It was made in 1950, but Joseph L Mankiewicz's acid portrait of the entertainment industry still feels bang up to date - a timely reminder of the fine line between parasites and paramours, talent and glamour, High Art and hooey.
Bette Davis plays a ferociously insecure theatre diva, George Sanders a ruthless critic. The then-little-known Marilyn Monroe, meanwhile, is a bimbo-on-the-make, elbowed aside by the brilliant, apparently sweet ingénue Eve (Anne Baxter).
Ironically, Baxter is the least interesting performer in the whole gang. She's great; the others are simply perfect.
Thanks to a brand new print, the whole thing looks immaculate, too. But why is it that the men in the movie are able to combine ambition and love, while a driven woman's lot necessarily involves bitterness and long, lonely nights?
All About Eve
Cert: U
