Rated: Unrated
Starring: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, et al.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Review
Showered with Oscars, this wonderfully bitchy (and witty)
comedy written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz concerns an aging
theater star (Bette Davis) whose life is being supplanted by a
wolf-in-sheep's-clothing ingenue (Anne Baxter) whom she helped. This is a
film for a viewer to take in like a box of chocolates, packed with
scene-for-scene delights that make the entire story even better than it
really is. The film also gives deviously talented actors such as George
Sanders and Thelma Ritter a chance to speak dazzling lines; Davis bites
into her role and never lets go. A classic from Mankiewicz, a legendary
screenwriter and the brilliant director of A Letter to Three Wives, The
Barefoot Contessa, and Sleuth. --Tom Keogh
------------
Bette Davis made this movie in 1950 when her career was
faltering; her last film was the insipid "Beyond the Forest" (now
considered a minor camp classic by some.) "All About Eve" is relished by
many who hail it as Davis's all-time greatest performance (which is, in
all fairness, arguable) as the forty year old magnetic actress Margo
Channing. Many also feel Davis never looked better than she does here (her
costume designer for this was the legendary Edith Head). The acting is
genuinely excellent and the screenplay is music to the ears;as a
consolation for not winning the AA, (it went to Judy Holliday) Davis
received the coveted New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress. George
Sanders is peerless as the poison pen critic Addison De Witt;( he won the
academy award for best supporting actor.) Thelma Ritter is hilarious as
the wise old companion of Margo's who's seen it all happen before. Celeste
Holm gives an absolutely sparkling performance as Karen Richards (she
tells Eve "I'm the lowest form of celebrity" she being the wife of
playwright Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe, whose wooden personality suits
the role he plays.) Gregory Ratoff's timing in the "bicarbonate of soda"
scene is amazing and Gary Merrill is right on as the cynical Bill whose
age (32) creates insecurity for Margo; she fears she'll lose him to some
young "babe". The film holds up extremely well, considering it will be 50
years old next year. Marilyn Monroe has an amusing bit as a "Graduate of
the Copacabana School of Dramatic Arts" Finally we come to the gal who
played the "little worm" of the title: Anne Baxter. She is astonishingly
straightforward and realistic in her interpretation of the louse; if she
seems to be a bit on the drab side, it's only because she's underplaying
to the "Queen Mother", studying and using her idol as a stepping stone in
order to get her name in electric lights and reign supreme as a Lady of
the Theatre; in other words, she's diabolical as HELL! If you've never
seen this movie, you're in for a treat. If you haven't seen the DVD
version do so; the print is crystal clear and adds immensely to the film's
viewing pleasure. This is Mankiewicz's masterpiece and it won the Oscar
for the Best Picture of 1950.
 |
