(1950)
5
Rebecca Flint Marx
A skewering satire of the theatre world, All About Eve entertains while it eviscerates. This is a film that really does have it all: Joseph L. Mankiewicz's sure-handed direction and gloriously poisonous screenplay, celluloid diva Bette Davis at her disdainful best, uniformly excellent performances from the supporting cast, and costumes that further demonstrate that designer Edith Head did indeed give good wardrobe. The fact that All About Eve swept the 1950 Academy Awards speaks to all of these qualities, but a great deal of the film's historical and cinematic importance lies in its content. For years, Broadway had taken aim at Hollywood, and now the tables were turned with considerable venom. Mankiewicz's script summoned into existence a whole array of painfully recognizable theatre types, from the aging, egomaniacal grand dame to the outwardly docile, inwardly scheming ingenue to the powerful critic who reeks of malignant charm. The fact that the film succeeds in delivering such a wallop without descending into bitchy tirade makes it an enduring testament to the powers of elegant satire, further proof that there is no more dangerous combination than wit and a typewriter.
awards for All About Eve on AllMovie
All About Eve (1950)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
|
Nominated |
Best Actress
|
1950 |
|
Nominated |
Best Black and White Art Direction
|
1950 |
|
Nominated |
Best Black and White Cinematography
|
1950 |
|
Won |
Best Black and White Costume Design
|
1950 |
|
Won |
Best Director
|
1950 |
|
Nominated |
Best Drama or Comedy Score
|
1950 |
|
Nominated |
Best Editing
|
1950 |
|
Won |
Best Picture
|
1950 |
|
Won |
Best Screenplay
|
1950 |
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actor
|
1950 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
|
1950 |
American Film Institute
|
Won |
100 Greatest American Movies
|
1998 |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
|
Won |
Best Film - Any Source
|
1950 |
Cannes Film Festival
|
Won |
Best Actress
|
1951 |
|
Won |
Special Jury Prize
|
1951 |
Directors Guild of America
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
|
Nominated |
Best Director
|
1950 |
|
Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
|
1950 |
|
Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
|
1950 |
|
Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
|
1950 |
|
Won |
Best Screenplay
|
1950 |
Library of Congress
|
Won |
U.S. National Film Registry
|
1989 |
National Board of Review
|
Nominated |
Best Picture
|
1950 |
New York Film Critics Circle
|
Won |
Best Actress
|
1950 |
|
Won |
Best Director
|
1950 |
