It must be pretty easy to be a director.
Get your actors in a room, double-check theyve learnt their lines and shout action.
Im being facetious, of course, but watchingAll About Eve,its hard to shake that accusation.
He orchestrates affairs in Shakespearean fashion manoeuvring the characters like pawns in a game that ensures he remains king.
In the lead role, Bette Davis provides a tour de force.
Margo is a prima donna, theres no denying it, but shes more than a spoilt star cliche.
Davis performance reveals nuances that build her into a real person.
Eve, meanwhile, is the spark that lights Margos anxieties.
Even the bit-part players inAll About Eveare top notch.
Theres also an early cameo for Marilyn Monroe, in full-on blonde bombshell mode.
Still, all these actors, no matter how accomplished, pale in comparison to the script.
It dances gracefully from witty to poignant without ever breaking stride.
The performers deliver it well, but the words would be worth ingesting in any form.
The dialogue manages the almost impossible task of being relentlessly witty without coming off as self-important.
This lack of pretension gives the whole script an air of truth that helps immensely with immersion.
Most breathtaking are the monologues, internal or external, that each major player is given.
Funny business, a womans career, she begins.
The things you drop on your way up the ladder so you might move faster.
You forget youll need them again when you get back to being a woman.
All About Eveis a bona fide classic.
Its good quality stuff that will keep the curious busy for hours.
Film nostalgia fans will probably appreciate the old promo footage of Fox studio newsreels that also feature.
Film:
Rating:
5 out of 5
