by Chris Marshall:
The 1950s are here at last! That means we’re about halfway
through the Hays Code era, and we’re moving toward a period where there’s more
innovation and risk-taking in cinema than ever before. But not as far as the
Oscars are concerned! I’m in for two decades dominated by musicals (An American in Paris, Gigi, West Side Story,
The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Oliver!) and huge, sprawling epics (The Greatest Show on Earth, Around the World in 80 Days, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia). The
good news is that it will lead into the 1970s, perhaps the finest of all Oscar
decades.
More good news is that 1950’s winner, All About Eve, is an absolute classic, and although I’d seen it
before, it was a pleasure to watch again. In some ways, it feels like a (better
made) companion piece to All the King’s Men. Both Willie Stark and Eve Harrington rise to power—in politics and
theatre, respectively—and along the way they both abandon all scruples,
assuming they had any to begin with.
Despite all the villainy that Willie Stark was responsible
for, though, I believe that Eve is actually the more sinister of the two. In
his early years, Stark was portrayed as an honest, genuine man, one who
actually believed in the ideals he promoted; he was just particularly
susceptible to the trappings of power. Eve, on the other hand, was sinister and
manipulative from the very beginning. From the moment she first met Margo
Channing (Bette Davis), she was plotting her rise to the top.
And while the title may have been All About Eve, the film itself was anything but. Margo is the true
centerpiece of the story, thanks in no small part to the performance of Bette
Davis. She was pitch-perfect, perhaps because she felt a certain kinship to
Margo. At this point in her career, she was getting older, but she was still at
the top of her game.
As is Margo. She’s been a star for a very long time, and she
displays her fair share of prima donna behaviors, but by god, she still has
what it takes to be a star, and the crowds still flock to see her. One of the
real miracles of this movie is the fact that Margo never becomes unlikeable.
She certainly has plenty of opportunities to do so, but even at her prickliest,
she still maintains that irrepressible charm.
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| That woman in the middle turned out pretty famous... |
Nor can we forget Addison DeWitt, the jaded, cynical theatre
critic. He is sardonic and droll, and we eventually discover that he is the ultimate
manipulator, no matter how good of a job Eve thinks she’s doing. When he
unravels Eve’s secret, it feels like such a perfect ending. It’s only fitting
that these two loathsome figures should end up together.
But at the end of the day, Eve still gets what she wants.
She uses anybody and everybody she can to get ahead, and then she discards them
when they’re no longer necessary. She becomes rich and successful. She wins a
major acting award. Sure, she didn’t come by them honestly, but a few years
down the road, who’ll remember all these things?
In All the King’s Men,
Willie Stark pays for his sins with his life. What karmic retribution will Eve
face? The film ends with a young, adoring fan named Phoebe in Eve’s apartment.
Maybe Eve realizes it and may she doesn’t, but the message is clear; she was
not the first person to crave fame and fortune, nor will she be the last. She
may not be killed for her misdeeds, but she will forever be in the crosshairs
of those below her who also dream of the stardom she has achieved. It’s the
circle of life.
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