MonsterPerfect Good idea lost in the noise

TeenzTen An action-packed slog

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Leofwine_draca ALL ABOUT EVE is a dark and cynical look at the world of theatre and those at the very top in terms of fame and fortune. It's remembered today for being one of the films featuring an inimitable Bette Davis as an ageing star who finds herself waning and facing opposition from her younger rivals. The film offers a pretty bleak world view in which everyone seems to be out for personal gain and fortune. It's finely-judged indeed and boasts some strong performances, in particular from Anne Baxter who takes ruthlessness to a new level. Davis the real star here though, performing in a more sympathetic role than usual and making the role her own.

maxdaddytj Each scene just flows seamlessly into the next - what a script! And what casting! IF I had been an Academy voter that year, it would have been tough - Bette Davis in this, or Gloria Swanson. Some great lines that live on and on. My only minor quibble - Birdie (the great GREAT Thelma Ritter!)( is never seen or mentioned again after the party scene - what happened?

Kirpianuscus all what you suppose write about this film sounds fake. because it is more than a classic, a masterpiece or example of impeccable script and admirable performances. it is , sure, a film about show universe. about competition and envy and hate and transformations, about fundamental errors . but, first, it is a film about the love for yourself. egocentricity or selfishness or form of schizoid behavior. in fact, a film about solitude. the deeper and deeper solitude. and , across the decades, this film could become a mirror for yourself. or, only your reflection like in the story of Dorian Gray. because, at the first sigh, it is the image of a perfect mechanism, selecting the heroes by losers. in fact, "All about Eve" remains one of the most useful stories about life proposed by cinema ever.

Antonius Block Bette Davis is so effortless and breathes fire in her performance as Margot, an aging actress who finds herself slowly and insidiously being usurped by a young fan, Eve, played by Anne Baxter. I don't think it's in a 'best ever' type of discussion, or worthy of its 14 Academy Award nominations, but its sharp dialog, predatory manipulation, and overall bitchiness make it entertaining, even if it's hard to like the characters. There are some great lines here; in addition to the famous "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night", I loved it when Davis exclaimed "I'm not twenty-ish, I'm not thirty-ish. Three months ago I was forty years old. Forty. 4-0. That slipped out. I hadn't quite made up my mind to admit it. Now I suddenly feel as if I've taken all my clothes off." Davis herself was 42, and this line and others ring true. George Sanders (as Addison DeWitt) is also fantastic, at one point saying "You're an improbable person, Eve, and so am I. We have that in common. Also, a contempt for humanity, an inability to love and be loved, insatiable ambition, and talent. We deserve each other."These quotes capture the spirit of the movie, which to me is simply about the difficulties that aging women face, and the cold and calculating world of the theater. There is supposedly a homosexual element, a theory put forth and apparently confirmed by writer and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, but it's so subtle, perhaps because of the Hays Code, that it didn't even register with me, and I think it's irrelevant. These characters are in the best cases rough around the edges, and in the worse, simply awful people. We see Margot being slowly replaced and want to feel sympathy for her, but it's tough because she's so abrasive. We see the evil side of Eve slowly unveil itself as it becomes apparent she's far from being a starstruck fan or even who she says she is. And at the end we see that she, too, will be replaced. It's all a bit grim: time, a machine that grinds them down, and competition for glory that leads to Machiavellian backstabbing. It's ironic that Davis was such a diva that there was discord amongst the actors, and Baxter pushing her way into a 'Best Actress' nomination instead of 'Best Supporting Actress' would lead to a division of the vote and neither of them winning. I was happy to see Marilyn Monroe in a small part at age 24 and before she was big, just to bring some lightness into the film. This is certainly a good movie, don't get me wrong, but it's not one I'd watch again and again as I would my favorites.