All About Eve (DVD)

...her on as an assistant. All is well until Margo realises that Eve has a great ambition - she wants to be as big, if not bigger, than Margo herself. Eve tentatively begins to make progress as an actress and clearly has talent...much to Margo's fury. But can she ever be as famous as Margo? And was she just using Margo to further her career? Or is Margo just a jealous old has-been, scared of losing her fame and fortune?

Margo Channing ...
...and that everyone is fawning all over her, reminding her of how talented she is. When Eve threatens to take some of that fame away from her, we see a very different side of Margo. She drinks too much, snaps at everyone and even drives her lover away. Yet underneath it all, it is clear that Margo is a vulnerable, frightened woman, and it is very difficult to feel much in the way of hate for her. Bette Davis manages to portray all of this beautifully. ... more

Margo Channing has the world at her feet. She is an aclaimed stage actress, has a lover ten years younger than herself and has close friends in playwright Lloyd Richards and his wife Karen. Then Margo is introduced to her greatest fan - Eve Harrington - who has seen every one of Margo's performances in her latest play. Touched by Eve's sad life story, Margo takes her on as an assistant. All is well until Margo realises that Eve has a great ambition - she wants to be as big, if not bigger, than Margo herself. Eve tentatively begins to make progress as an actress and clearly has talent...much to Margo's fury. But can she ever be as famous as Margo? And was she just using Margo to further her career? Or is Margo just a jealous old has-been, scared of losing her fame and fortune?

Margo Channing is played by the hugely talented Bette Davis. Margo is perhaps a simple character - she is happy provided that she has a successful career and that everyone is fawning all over her, reminding her of how talented she is. When Eve threatens to take some of that fame away from her, we see a very different side of Margo. She drinks too much, snaps at everyone and even drives her lover away. Yet underneath it all, it is clear that Margo is a vulnerable, frightened woman, and it is very difficult to feel much in the way of hate for her. Bette Davis manages to portray all of this beautifully. She commands every scene that she is in and it is easy to see why she is such an acclaimed actress. Whoever gave her the role also deserves to the commended. Already in her forties when this film was made, Bette Davis is beginning to lose the beauty of her younger days, giving her a rather hard, tired look - I'm sure the make-up department hold some responsibility for this, but all in all, Davis is utterly perfect for the role. Much as I love her in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, this is my favourite Bette Davis role. I cannot think of an actress of my generation that has anything like as much talent.

Anne Baxter is also excellent as Eve, particularly because she really develops as a character during the course of the film. At the beginning of the film, she is a timid, mousy looking girl; by the end, she is confident and hard. At the same time, it is never precisely clear what the real Eve is like - good or bad, she could be either, and it is this ability to keep the viewer guessing that makes Anne Baxter so good in the role. I wavered between feeling sorry for her and hating her right up until the time the truth is finally revealed. Celeste Holm also deserves to have praise heaped on her for her role as Margo's friend Karen. It is Karen who introduces Eve to Margo and stands up for Eve when Margo's nails are out. The sensible character of the three leading women, Holm is probably overlooked more than she should be - her performance is less exciting and less extreme than the other two, but it is nevertheless brilliant. I also have to mention the brief appearance of Marilyn Monroe towards the end of the film - I didn't recognise her at first, but she's there nevertheless!

The wonderful George Sanders plays Addison DeWitt, a sneaky critic who is always out looking for trouble. I always think that George Sanders is sadly underestimated as an actor - his roles always seem to be secondary ones, yet he is a truly great actor who deserves much more recognition. He doesn't have that large a role in All About Eve, yet whenever he appears, there is a suggestion that something momentous is going to happen - few actors can portray all that with just a few seemingly superficial comments. He overshadows his male colleagues - Gary Merill (Margo's lover) and Hugh Marlowe (the playwright), who are ultimately fairly forgettable (although with any other cast, they would be right up there with the best of them).

The story, written and directed by Joseph L Mankievicz, is fantastically told. It begins almost at the end, at an award ceremony where Eve is about to be given an award. It then skips back in time to when Eve and Margo first meet. The story is largely told through dialogue, but this is interspersed with some narration by different characters, which helps to make their point of view clear. It is these different views that makes the story so complex. Were we just to see Margo's jealousy of Eve, it would not have been anywhere near so compelling. As it is, I was instantly drawn into the film, and although it is over two hours in length, I could not take my eyes off the screen the entire time.

So very sadly, huge numbers of people will never see this film, simply because it is in black and white. That is, of course, their prerogative; however, I will say that if you never watch another black and white film, this is the one that you should make an effort to see - it didn't win six Academy Awards for nothing. The film is very clear, despite the lack of colour - it doesn't say so on the DVD that I have, but I would be surprised if it hadn't been digitally enhanced. The clothes, the mannerisms, speech patterns and interior decoration are very old-fashioned, but this doesn't matter, because the characters fill the screen in such a way that none of this is important. This film completely deserves its place in film history.

Disappointingly, especially because Whatever Happened to Baby Jane had so many, there are hardly any special features with the disc that I have. There are two trailers; one for All About Eve, and one for a completely different film, called Gentleman's Agreement. Then there is something called a cast gallery, which consists of photos of the main cast, their role in the film and real name. Having been so highly acclaimed throughout the last sixty years, I am amazed that the distributors couldn't find a documentary or two on the film to add to the disc - I don't always watch special features, but this is one case where I would have been glad of a deeper insight into the film. There is another version of the film - a two disc special, which might be worth looking out for rather than the one disc version.

I think you've probably got the picture - I thought this film was superb. There are not many films that I buy on DVD - most films are a watch once, never again experience, even if they're good. In this case, I am happy to own the DVD - I have already watched it three times and it's only been in my collection for a week. Bette Davis surpasses herself here. Highly highly highly recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £3.99. It is currently on sale in HMV for £5.

Classification: U (there is nothing apart from some chaste kissing that could offend here)

Running time: 138 minutes 

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