All About Eve (1950):
What’s It About?: Margo Channing (Bette Davis) is a huge star of the stage when she is introduced to a loyal fan named Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Although she seems at first like an awestruck, naïve and innocent kid, it slowly becomes clear to those around her that Eve is actually a conniving and backstabbing wannabe actress. Were this remade today, the "b-word" would have been used several million times.
How Good Is It?: Although its not exactly my type of movie, it’s really good. The actresses are very good (four of them split the two actress categories) and the screenplay is decidedly snippy and juicy, while remaining realistic and, ultimately, fascinating. It’s smart, well-done and very watchable. In fact, it's probably brilliant.
Was it Best Picture?: When I originally wrote this, I said that it probably was. After all Eve is really, really good, but alas, such is not the case. Having since seen Sunset Boulevard, even Eve with it’s wicked theatrical accusations seems delightfully tame. Eve was really good second choice, and probably a front runner in any other year. But Sunset Boulevard is a much better movie. I assume it just hit too close to home for the Academy at that time.
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