26 August 2023

"All About Eve"


I can't believe I got to my current oldish age without having seen this extraordinary movie.
The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star, and Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington, an ambitious young fan who maneuvers herself into Channing's life, ultimately threatening Channing's career and her personal relationships. The film co-stars George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, and Hugh Marlowe, and features Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe in one of her earliest roles, Gregory Ratoff, Barbara Bates and Walter Hampden.

All About Eve held its world premiere in New York City on October 13, 1950. Praised by critics at the time of its release, All About Eve received a record 14 nominations at the 23rd Academy Awards, becoming the only film in Oscar history to receive four female acting nominations (Davis and Baxter as Best Actress, Holm and Ritter as Best Supporting Actress). It went on to win six awards, including Best Picture, as well as Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, Mankiewicz's second consecutive wins in both categories. Widely considered as among the greatest films of all time, in 1990, it became one of 25 films selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress's National Film Registry, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film was ranked No. 16 on AFI's 1998 list of the 100 best American films.
Watched it tonight on the Criterion Channel.  Outstanding.  Rotten Tomatoes 99%.  Some of the best dialogue I can ever remember hearing.

4 comments:

  1. One of my favorites. Such fascinating people, and so quotable.

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  2. This is crazy! I just bought this movie today on DVD! What are the odds, right? Gonna be watching it soon, too.

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    1. I watched it with subtitles on, which I think helped me pick up some of the crucial witty repartee dialogue.

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  3. Classic. She never saw it coming Brilliant

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