All About Eve
In the film All About Eve, (directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and released in
1950), Eve Harrison (Anne Baxter) was a young woman with evil running through
her veins. She wanted to be 'somebody' and chose to get there through Margo
Channing (Betty Davis) who was a famous stage star. Eve would do whatever it
took to get where she wanted to be, including hurt the ones that trusted her and took
her in as a 'lost lamb'. Though Eve was already evil within and throughout, the
people around her made it even easier to acomplish her goals.
Margo was one of the most popular stage actresses and put herself high on a
pedastel, and looked at someone like Eve as being below her, a poor soul that could
be of no threat to anyone, especially Margo Channing. Eve played the meek and shy
girl that idolized Margo. She claimed to attend all the preformaces of the play that
week due to the fact that she adored Margo and she would have nowhere else to go
anyway. Doing this allowed Eve to get her foot in the door. If it wasn't for Margo's
conceitedness, Eve would have had to work a little bit harder to get this. Margo took
her into her home.
Margo's secretary-aid, Birdie (Thelma Ritter), was the first to sense something was
strange about Eve, but her position made it not her place to speak her mind. Eve
knew this and also knew it would be easy to take control of her position because of
this. It would only seem to Margo that she enjoyed doing things for her.
Eve charmed Bill Simpson (Gary Merrill), director and Margo's lover, with
her feminine qualities that Margo lacked. Eve just seemed to be overly interested in
everything Bill had to say about the theater. She used to keep him admiring her and
at the same time, drove Margo crazy with jealousy to tear their relationship apart.
Little did she realize, Bill had no romantic feelings towards Eve at all, so she blew
her cover when she made a pass at him.
Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), Margo's best friend, was the one
1950), Eve Harrison (Anne Baxter) was a young woman with evil running through
her veins. She wanted to be 'somebody' and chose to get there through Margo
Channing (Betty Davis) who was a famous stage star. Eve would do whatever it
took to get where she wanted to be, including hurt the ones that trusted her and took
her in as a 'lost lamb'. Though Eve was already evil within and throughout, the
people around her made it even easier to acomplish her goals.
Margo was one of the most popular stage actresses and put herself high on a
pedastel, and looked at someone like Eve as being below her, a poor soul that could
be of no threat to anyone, especially Margo Channing. Eve played the meek and shy
girl that idolized Margo. She claimed to attend all the preformaces of the play that
week due to the fact that she adored Margo and she would have nowhere else to go
anyway. Doing this allowed Eve to get her foot in the door. If it wasn't for Margo's
conceitedness, Eve would have had to work a little bit harder to get this. Margo took
her into her home.
Margo's secretary-aid, Birdie (Thelma Ritter), was the first to sense something was
strange about Eve, but her position made it not her place to speak her mind. Eve
knew this and also knew it would be easy to take control of her position because of
this. It would only seem to Margo that she enjoyed doing things for her.
Eve charmed Bill Simpson (Gary Merrill), director and Margo's lover, with
her feminine qualities that Margo lacked. Eve just seemed to be overly interested in
everything Bill had to say about the theater. She used to keep him admiring her and
at the same time, drove Margo crazy with jealousy to tear their relationship apart.
Little did she realize, Bill had no romantic feelings towards Eve at all, so she blew
her cover when she made a pass at him.
Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), Margo's best friend, was the one