All About Eve ★★★★ 1950 One of the wittiest (and most cynical) flicks of all time follows aspiring young actress Eve Harrington (Baxter) as she ingratiates herself with a prominent group of theatre people so she can become a Broadway star without the usual years of work. The notso-innocent babe becomes secretary to aging star Margo Channing (Davis) and ruthlessly uses everyone in her climb to the top, much to Davis' initial disbelief and eventual displeasure. Satirical, darkly funny view of the theatre world features exceptional work by Davis, Sanders, and Ritter. Based on "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr. Later staged as the musical "Applause." 138m/B VHS, DVD. Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe, Hugh Marlowe, Gregory Ratoff, Eddie Fisher;
Director:
Joseph L. Mankiewicz;
Writer:
Joseph L. Mankiewicz;
Writer:
Milton Krasner;
Cameo:
Alfred Newman. Oscars '50: Costume Des. (B&W), Director (Mankiewicz), Picture, Screenplay, Sound, Support. Actor (Sanders); AFI '98: Top 100; British Acad. '50: Film; Cannes '51: Actress (Davis), Grand Jury Prize; Directors Guild '50: Director (Mankiewicz); Golden Globes '51: Screenplay, Natl. Film Reg. '90;; N.Y. Film Critics '50: Actress (Davis), Director (Mankiewicz), Film.
