SCREENING IN THE BERNARD OSHER FOUNDATION AUDITORIUM
“[O]ne of the greatest movies about theatre – an idea that, in itself, opens an ironic abyss into which Mankiewicz spelunks with an impish, riotous aplomb.”
138 minutes. Not Rated. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. In English. DCP.
Note: This screening is part of a series, “The Talk of the Town,” inspired by the upcoming exhibit “Peggy Bacon: Biting, never Bitter.” Each film in this series concerns a female artist navigating their ambitions in a big city. Films in “The Talk of the Town” series will screen at 3 pm on Saturdays throughout June.
In Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s devastatingly witty Hollywood classic, backstage is where the real drama plays out. One night, Margo Channing (Bette Davis) entertains a surprise dressing-room visitor: her most adoring fan, the shy, wide-eyed Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). But as Eve becomes a fixture in Margo’s life, the Broadway legend soon realizes that her supposed admirer intends to use her and everyone in her circle, including George Sanders’s acid-tongued critic, as stepping-stones to stardom. Featuring stiletto-sharp dialogue and direction by Mankiewicz, and an unforgettable Davis in the role that revived her career and came to define it, the multiple-Oscar-winning All About Eve is the most deliciously entertaining film ever made about the ruthlessness of show business. (Criterion Collection)