Unmasking Hollywood

“Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night,” words from a woman turning 40. Joseph L. Mankiewic’z “All About Eve” is a masterpiece. If you really want to know what goes on in show biz this is the film to watch. Bette Davis and Anne Baxter both earned Academy Award nominations for their role. And they deserved it. Bette plays an actress, Margo Channing, who is troubled about aging, and Anne plays the part of her seemingly meek and very young assistant, Eve, who eventually shows her true colors. Incidentally, Bette Davis did turn 40 the year she filmed this movie. She knew that in her real life, her days were numbered in Hollywood. Margo’s life paralleled hers.

George Sanders won for Best Supporting Actor. This movie also won Best Picture over Sunset Boulevard that year. If you think about it both these films unmasked Hollywood. “All About Eve,” held the record for most nominations (14) until Titanic (1997), wow!

The plot is fascinating and the script is sharp and insightful. At the very end of the movie we are introduced to a new character that tells us what Eve’s future holds. You can’t help thinking, “ah the sweet smell of revenge. The story of what happens to show biz people is told without any restrain in this film. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. It’s a vicious cycle. There is a lot to chew on in this film, definitely a movie that is food for thought and very open for discussion. It’s an eye-opener and it’s a movie that can be seen over, and over again.