All About Eve

Film Studies

Pascal DiBetta

Film: All about Eve

Oh Eve

George Orwell's animal farm has a parallel to a major theme in All about Eve. Although the book itself is dealing with the ideology of marxism, it is also addressing the concept of the a revolution which applies to the main driving plot of the movie. Perhaps this theme is not revealed until the last shot of the film, however, looking back we can see the similarities between Eve and Margo as the film progresses. We see at the very end when Eve is sitting on the coach, the true colors of the character of the young star. Old, tired and in no way innocent (emphasised by the cigar she is smoking). A movies theme can make the difference between a well made film versus a incredible film. The story can be told with skill and elegance, yet it is the the question that is being asked which makes it great. Many may forget that the true meaning of a revolution is to simply end up back where you started, revolution meaning to return where evolve is to advance. In Animal Farm the animals end up being indistinguishable from the humans. Eve made it to the top in her manipulative way and here we are left with asking, when will the cycle end, for sydney is shown bowing in front of the mirror, exactly like Eve in the beginning of the film. Now to touch on the subject of art in General, what society would be made without the arts. To think that the artist is above or separate from society, like Edison says, is absurd. It is the society which creates the art. The art is a reflection of the society, making predictions and bold statements about the society which it is giving  a narrative on.

As movies moved from the silent era into the new technology of sound, filmmakers began to use speech as a form of storytelling versus visual elements. Like any good tool, this technique was overused, with text becoming overwhelming. All About Eve is in a renovated stage of the classical drama, using text excessively, yet wisely. The film lacks visual spectacular, yet makes up for it with its ability to communicate through dialogue. From the very beginning we are presented with Addison voice, the narrator, who we presume is going to be an important aspect of the film yet turns out to merely be a pond. He establishes the wit that the film has through its entirety. “The distinguished looking gentleman is an extremely old actor. Being an actor - he will go on speaking for some time. It is not important what you hear what he says.”  It is very witty dialogue, yet it is funny for how true it is. Addison goes on to say “ The minor awards, as you can see, have already been presented. Minor awards are for such as the writer and director - since their function is merely to construct a tower so that the world can applaud a light which flashes on top of it and no brighter light has ever dazzled the eye than Eve Harrington. Eve... but more of Eve, later. All about Eve, in fact” What Distinguishes the text of this film from others is the slow pace at which it carries itself. The Witt comes from the plot, the comedy of a stuck up star, Margo, encountering a younger version of herself and the people around her dealing with egotistical Margo Channing.