OSCAR WILD DAY 4: ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)

Much of what I wrote for my original review for this film still holds true, so I am incorporating some of it here. All About Eve is ugly, wretched, and deplorable, which is why it's so good. Bette Davis and Anne Baxter both convey the hunger of their actress characters- one hungry to hang onto fame, and the other hungry to achieve it. It’s jarring conclusion makes it surprising to watch the first time, but entertaining to watch again when you know what’s coming.

Davis stars as Margo Channing, an aging Broadway star who refuses to come to terms with the fact that her star is fading. She still carries enough clout to intimidate the right people into giving her what she wants. This starts to change when Baxter’s Eve arrives on the scene. She gushes over Margo’s body of work, and this flattery gives Eve the foot in the door that she’s secretly craved all her life. Over time, Margo suspects the worst of Eve, who just so happens to be making all the right connections and impressing all the right people.

Since the beginning, Hollywood has loved to produce films about the entertainment industry, be it theatre or the movies. In 1950, the concept of a backstage drama was hardly new, but All About Eve does it with a twist. You spend part of the film thinking Margo is a villain and Eve is a protagonist, but then reality slaps you in the face. There are no heroes here, just morally ambiguous manipulators and the suckers who help them fulfill their goals. Does Margo deserve what she gets? Maybe, but the satisfaction of seeing her knocked down a peg is short-lived because of how it’s done.

The first time you watch this film, you get played. Every subsequent viewing allows you to watch for all the little hints along the way that the audience and other characters are being played. That’s what makes this one special- the artful way it betrays the audience’s trust. It’s not just a straightforward backstage drama. The writing is crisp and the acting is top notch. The film doesn’t ponder matters that are deep or insightful, nor does it make any profound observations on the dark side of the theatre world, but it’s very entertaining to watch. It runs a tad bit too long, which I think holds it back from my great tier.

My only other bone to pick with this film is the fact that it beat Sunset Boulevard for Best Picture. I have not seen the other three nominee films from 1950, but Sunset Boulevard was brilliant and a cut above All About Eve. That doesn’t impact my rating for it, but it is a point of contention. Over the years, there have been several Best Picture nominees that were better or more important films that the one that won the top prize. Sometimes we remember those winners with scorn. Even though All About Eve doesn’t reach the same heights as Sunset Boulevard, it’s easy to accept the upset because it’s just so entertaining to watch.

FINAL RATING: 3.75 out of 5