Joseph L. Mankiewicz

*****
5/5

All about Eve (1950) "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!", and with the acerbic talents of multi-Oscar-winning writer/director Joseph L Mankiewicz and his magnificent cast - the superb Bette Davis (replacing, thankfully, an ailing Claudette Colbert), the acid-tongued George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe - it certainly is. On its original release, this tale about rivalries in the theatre was criticised in some quarters for being over-wordy and relentlessly arch, though today's audiences tend to revel in its wit and cynicism. The dialogue is especially clever and the performances are first-rate. If the framing flashback structure seems a little contrived, or if Anne Baxter's Eve doesn't quite have the killer instinct required for the role, these are minor blemishes in a classic movie, whose qualities remind us that there once was a Hollywood where such sophisticated treats could be made.
 

(1950)   
US   B/W    132 mins