Customer Reviews

NEW All About Eve (DVD)

5 star:		(128)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The gloriously written script by the master of the screen, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, made this the best of all of Bette Davis's movies. Her talent develops a personality that is both ruthless yet sensitive, as she plays Margo Channing, a well established stage actress who accepts, then regrets, a young fan, played by Anne Baxter. Through Thelma Ritter's wise cracks, to Margo's personal evaluation in the back seat of a broken down car, you never fall asleep, wonder what else could go wrong. Margo's tantrums, while spoiled as they are, are ear candy, putting her whole strength into every word. George Sanders, playing the arrogant yet tactful Addison DeWit, received the Academy Award for his splendid role. The contempt, spite, betrayal, and pure 100% sacrasim weaves a tapestry of a humorous satire on the lives of people of the theater, which will never be duplicated to a higher level.

It sounds cliche to say, "Not enough stars," but that's exactly the way I feel about this film. I've actually seen every Bette Davis movie ever made, but this is by far the best. With a mind-blowing plot and a brilliant cast, you can't go wrong with ALL ABOUT EVE. Anne Baxter is at her best here (she was did less well in movies after this) and the rest of the gang is perfectly matched. With a "What goes around comes around" theme, ALL ABOUT EVE may just be the most perfectly made movie ever.

Of course, All About Eve is more than a chick flick even though the men, Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill) as Margo's beau, and Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe) as a writer (and husband of Margo's best friend, Karen, played by Celest Holm) headed for Hollywood, take a back seat to the main action which is the playing out of the eternal power struggle between (take your pick: they all fit psychologically): youth and age, the daughter and the mother, the bride and the mother-in-law, the upstart and the established talent, the new and the old.

Bette Davis is excellent of course, and the role fits her like a glove. But what transfixed me as a child was the contrast between the wholesome good looks of Anne Baxter and her sneaky treachery. Could someone so pretty be so bad? I may have wondered who I would have preferred for a mother, Davis or Baxter, and perhaps have come away not knowing. For Bette Davis the luster had gone from those famous eyes, and so it was only natural that her character Margo feared the loss of love from men. Even that I understood as a child. And in Baxter, youth would be served and perhaps she could be forgiven the lies because time does not stand still for anyone, especially it does not stand still for a starlet.

By far the best movie ever made, with a flawless script, a cast that is unsurpassed, and a "what goes around, comes around" theme, this tour-de-force of acting and writing is now a cult classic. Anne Baxter has her best role ever, and Bette Davis is superb. George Sanders is also stellar. One feels that these actors are actually playing themselves most of the time, or at last digging so deeply into the characters that you're unable to tell where the star leaves off and the character begins. Couple this with some of the best lines ever written for a movie and a cameo by Marilyn Monroe and you are indeed in for "a bumpy night." If you don't like this movie, quick, get yourself to a hospital--without a doubt you need immediate medical attention.

Some critics have pointed out that Joseph Mankewics' movies resemble filmed plays. That criticism can certainly be levelled at All About Eve Althogh Bette Davis is magnetic and the storyline is compelling, sometimes it feels like a sequence of speeches . The camera work is static, which does lead to the feeling that one is watching a play.

That being said, the advantage of having a DVD is obvious as I really preferred enjoying the movie over several days. The plot has been stated by other reviewers and has been the basis for at least one Carol Burnett satire. Despite the plot's familiarity, the movie has such conviction that one can't help being sucked in. I've seen the movie at least five times, but each time I am sucked in at the freeze frame of Anne Baxter receiving the Sarah Syddons award at which time we hear George Sanders informing us that the story of Eve is about to unfold: "All About Eve, in fact."

Davis comes across as a bemused,sometimes bitter, very vulnerable survivor. Hugh Marlow to a great extent, Anne Baxter, to a lesser one always give the impression that they are Acting. Their self-consciousness makes Marilyn Monroe's natural quality all the more wonderful. Celeste Holm provides a commonsense best-friend foil for Bette Davis. George Sanders and Thelma Ritter are superb, both being the realists of the cast--with Sanders as the egocentric misanthrope and Ritter as the embodiment of loyalty. If you become very interested in this movie, also buy the book "All about All about Eve" by Sam Staggs.

How does a woman who is not the typical Hollywood hottie stake a claim as one the most bankable actresses in the history of Hollywood? Personality and acting ability. She had both in spades. She may not have been a sweet little lady but she never faked it either. One of the more forceful personalities I've ever seen in all my movie watching. All About Eve starts slow but builds momentum and puts the audience on the edge of its seats. A movie about movies and fame and egos and infighting. Smart, funny and mean. Tremendously enjoyable and rewatchable.

