Out of all of the actresses that we have looked at so far for this course, Bette Davis is by far my favorite. To me Bette Davis embodies what it truly means to be an actress. She was extremely talented and well respected throughout Hollywood. Not only do I think Bette Davis is the epitome of talent for women in the 1950s, her film All About Eve was also my favorite film that we watched for class.
In All About Eve Davis plays an actress, Margo, who is nearing the end of her glory days after a young woman named Eve shows up. Even manipulates Margo and her friends and virtually takes over Margo’s life. Bette Davis plays Margo and the role is perfect for her. Davis is known as an actress that can portray a wide range of emotions and that is exactly what Margo does in this film. One second Margo is ecstatic, the next she is pleading with desperation. In “Bette Davis Actor/Star” written by Martin Shingler and Christine Glendhill, Shingler and Glendhill write about the skill and craftsmanship Davis brought to every project that she worked on.
Bette Davis is not an actress who is known for her beauty. Unlike other stars from the 50s like Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe Bette Davis was hired onto movies for only one purpose: to act. Davis was wildly popular for her actual acting skills, something that was rare at the time. Davis was not a woman who was stuck to playing one type of role. Davis starred in over 50 movies and has played a variety of roles. She does not have to play roles that are meant for sexualization because of her talent. When compared to Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich her persona and image matter less because she is not being hired to portray a certain woman all of the time. This gave Davis more of a private life and more of an ability to choose who she wants to be.
The only role that Davis constantly played was that of the housewife who has a secret, but she did not even play that type of role in All About Eve. Davis playing the role of a housewife was the studio’s way of giving a window into her private life. Davis was an American girl and studios wanted to make it seem as if she has American values, hence the recurring housewife role.
One thing that I really took away from the Davis reading by Shingler and Gledhill was that Davis was an actress who used mannerisms to express herself. I noticed this throughout All About Eve. Davis would have reactions to little things that could be seen through her eyes or the way she folded her hands. This is what makes her an exceptional actress. Better Davis worked with multiple studios in a time when it was popular to only work with one, she was not simple put in a movie to be a sex symbol, and she respected all of the work she and other actors did. I admire Bette Davis as an actress who made an incredible career for herself through her own merits.