Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)
All About Eve (1950): Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Based upon the short story “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr. Starring: Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Celeste Holm, George Sanders, and Gary Merrill. Unrated. Running time: 138 minutes.
Would a film this cynical win Best Picture in today’s times? It’s hard to say. But this story of a meek young woman who rises to the top of theater world certainly stands as a classic for a reason.
Probably best known for Bette Davis’s infamous line “It’s going to be a bumpy night”, Eve takes a traditional story of a youngster and throws multiple wrenches into the machinery of that story. Eve Harrington is a mysterious and seemingly pitiful young woman whose relationship with her idol, Margo Channing, leads to success and intrigue in the New York theater world.
Now that we’re up to 1950, things are starting to feel bit more modern. Joseph L. Mankiewicz writes and directs with flourish, revealing the darker corners of a glamorous world. But we always remain grounded in the stories of characters, as the film shifts from the fading glory of Margo to the auspicious rise of Eve. It raises important questions of identity—now that her career is on the wane, who does Margo become? And who will Eve become in a world borne of corruption?
And Mankiewicz has a strong enough cast to pull off such a dark and eerie tale. Margo is probably Bette Davis’s most iconic role—she plays an abrasive prima donna to a tee, while also conveying the character’s vulnerabilities. Baxter as Eve shows a surprising amount of range, abetting the twists and turns of the screenplay. And special attention must be paid to George Sanders as the sleazy theater critic whose modus operandi has perfectly adapted to the world in which he lives.
Full of passion and pathos, feints and artifice, Eve nonetheless remains free of gimmicks and contrivances. It managed to both move and unnerve me. Important criteria for a great film, which I believe this is.
Next film: An American in Paris, 1951