by Adam Ritchie, Contributing Writer
With such a deep ocean of great 20th century cinema to choose from for 20th Century Flicks, I can safely admit that it can be a little difficult to choose something to tell you about each month. My Letterboxd stats tell me that between 65% and 70% of my movie viewings are first time watches. Out of those, maybe another 65% to 70% are from last century. Despite my prolific film watching experience, I know I am still severely lacking in the “classics” department, and am slowly rectifying this. My personal watch list(s), and untouched, still in the cellophane, physical media stack can testify to.
I’m not sure why I mention all of this, I guess only to make this monthly column All About Adam! Or maybe I do know why I told you all this… if only to make a lame (some might say clever) segue into this month’s film, All About Eve.
Written and Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and released in 1950, All About Eve is all about subterfuge. Bette Davis plays Margo Channing, an aging Broadway star already paranoid about being aged out of her career. Anne Baxter plays Eve Harrington, a superfan that has seen every show of the play that Margo is currently starring in, and has followed her across the country. Cutting a long story short, Eve finagles her way in to become Margo’s assistant, and as you might expect, the creepiness escalates.
For me, what makes All About Eve a stand out is its characters, which are so richly developed by Mankiewicz’s script. Margo is given an abundance of pathos and paranoia, bringing flashes of diva like behavior to her surface. She is loved and revered by many, but her friends remain cautious when in her proximity. Eve, on the other hand, is diametrically opposed, as she is pleasant and friendly to everyone. Bright eyed and bushy tailed. Eve takes all of Margo’s offhand put downs and backhanded compliments on the chin and continues to the job she was hired for, for the woman she so apparently adores.
This is where Mankiewicz had me guessing, and one of the aspects of the film that makes me love it so much. Being a seasoned film watcher now, and seeing this over 70 years after it was released, I was still second guessing Eve’s intentions. I was in a state of, “I know what’s going on here… or do I?” A lot of that credit can be given to Baxter for her pinpoint, almost Hitchcockian performance.
I don’t think I am spoiling this, as the opening scene of the film alludes to Eve’s intentions from the get-go, and this is further evidence to the brilliance of the writing and the lead performances that I was still second guessing. Or conversely, maybe it’s just my gullibility, or my natural tendency to see the good before the bad.
This was my first ever time seeing a Bette Davis film too. I am well aware of her legend thanks to the song about her eyes, and to be fair, I wasn’t let down. By her or her eyes!
Davis is electric on screen, and commands your attention. She plays the role of diva in distress so very, very well, sensing Eve’s true self, even if Eve has successfully pulled to wool ever so successfully over Margo’s band of sycophants and colleagues.
All About Eve is a fantastic and original study of fandom leading to unhealthy obsession. Nominated for 14 Oscars and winning six including best picture, it is absolutely worth your time.
If I learned anything from watching this, it’s that they really do make them like they used to. However, like photocopying a photocopy, the ink gets a little duller with each passthrough. If I’ve lost you, what I’m saying is that the old classics are the best, because they are the originals, and originals are as rare as hen’s teeth in the 21st century. Every film ever since is just a take on a previous idea, ad nauseam, until the ink is so dull it’s transparent. Huzzah to 20th entury flicks!!
You can read more from Adam Ritchie, and follow him on Twitter and Letterboxd