The 'Social' Aspect of 'All About Eve' and Davis's Show-Stopping Performance
An absolute must own
I would never call myself a Bette Davis fan, as much as I simply like her work. However, in All About Eve she is a force to reckon with. Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, All About Eve hit Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment last week and it is a first-class transfer for a five star film.
Nevermind the fact we're talking about a now 61-year-old film, you don't have to be a fan of black-and-white oldies to appreciate every note struck in this six-time Oscar winner. Did you like the dialogue in The Social Network? Well then you better buckle up for the fire and music presented here. Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere even drew the comparison recently, although his was just another opportunity to denounce what he perceives to be the Academy's choice for picking The King's Speech over The Social Network for Best Picture, but one area The Social Network doesn't compare is in the thunderous performance of Davis, or even the conniving pomp of George Sanders as Addison DeWitt. I would leave room for a comparison of Anne Baxter's performance as a doe-eyed Eve to Andrew Garfield's Eduardo, but the characters themselves don't compare. Eve is no Eduardo. She's much more of a Mark Zuckerberg in the end.
I've probably only seen about seven or eight of Davis's films, but it's hard for me to imagine anything she did is any better than what she does here. I haven't seen Judy Holliday's performance in Born Yesterday, but if it was enough for her to legitimately win the Best Actress over Davis in 1951 (even Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. for that matter) I need to see it to believe it.
The clip to the right is my favorite from the film. Davis's performance in that scene is commanding and Hugh Marlowe as Lloyd Richards matches her every step of the way.
I couldn't end there, however. I had to include the clip at the bottom of this post just to point out the slight crack in Davis's voice when she says "so young" at the two minute mark. It's a most likely unintentional change in pitch (she hits a similar note in the previous clip when she shouts "Paranoiac!?"), but it cuts to the heart of the viewer, realizing this is a character is on the verge.
If you don't yet own All About Eve this is an absolute must buy for anyone that loves film. You don't even have to watch it to appreciate it, just turn it on and have it playing in the background. My guess is you'll more than once find your eyes drawn to the screen based solely on the power of the words and the performances. They suck you in and don't let go.
To buy All About Eve on Blu-ray right now from Amazon just click here. It's currently listed at 34% off the suggested retail price.
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Great movie. I've seen it twice but it's been a while so I might have to watch it again sometime soon. May even have to invest in this Blu Ray. Have you seen The Bad and the Beautiful? It is really good as well. It is really good as well and has a few common themes as All About Eve.
Nope, haven't seen that one, but based on that recommendation it's going on the list.
This was on TV this weekend. Such a great film. Maybe one of the best screenplays ever.
Joe Mankiewicz was a complete genius, and this is the pinnacle of his output. The best screenplay ever written, I daresay.
I think Bette Davis was fantastic in this film, but I think her performance in Dark Victory was as great if not better. If you haven't seen that film, it's worth a watch. Maybe a little too melodramatic but a beautiful film nonetheless. (It is a tear jerker)
Marvelous movie! Davis' performance is indeed one of a kind!
It says a lot about a movie when you can say it beat Sunset Boulevard at the Oscars! I do prefer Sunset Blvd, but still, if it had to lose to any movie, at least it lost to another legend!
never heard of it, and I'm a fan of black and white movies (about the only one in my age group amongst my friends). Thanks for the recommendation.
This film is an absolote classic. 1950 was one hell of a year to have both this and Sunset Bvd released
I love ALL ABOUT EVE and believe it to be the pinnacle of the "talking picture," but Mankiewicz also deserves credit for being a brilliant visual artist as well. He is not flashy or expressionistic as some filmmakers are, but his images are among the most eloquent and powerful in cinema. His great ability to tell a story visually is often missed because of his equally great facility with words. He is one of the few directors who had complete command over both the visual and the aural: among ALL ABOUT EVE's six Oscars (nominated for 14 in total — before there were special effects categories to help boost a film's total) was one for Best Sound.
All About Eve is a classic, brilliantly written, acted and directed. Judy Holliday was wonderful in "Born Yesterday" but she can thank Anne Baxter for her Oscar win. Ms Baxter refused to be nominated in the supporting category, putting her in contention with Bette Davis for best actress. If she had been nominated as supporting actress, both she and Ms Davis would surely have won. Instead they split the votes allowing Ms Holiday to take home the statuette. At leaset George Sanders took home a well deserved academy awrd for his work as the venomous Addison DeWitt.