All about Eve? No Eve was a snake! The film we watched in week four was so good and full of so much drama. All About Eve was interesting in how it showed the idea of “the next big star” or as Abby Lee Miller-from Dance Moms– says “everyone is replaceable.” Margo the established famous actress must hold her own in the acting world while Eve tries with all her might to swoop in and take her place. She does shady things like seducing Margo’s man and blackmail Karen into making her husband cast her over Margo. It is a movie that gives you an adrenaline rush. I loved the character of Margo played by Bette Davis. She was so authentic and had a real strong chip on her shoulder. She would not take any fuss from anyone, including Eve. While Eve had her moments that drew me to here, the end of the movie took all of my interest away. I did, however, feel bad that Eve became stuck in a situation where Addison had full control over her carrer. I also feel like this was a trend during the period and it is disappointing that women did not have control in certain circumstances. Margo, on the other hand, did whatever she wanted when she wanted and did not others down to get there. She had some sass and fire I will admit but it seemed like Karma that Eves’s ending was the way it was compared to Margos.
The main reason I feel I was excited by Margo was the way the actress portrayed her. Bette Davis was a very good actress who everyone knew strictly by her talent. She trained not only in acting but dance as well. I am a dancer and have danced since I was three and the fact that she trained with the one and only Martha Grahm is so crazy to me. I have only taken one class in the style of Grahm and let me tell you it is very different. It includes lots of isolations and smaller movements with the torso and pelvis. I believe this training benefited Davis in many ways. The best actors are the ones and can use micromovements to get the point across and Davis was the queen of this. Her facial expressions, gestures, and body movements were always so precise and in the movie, it was very evident. As studios began to put more emphasis on the acting instead of the look Davis rose and her skillset was highlighted. My favorite moment of Davis’s in All About Eve was when she delivered the line, “Bill’s thirty-two. He looks thirty-two. He looked it five years ago, he’ll look it twenty years from now. I hate men.” I could not help but laugh and get drawn in more to her character. Bette Davis was a true talent, to say the least.
During week four I was most interested in this film but there was one idea in the lecture that really resonated with me due to how true it really is. The paradox of stardom. This idea describes the transparency and knowledge of the star and the idea that there is always something hidden behind the surface that needs to be unmasked. We all know, admire, and obsess over big-name stars. But there is still so much to them we do not know or have not unmasked. That’s the excitement of it all. We think we know them based on how they are portrayed in the media. While they may seem to live crazy amazing lives in luxury and fame, they are just normal people like you and me. As cheesy–pepper jack is the best cheese– as it is, it is so unbelievably true.
Grahm style of movement
Eve the slithering snake——>
Bette Davis on the cover showing all the attitude Margo embodies.