All About Eve

1052 Words5 Pages
Addison says ‘Margo is a great star, a true star. She never was or will be anything less or anything else.’ What sets Margo apart from Eve? Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s award-winning film ‘All About Eve’ is a story of fame, ambition, and all that it entails. Headlining it is Bette Davis’ Margo Channing, an ageing actress whose star shines brightest in the theatre. Margo is a woman who is not only revered by her audiences, but people in and of the theatre itself – a trait that Eve, played by Anne Baxter, is most envious of. Eve tries to usurp Margo’s place in the theatre by conniving her way through Broadway hierarchy and politics. Despite Eve’s attempts to try and become Margo, the differences between them clearly show. Margo is a person of the…show more content…
She does not shy away from being blunt and straightforward to people close to her, once angrily exclaiming that she is “fed up with the young lady and her qualities”, a statement pertaining to Eve when Margo is made aware of her misgivings. This is also evidenced by the backstage scene before and during Karen’s introduction of Eve, where Margo is seen just casually chatting with friends Lloyd, Karen and Birdie. Although she is situated on a higher chair than the rest of them, indicative of her status within the theatre’s society, Margo “looks like a junkyard” and is free of pomp and glamour, and there is an air of comfort surrounding them. Her inherent authenticity allows Margo to separate the life she lives within the theatre and the life she lives privately, a feat Eve is unable to do. Eve spends the entirety of her time acting, having fooled not only Margo, but Karen, Lloyd, and everyone else too with her antics. Originally named Gertrude Slescynski, Eve knows that the only way to be able to achieve her dream of becoming an actress is to act the way she had done so, but it is unclear as to where Eve draws the line between acting to attain what she wants and acting because it is what she feels more at ease in. This is especially true as Eve herself had said, in what is presumably a rare time of genuineness, that “acting and make believe began to fill [her] life more and more”, and that she…show more content…
Often indicated is Margo’s less than enthusiastic approach to her career, but more importantly, the level of significance her friends and her lover Bill have over her life. Margo has made it a point for her life not to centre upon being an actress, and once she had settled down, she likens her job to that of “playing parts [she’s] too old for, just because [she] has got nothing to do with [her] nights.” She has always made it a point to maintain her relationships, whether it be subtly apologising to Karen for her “infant-like behaviour” or to frankly ask Bill, “Am I going to lose you?” after an argument. This enables Margo to carry on with a meaningful life outside the theatre in the event that she retires, her fame subsides and nothing but a mention in passing of her name remains. Again, this is the complete antithesis of what Eve has built her career upon. Eve believes that the only place she “belongs” and is “wanted” is in Broadway. She celebrates in knowing that “every night, hundreds of different people love [her]”, especially portrayed in the scene of her receiving the Sarah Siddons award – her expression showing equal parts overwhelmed and gratified. It is not long, however, before Eve realises that success is hollow without people to share it with, and with her deliberate leaving of her prestigious award in the backseat of a cab, she shows
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