One night after a theater performance Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter) is awaiting to see her idol, Margo Channing (Bette Davis), leave the theater, but to Eve's astonishment she is invited to Margo's lodge by Margo's best friend Karen Richards (Celeste Holm). This leads to an invitation to become Margo's assistant which Eve gracefully accepts as it becomes her dream to work for Margo. However, Eve appears to be too good to be true as Margo becomes irritated by Eve's constant goodwill and care. It turn out that Eve has her own agenda, which she seeks to achieve with relentless dedication. All About Eve offers a brilliant cinematic experience and its six Oscars including one for best film in 1951 displays the type of cinematic quality that the audience is to witness as they view this brilliant film.

Bette made some terrific films.... this is one of my personal favorites along with "Mr. Skeffington" and "Now Voyager"... the plus is the stunning transfer of the film to DVD. It is fresh and few flaws are visible on this version. I saw the new version of "Sunset Blvd." just after seeing this film, and though "Eve" was made the same year, it looks far cleaner and crisper than "Sunset" does. Bravo to the restoration crew here! The film itself, is of course, a masterpiece and well worth the purchase price. A true gem!

All About Eve is a film about a closely-knit group of theatre folk. Eve (Anne Baxter) is a young woman who is obsessed with the well known and loved actress Margo Channing (Bette Davis). She awaits outside by the stagedoor every night, just to see Margo enter and exit. A close friend of Margo, Karen Richards (wife of the writer Lloyd Richards [Celeste Holm]) sees Eve and invites her in to finally meet Margo. Eve tells of her personal life to Margo, the Richards, and Birdie (Margo's maid [Thelma Ritter]). Eve's life is a tragic one, and the party of friends immediately bring her into their fold, especially Margo. Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill), the director, enters to fetch Margo from her dressingroom. He wants her to see him off at the airport, for he is going to Hollywood to direct one movie. Eve asks him "Why Hollywood?" Bill sounds off to the effect that the theatre is not the centre of the world. But, eventually, he takes a liking to Eve, who joins them at the airport. Margo takes Eve to live with and work for her. Who would know that this "mousey" young woman would turn out to be a RAT! Eve schemes and cons her way to get a coveted role in a new play by Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe). She is eventually found out by one Addison DeWitt (George Sanders), who is critic and columnist of the theatre. He truly knew all about Eve. Addison takes on Eve as a sort of project; he sees a great deal of talent in her, and wants her to succeed. The end is quite amazing. But all turns out well for the group of friends; and even for Eve (but for her it's a sort of left-handed success). Bette Davis is wonderful in this film. She plays an aging actress who is in love with the director, Bill Sampson, who is eight years her junior. You can't help but feel a deep sympathy for Margo. The cast, story, settings are all superb.

This is one film that is never as good as it's remembered to be. I don't even think it was ever as good as it was supposed to be. I think a post-mortem edit would vastly improve the storyline. Either that or an autopsy.

Perhaps it's time for a remake. I can just imagine dozens of Bette Davis drag queens "camping out" (pun intended) the night before auditions to recast the Davis role! (Where is Charles Pierce when we need him?)

The film has it's merits, but it is so hopelessly dated and corny that only the biggest of Bette Davis fans can get through an entire viewing without swigging martinis ala Diva Davis herself.

Two sparkling moments shine through this heavy-duty divadrama: Bette belting out the immortal line "Fasten your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy night!"; and Marilyn Monroe's minor appearance at Bette's boyfriend's birthday bash.

TECHNICAL REMARKS:
There is a NEW DVD release of this film in which the image quality has been digitally restored. This version is a HIGH QUALITY restoration of the original film. Definitely an improvement on the earlier DVD release on which I originally submited a technical review. If you bought the earlier original DVD release, throw it to the wind like a frisbee (and hopefully your dog won't retreive it) and go out and buy the newly released digitally restored DVD version. It's worth the extra price... which is exactly why Fox released an inferior version prior to releasing a digitally-enhanced version. After all, a big conglomeration like Fox Video can't make money unless we all go out and buy the same film twice!

*** This review will be remembered as the first-ever appearance of the word "divadrama", which I came up with today, 1/9/02. Remember you heard it here first. When you hear it on "Will & Grace" you'll know it was my personal contribution to gay society. Thank you! ***