All about Eve (1950)

Conservative political times - radical films. All about Eve  (Mankiewicz) bustles with dark secrets and surprises - not much physical action takes place, but it is evident that this film beats any modern thriller in terms of suspense. And this is not even a thriller! Eve is a fan who would do anything to meet her favorite actor, whose play she sees every night. The actor's friend takes a liking to the girl and invites her to see Margo, the star. Eve appears to be a modest and decent girl with a tragic history and even the great Margo's heart throbs for the poor girl, who becomes her servant. But Eve has some plans of her own... All about Eve registers the scheming and gossip of the theatre world, and it picks out the most cynical character to narrate the story: the poisonous words of theater critic Addison throw us into this rotten congregation of friends and foes. Bette Davis is brilliant as Margo, the star, the pro, the diva - unruly and foul-mouthed. Everything, down to the smallest gesture is Grand. A cloud of smoke surrounds her and nobody bitches the way she does: '....I hate men.' It's hard to know whether one should love or hate Margo, whose position is threatened by the mousy, innocent-looking girl. And Margo knows how to strike back. The character of Eve might not be believable all the way, but it is interesting to see her face change as she transforms into (is revealed as) a ... sociopath. -- What I love about All about Eve is that it is a women's film in the best sense of the word. Women are the main characters; interesting, complex, tough. The guys remain in the background, props for the real drama acted out among these brutal ladies. Where women are mostly reduced to objects of desire on the big screen, in this movie the two leading ladies rebel against the notions of what a good woman should be. And when it comes to romance this is a rare film as it is so utterly uninterested in sex - sex is portrayed as a boring means to an end kind of thing. Another reason to adore this movie is the snappy dialogue that slashes first and thinks afterward; rarely have I seen such a funny account of the pungent relations of the theater elite. Sometimes films about actors become much to navel-gazing and meta, but this film doesn't, I think, have that problem because it is EXTREMELY navel-gazing! Even though one might complain that it is messy and that it centers too much around being clever, this film is dazzling enough to keep this viewer fascinated.