ALL ABOUT EVE
(1950)With Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Black and White
Reviewed by JL
The greatest catfight
ever filmed, ALL ABOUT EVE was one of two masterpieces made in 1950
that, with achingly dry and bitchy wit, ruthlessly skewered the dark
sides of show business. The other, Billy Wilder's SUNSET
BOULEVARD, was probably the better film, but nobody complains that
EVE's best-picture Oscar was undeserved. It's just an indication
of what a great year for movies 1950 was. It was also a great
year for actresses, in that Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson delivered
legendary performances in their respective films, with Margo Channing
and Norma Desmond ranking high in the pantheon of great screen
divas. In the end, it was Judy Holliday who took home the Oscar
for BORN YESTERDAY, which she would have deserved in any other
year. I normally don't use the Oscars as a barometer of
anything. It's just that they actually seemed to mean something
back when Hollywood strived for quality. 
- JL
http://thestuffyougottawatch.com
Copyright © 2008 John V. Brennan, John Larrabee