Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter
Runtime: 138 mins
Rating: * * * * *

Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s acclaimed dark comedy takes us on a trip behind the red curtain of the theatre business, showing the audience a society of ageing divas, back-stabbing friends and ambitious wannabes. Margo Channing is the queen of the stage; successful and at the peak of her career. However, when she offers a poor young actress the chance to work as her assistant, Margo finds not only her career, but her relationships with her partner and friends under threat. Eve’s youth, talent and ruthless ambition, combined with Margo’s fear of growing old, leads to a battle of wills and downright bitchiness between the two.

Led by screen queen Bette Davis, giving a delightfully pompous performance as Margo, all the female actors are fantastic. Full of “fire and music”, she plays a strong character who is by turns menacing and fragile, odious yet sympathetic, and strangely reminiscent of Gloria Swanson’s turn in Sunset Boulevard. Anne Baxter impresses as the young pretender, whilst the supporting roles, including Thelma Ritter as a cynical old maid and Marilyn Monroe as a dippy young star, are uniformly entertaining. The two male leads do not fare as well, failing to instil their characters with much personality. But when a film receives five Oscar nominations for its acting alone, you know you are watching a quality cast.

The biting, intelligent screenplay is a treat. Filled with caustic one-liners, smart dialogue and seemingly endless quotable lines, it’s perhaps the classic example of how good writing, story and characters is all a movie needs. Like Sunset Boulevard, which also takes a sardonic look at Hollywood, there is much ironic pleasure to be found in watching the bickering of deluded actors, writers and other hangers-on of the industry. Whilst not as successful as that excellent film, All About Eve is a must-see.

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