Film: All About Eve
Released: 1950
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Bette Davis and Anne Baxter
Short Summary: Young ingenue, Eve, wiggles her way into the company of an aging actress and her theater friends. None of them knowing that she is a wolf in sheep's clothing until it's too late.
Why It's A Must See Movie
I decided to go with All About Eve this week. First of all because I wanted to watch it again. I hadn't seen it since perhaps my early teen years (maybe even younger). My impressions of the film were of course very vague except for the fact that I had enjoyed it and that I had thought that Eve was evil incarnate. Well maybe not as bad as that but she is the kind of mean person I dislike the most. The kind of person that is a manipulative little pretender, but not enough people know it so she always ends up getting everything. As someone that has worked in theater and dance for some time I can say that I've met my fair share of "Eves," and now I can relate to the characters in All About Eve more in my adult years.
Another reason I wanted to pick this film is because this list was becoming painfully devoid of black and white films. I have always found old black and white films rather comforting. I don't know why. Perhaps it is because it is a rare occurrence that movies shot in this way are not good (or at least interesting.) Plus, black and white offers such an opportunity for light, shadow, and definition. In a nut shell it can be just lovely to look at in general.
Moving on to why All About Eve regardless of my personal views or the coloring is a Must See Movie. Everything in this movie is amazing. All the technical elements are excellent in terms of camera work, costuming, etc. The writing is excellent. It is perhaps it is one of best written films in my experience. The dialogue is smart. Not only that but it's delicious to the ear without being flowery.
What I think is so interesting about this movie is that it contains quite a bit of voice over from several different characters. Movies don't usually use voice over as much as this one. I think it's because it's a difficult thing to make it work without it seeming hokey and slowing down the pacing of the movie. However, the use of voice over in All About Eve is perfect. It gives the story so much more depth. I have to hand it to the actors who had to occasionally act out their thoughts while the voice over is running. Crazy awesome!
Which brings me to the actors in this piece. Brillant! Just brillant! Everyone's performance is just so on point. It's not even just their facial expressions or the way they deliver their lines. It's the little things they do. For example: There is a scene where Bette Davis' character is having an argument with her boyfriend. She keeps going to a candy dish during the scene and picking up a piece of candy then setting it back in the dish. You know she thinking, "It would be so comforting to eat this piece of chocolate since I'm stressed and having this argument. However, I really shouldn't eat it because I'm already aging and I don't want to gain weight." Then as the fight progresses you can tell she's thinking "Screw it! I'm eating the candy!" That's just brilliant. It gives the scene more layers than one. Plus, it offers the viewer as since of realism in a moment where dramatic theater people characters are behaving...well...very dramatically. All the actors do this sort of thing in their scenes. Excellent acting and direction.
Add to all this that All About Eve ends with the most amazing, meaningful, and just generally cool looking camera shots ever in my opinion, and you've got yourself a Must See Movie. Check this movie out. It's on Netflix and probably a couple other things as well, so take the time to watch this beautiful film.
