkers. Eve is a cold and calculating little minx who sets her sights on stardom and she's not too scrupulous about what she has to do to attain it. Both parts show the depths of this very underrated actress.

I've always thought Celeste Holm has always been ignored unfairly when people talk about All About Eve. She and George Sanders narrate the film in different spots because the film is told in flashback as Eve Harrington is being presented the Sarah Siddons Award. It's her perspective from which Eve and the rest of the characters are viewed. She's an essentially decent soul, not as ego driven as the others who make their living in the theater. Her life is in her marriage to Hugh Marlowe and it nearly is wrecked because she took pity on a waif outside a theater. Celeste is living proof of the old adage about no good deed going unpunished.

All About Eve got a few awards though including the big one for being The Best Picture of 1950. Joseph Mankiewicz got his second Best Director Oscar, he had won the previous year for A Letter to Three Wives.

And 1950 proved to be the high point of George Sanders career as he took home a Best Supporting Actor for that 'fishwife' theatrical columnist Addison DeWitt. He also that year stole Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah's with his portrayal of the Saran of Geza. In fact the Saran was a BC version of Addison DeWitt.

Sanders is the only other person who sees Baxter for what she is besides Thelma Ritter. He turns out to be quite the investigative reporter and his confrontation with Baxter is the climax of the film. He's not a nice man, but that may make him the only one really equipped to deal with Baxter if she becomes successful.

All About Eve hasn't aged a bit in 56 years. I'm not sure about not making films like this any more, but they sure don't write them like this. It's one film you dare not put the mute button on or go to the refrigerator because you'll miss some witty gem. They come pretty fast and furious.

And yet for all the sophistication of the film, Margo and her circle aren't a bad bunch. Naive yes, when it comes to Eve, but this con woman takes advantage of the fact that people want to believe someone like Baxter when she tells her tale and they have good extincts.

Fortunately none of their good deeds are permanently punished.