Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington is determined to take the reins of power away from the great actress Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into Margo's Broadway role, becomes a sensation and even causes turmoil in the lives of Margo's director boyfriend, her playwright and his wife. Only the cynical drama critic sees through Eve, admiring her audacity and perfect pattern of deceit.
All About Eve is a masterclass in screenplay writing and theatrical drama. The plot is meticulously constructed, with every scene feeding Eve's calculated ascent and Margo's dawning paranoia — the dialogue is among the sharpest ever committed to film. The acting is genuinely exceptional: Bette Davis delivers one of cinema's great performances, and Anne Baxter, George Sanders, and Celeste Holm all match her. Novelty is high because the film's voice is utterly singular — its acidic wit, its insider-theater world, and its layered cynicism about ambition and identity make it unmistakable. Cinematography by Milton Krasner is competent and atmospheric but not visually groundbreaking, earning a solid above-average rather than exceptional mark. The ending, while satisfying in its circular irony (the introduction of Phoebe mirroring Eve's own origin), is somewhat telegraphed and lacks the punch of the film's electrifying middle sections.