All About Eve (1950)

 

Genre: Comedy/ Thriller

Time: 2h 18mins

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Quick Summary: A seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an ageing Broadway star and her circle of theatre friends.

I tried to like this so much, but unfortunately, it is so slow. 

I have heard about this film so many times and each time it was said to be a must-watch classic, so I wanted to watch it desperately. I feel like I have the opposite opinion of most with Bette Davis's character being really the only likeable one. She was brutally honest and was expressing her frustration that her career was being stolen. But she is treated as a villain, probably because she was seen as being mean and paranoid, but I found her the most interesting. Admittedly, I was getting through this film because of the scenes with her. I found her acting incredible and her presence on screen was so compelling.

The dialogue is pretty funny a lot of the time admittedly, using old-school wit and remarks. The problem is that it goes on for so long, they don't stop talking about nonsense or they're just overly dramatic where it doesn't quite fit. The conversations drag and really bog down the actual plot. 

Another problem I had with this is the shots were very static and nobody really moved around during them. So visually this wasn't all the engaging. 

What is interesting about this is watching as Eve slowly worms her way into Margo's life and takes over. You can see it from a mile away, and you can see the downfall from even further away. Watching this woman play sweet and innocent from the start, is honestly a little scary, as it shows even the nicest of people can have hidden agendas. 

Though I can understand why a lot of people like this film, to me it was a bore and too long. Maybe if they cut some of the dialogue I might have enjoyed this more.

5/10

"Miss Casswell: Oh, waiter!

Addison DeWitt: That is not a waiter, my dear, that is a butler.

Miss Casswell: Well, I can't yell "Oh butler!" can I? Maybe somebody's name is Butler.

Addison DeWitt: You have a point. An idiotic one, but a point."

"Margo: So many people know me. I wish I did. I wish someone would tell me about me.

Karen: You're Margo, just Margo.

Margo: And what is that, besides something spelt out in light bulbs, I mean - besides something called a temperament, which consists mostly of swooping about on a broomstick and screaming at the top of my voice? Infants behave the way I do, you know. They carry on and misbehave - they'd get drunk if they knew how - when they can't have what they want when they feel unwanted or insecure or unloved."